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Iowa County
Madison County, Iowa
The Bridges of Madison County and John Wayne's birthplace - from the Bridges of Madison County (the six historic covered bridges of Madison County - immortalized in Robert James Waller's 1992 novel and the 1995 Clint Eastwood/Meryl Streep film - draw visitors from around the world to photograph the 19th-century wooden bridges spanning Madison County's creek crossings, making this Iowa county one of the most romantically recognized rural landscapes in American popular culture) to John Wayne's Winterset birthplace (the Marion Robert Morrison born in a small Winterset cottage on May 26, 1907 grew up to become John Wayne - the most iconic American Western film actor of the 20th century - and his birthplace museum draws fans to Madison County year-round).
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Office: Madison County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via madisoncounty.iowa.gov.
Sheriff: Madison County Sheriff’s Office – 1012 N. John Wayne Drive, PO Box 517, Winterset, IA 50273 | (515) 462-3575 | Fax (515) 462-3684.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: IA-92 and IA-169 serve Winterset, the county seat, part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area, along the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway (82 miles).
Notes: Madison County is named for President James Madison.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Madison County Courthouse – Winterset, IA (holds the birth certificate of Marion Robert Morrison – better known as John Wayne).
Notes: Madison County is famous worldwide for two connected claims to fame. Winterset is the birthplace of Academy Award-winning actor John Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in a small four-room house now preserved as part of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, which opened in 2015 and holds the largest public collection of John Wayne artifacts, including seats salvaged from Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Separately, the county’s covered bridges – originally 19, now six survive, all on the National Register of Historic Places – inspired Robert James Waller’s bestselling novel “The Bridges of Madison County” and its 1995 film adaptation starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. The most famous, Roseman Covered Bridge (built 1883), is also known as the “haunted” bridge, tied to an 1892 local legend of an escaped jail prisoner who vanished from inside it.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Madison County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via madisoncounty.iowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Winterset Public Library (Winterset) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The John Wayne Birthplace Museum, the surviving covered bridges (including Roseman, Cutler-Donahoe, and Holliwell), Clark Tower, and the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway are the county’s premier heritage and tourism attractions.
Notes: The genuine, world-famous dual legacy of John Wayne’s birthplace and the real covered bridges behind “The Bridges of Madison County” make this one of the most recognizable county profiles covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Madison County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via madisoncounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Lucky Paws of Madison County – 2057 210th Street, Winterset, IA 50273 | (515) 462-3200 | Email: [email protected]. Nonprofit shelter since 2017; note current intake capacity may be limited – call ahead for strays or surrenders.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Madison County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via madisoncounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Madison County is the sixty-second county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, world-famous dual legacy of John Wayne’s birthplace and the real covered bridges make this one of the most recognizable county profiles 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 Madison County
Madison County is Iowa’s covered bridge and John Wayne county – the bridges immortalized in a bestselling novel and blockbuster film and the birthplace of Hollywood’s greatest Western hero make Madison County one of Iowa’s most visitor-recognized communities.
Winterset (the county seat, population ~5,500) celebrates both legacies – the John Wayne Birthplace Museum and the annual Covered Bridge Festival each October draw visitors from across the country.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Madison County Assessor at 112 N. John Wayne Drive, Suite 3, Winterset, IA 50273, phone 515-462-3441. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Madison County District Court at 112 N. John Wayne Drive, Winterset, IA 50273, phone 515-462-3914, 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)
112 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, IA 50273
(515) 462-4451
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Madison County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The John Wayne Birthplace Museum and Madison County’s famous covered bridges (subject of “The Bridges of Madison County”) are major local historical and cultural landmarks.
Local societies
No dedicated Madison 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
Madison County District Court, 5th Judicial District 112 North John Wayne Drive, P.O. Box 152, Winterset, IA 50273 (515) 462-4451
Madison County was founded January 13, 1846, named for President James Madison. Its seat, Winterset, is famous both as John Wayne’s birthplace and for its picturesque covered bridges, immortalized in “The Bridges of Madison County.” The 1876-1878 Madison County Courthouse (Renaissance Revival, National Register of Historic Places) anchors the Winterset Courthouse 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 Madison 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
112 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, IA 50273
(515) 462-3575
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
112 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, IA 50273
(515) 462-3914
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
112 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, IA 50273
(515) 462-3914
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Madison County Public Health – confirm current contact via madisoncounty.iowa.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Winterset
Population: 16,000
Area: 561 sq mi
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
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