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Iowa County
Greene County, Iowa
Jefferson and Raccoon River valley - from Jefferson's Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower (a 168-foot bell tower in the heart of Jefferson that serves as one of central Iowa's most distinctive landmarks, offering panoramic views of the surrounding Raccoon River valley countryside) to Greene County's productive west-central Iowa farmland (the Raccoon River drains Greene County's gently rolling agricultural landscape, supporting strong corn and soybean production across one of west-central Iowa's steadily productive farming counties).
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Office: Greene County Emergency Management – 204 N. Grimmell Road, Jefferson, IA 50129 | (515) 386-2136 | Fax (515) 386-3911.
Sheriff: Greene County Sheriff’s Office (Law Enforcement Center) – 1005 E. Lincolnway, Jefferson, IA 50129 | (515) 386-2136 | Fax (515) 386-3911; Sheriff Jack Williams. By contract, provides law enforcement for Churdan, Dana, Grand Junction, Paton, and Rippey in addition to unincorporated county areas; houses the 8-bed Greene County Jail. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-30 (the historic Lincoln Highway) and IA-4 serve Jefferson, the county seat, in west-central Iowa.
Notes: Greene County was organized in 1854, with its first courthouse built on the Jefferson town square in 1856; the current (third) courthouse building was dedicated in 1917 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Greene County Courthouse – 114 N. Chestnut Street, Jefferson, IA. Hours: 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Notes: Jefferson is home to the genuinely striking Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower, a 168-foot-2-inch landmark on the southwest corner of the courthouse square, funded through the wills of local businessman Floyd Mahanay and his wife Dora and dedicated in 1966. The tower holds a four-octave, 47-bell carillon (its original 14 large bells cast at the Petit & Fritzen foundry in the Netherlands, later expanded through a 50th-anniversary “Let the Bells Ring” fundraising campaign) that plays the Westminster Chimes every 15 minutes; visitors can ride a glass elevator to a 120-128-foot observation deck with views across five counties, and it was named Iowa’s 2021 Outstanding Attraction. The courthouse square also holds a monument to Captain Darrell Lindsey, a Greene County native and World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who died guiding his damaged B-26 bomber to allow his crew to parachute to safety; his memorial marker was relocated to Jefferson in 1993 after the German Air Force base that once displayed it closed.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Greene County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via greenecounty.iowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Jefferson Public Library (Jefferson) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower, the Captain Darrell Lindsey Medal of Honor memorial, and the historic Lincoln Highway corridor through downtown Jefferson are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, award-winning status of the Mahanay Bell Tower as one of Iowa’s most distinctive small-town landmarks, alongside the moving story of Captain Darrell Lindsey’s Medal of Honor sacrifice, are among the standout local histories covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Greene County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via greenecounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
PAWS of Greene County (People for Animal Welfare Society) – based at the Community Animal Shelter, 1700 Doreen Wilber Drive, Jefferson, IA 50129 | (515) 386-2340 or (515) 386-9814 | Email: [email protected]. All-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Jefferson and all Greene County communities; adoption fees $150 dogs, $100 cats, visits by appointment.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Greene County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via greenecounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Greene County is the thirty-eighth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, award-winning status of the Mahanay Bell Tower, alongside the moving story of Captain Darrell Lindsey’s Medal of Honor sacrifice, are among the standout local histories covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Greene County
Greene County is west-central Iowa’s Raccoon River valley agricultural county – Jefferson’s distinctive carillon tower anchors a county seat that serves surrounding farm communities while Greene County’s productive terrain delivers reliable corn and soybean yields across the gently rolling west-central Iowa landscape.
Jefferson (the county seat, population ~4,200) is Greene County’s governmental and commercial hub, providing regional services to the county’s rural farming communities in west-central Iowa between Ames and Carroll.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Greene County Assessor at 114 N. Chestnut Street, Jefferson, IA 50129, phone 515-386-5675. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Greene County District Court at 114 N. Chestnut Street, Jefferson, IA 50129, phone 515-386-2516, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
114 N. Chestnut St., Jefferson, IA 50129
(515) 386-2216
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Greene County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower in Jefferson is a distinctive local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Greene County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Greene County District Court, 2nd Judicial District 114 North Chestnut Street, Jefferson, IA 50129 (515) 386-2516
Greene County was founded in 1851, named for Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. Its seat, Jefferson, is home to the 168-foot Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower, visible for miles across the county. The 1918 Greene County Courthouse (Beaux Arts, National Register of Historic Places) anchors the Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Iowa has its own comprehensive probate code (Iowa Code Chapter 633) and has not formally adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Iowa offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Distribution by Affidavit (“very small estates”) – for estates where the gross value of personal property is $50,000 or less and there is no real estate, available 40 days after death under Iowa Code § 633.356. A sworn affidavit is presented directly to banks and other institutions. No court filing is required.
Small Estate Administration – a simplified probate process under Iowa Code Chapter 635 for estates with a gross value of $200,000 or less, with reduced notice requirements and court costs compared to full administration.
Regular (Full) Probate – standard administration through the district court for larger or more complex estates, which can be independent (unsupervised) or supervised.
Supervised Administration – closer court oversight, typically used for contested estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Administration (if intestate) with the Greene County District Court.
The court admits the will (if any) and issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; under independent administration, creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and – under independent administration – largely acts without ongoing court check-ins.
After the creditor period closes and debts are paid, the personal representative distributes assets to heirs or beneficiaries.
File a final accounting/final report; the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Personal representative fees are capped by statute at 3% of the gross value of the probate estate (excluding life insurance) unless services are itemized; attorney fees follow a similar framework.
Recording fees at the county recorder run about $7 for the first page of a document and $5 for each additional page.
Typical timelines: Distribution by Affidavit – a minimum 40-day wait; independent (unsupervised) probate typically closes in 6-12 months, with the 4-month creditor period as the primary timing constraint.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
114 N. Chestnut St., Jefferson, IA 50129
(515) 386-2136
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
114 N. Chestnut St., Jefferson, IA 50129
(515) 386-5685
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
114 N. Chestnut St., Jefferson, IA 50129
(515) 386-5685
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Greene County Public Health – confirm current contact via greenecounty.iowa.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Jefferson
Population: 8,900
Area: 569 sq mi
Established: 1851
Tier: 4
Public Records
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