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Iowa · Central Iowa · #453
Jasper County, Iowa
Newton built an appliance empire on the Maytag washing machine, and when that era ended, the city turned its NASCAR-caliber racetrack and wind energy economy into something genuinely its own - a small Iowa county that has reinvented itself twice and isn't done yet.
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Sheriff: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office – 2300 Law Center Drive, Newton, IA 50208 | (641) 792-5912 | Jail (641) 791-7081.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Newton Correctional Facility, a low/medium security state prison with roughly 1,300 inmates, is located in unincorporated Jasper County near Newton.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-80 and US-6 serve Newton, the county seat, about 30 miles east of Des Moines.
Notes: Jasper County was established in 1846 and is home to 14 communities and over 35,000 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jasper County Courthouse – 101 1st Street N, Newton, IA (built 1911; Newton’s most distinctive downtown landmark, within the Newton Downtown Historic District).
Notes: Newton was historically known as the “Washing Machine Capital of the World.” By 1911 the town had as many as six competing washing machine manufacturers; the last and largest, the Maytag Washing Machine Company, was founded in 1893 by Frederick Maytag and became a Fortune 500 corporation and the city’s defining employer for over a century. Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006 and closed the Newton manufacturing plant in 2007, ending a 115-year local presence that Newton has worked to rebuild from since, including through new wind-energy manufacturing and the arrival of Iowa Speedway. The Maytag name remains woven through the city – in Maytag Park, the landmark Maytag office building, and the Maytag Dairy Farms blue cheese business the family launched in the 1940s – and the Jasper County Historical Museum now serves as the region’s principal repository of Maytag artifacts and history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jasper County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via jasperia.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Newton Public Library (Newton) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Maytag Park (with its Hollywood-style concert bowl), the Jasper County Historical Museum’s Maytag exhibit, Iowa Speedway, and the historic Capitol Theatre (opened 1927, downtown Newton) are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, well-documented rise and eventual closure of the Maytag Washing Machine Company – and the town’s identity as the “Washing Machine Capital of the World” – is among the most historically significant industrial stories covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jasper County Assessor’s Office – Courthouse, 101 1st Street N, Room 105, Newton, IA 50208 | (641) 792-6195.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Jasper County Animal Rescue League and Humane Society – 5411 Liberty Avenue, Newton, IA 50208 | (641) 792-5407. No-kill nonprofit, the only shelter in Jasper County, serving Newton, Lambs Grove, Colfax, Prairie City, Reasnor, Mingo, Baxter, Kellogg, Valeria, and Monroe. Adoption fees: dogs $150-250, cats $50-75.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jasper County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via jasperia.org.
NOTES: Jasper County is the fifty-first county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine rise and eventual closure of the Maytag Washing Machine Company – and Newton’s identity as the “Washing Machine Capital of the World” – is among the most historically significant industrial stories covered anywhere 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 Jasper County
Newton’s identity was Maytag for more than a century. The Maytag Company, founded in Newton in 1893, grew into one of America’s most recognized appliance brands, employed thousands of Newton residents, and defined the city’s economy, culture, and self-image through the twentieth century. When Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006 and shuttered the Newton manufacturing operations, the blow was severe – a city of 15,000 losing its anchor employer was a defining economic crisis. The response has been instructive: Newton converted its assets into new economic anchors, most notably Iowa Speedway (a NASCAR-affiliated track that hosts major racing events and draws regional visitors) and an aggressive wind energy manufacturing recruitment that brought TPI Composites (wind blade manufacturing) and other renewable energy employers to former industrial sites.
Jasper County’s agricultural land is productive corn and soybean country, and the county’s rural character remains dominant outside Newton. The Maytag Dairy Farms in nearby Maytag continue to produce Maytag Blue Cheese, one of America’s most recognized artisan cheeses, preserving the family name in a different industry from the one that made it famous. Iowa’s renewable energy buildout – wind turbines visible across much of the county – represents both an economic opportunity and a landscape transformation that residents navigate with varying enthusiasm.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Iowa assesses property at 100% of actual value biennially (odd years). Property owners may appeal to the local Board of Review by April 25 or within 20 days of notice. Iowa offers a homestead credit for owner-occupied primary residences and a military service exemption. Iowa has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Area Agency on Aging – South Central Iowa
114 East Third Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501
Phone: (641) 682-3990
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Jasper County residents.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging – South Central Iowa
114 East Third Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501
Phone: (641) 682-3990
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Jasper County residents.
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)
101 1st St. N., Newton, IA 50208
(641) 792-6179
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jasper County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Maytag manufacturing legacy in Newton is a significant local industrial history topic.
Local societies
No dedicated Jasper 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
Jasper County District Court, 5th Judicial District 101 1st Street North, Room 104, Newton, IA 50208 (641) 792-3255
Jasper County was organized in 1846, named for Revolutionary War hero William Jasper. Its seat, Newton, has long been known as the center of America’s washing machine manufacturing industry (Maytag). The 1909-1911 Jasper County Courthouse (Beaux Arts, National Register of Historic Places) anchors the Newton Downtown 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 Jasper 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
101 1st St. N., Newton, IA 50208
(641) 792-5912
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
101 1st St. N., Newton, IA 50208
(641) 792-3371
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
101 1st St. N., Newton, IA 50208
(641) 792-3371
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Jasper County Health Dept
(641) 792-5929
Iowa DHHS — Region 5
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
MercyOne Newton Medical Center
mercyone.org/newton (quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jasper County Public Health – confirm current contact via jasperia.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Newton
Population: 37,000
Area: 730 sq mi
Established: 1846
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Jasper County facilities via Amazon.
