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Office: Ringgold County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via ringgoldcounty.iowa.gov.
Sheriff: Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office – 801 West South Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854 | (641) 464-3921 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Rob Haley, Chief Deputy Nathan Nickle. Houses 911 communications and the county jail at the same site.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-169 and IA-2 serve Mount Ayr, the county seat, in south-central Iowa near the Missouri border, about 22 miles west of I-35.
Notes: Ringgold County was created February 24, 1847, named for Major Samuel Ringgold, a hero of the Battle of Palo Alto (May 1846) during the Mexican-American War – the same battle for which neighboring Palo Alto County, Iowa is named. It is Iowa’s second-least populous county (4,663 residents at the 2020 census). Mount Ayr was founded in 1875 and named for the Scottish birthplace of poet Robert Burns in Ayr, Scotland; “Mount” was added because the town sits on the highest point of land in the area. Mount Ayr was awarded the county seat on April 18, 1855.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ringgold County Courthouse – 109 W. Madison Street, Mount Ayr, IA (built 1926-1927, Classical Revival, architects Keffer & Jones; National Register of Historic Places since 1981; the fourth courthouse building in county history). Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Notes: The former Ringgold County Jail (built 1895, 201 E. Monroe Street) is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it served as the county jail until the current courthouse and jail were completed in 1927, after which it became an American Legion post until 1978.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ringgold County Veterans Affairs – Courthouse, Mount Ayr, IA 50854.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mount Ayr Public Library (Mount Ayr) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Ringgold County Conservation manages 9 parks, trails, and wildlife areas across more than 1,000 acres, including the Dragoon Trace Nature Center. Ringgold is the only Iowa county with a resident population of the Greater Prairie Chicken; visitors can observe the birds’ mating display (“booming”) mid-March through mid-May.
Notes: The genuine, unique status as Iowa’s only county with a Greater Prairie Chicken population is among the standout natural facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ringgold County Assessor’s Office – Courthouse, Mount Ayr, IA 50854.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Animal Alliance Rescue and Shelter – 102 E. Adams Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854 | (515) 520-7748.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ringgold County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via ringgoldcounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Ringgold County is the eighty-third county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, unique status as Iowa’s only county with a Greater Prairie Chicken population is among the standout natural facts 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 Ringgold County County
Ringgold County is south Iowa’s Grand River headwaters and rolling cattle country – the source of one of north Missouri’s major rivers and the traditional beef cattle and grain farming landscape define one of Iowa’s least populous counties where Mount Ayr serves the surrounding agricultural communities near Missouri.
Mount Ayr (the county seat, population ~1,600) is Ringgold County’s governmental hub on IA-2, a south Iowa agricultural community whose cattle farming, Grand River headwaters, and courthouse anchor its identity near the Missouri border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ringgold County Assessor at 109 W. Madison Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854, phone 641-464-3545. IA assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Ringgold County District Court at 109 W. Madison Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854, phone 641-464-3233, 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)
109 W. Madison, Mount Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-3234
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ringgold County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Ringgold 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
Ringgold County District Court, 5th Judicial District 109 West Madison Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854 (641) 464-3234
Ringgold County is on the Missouri border in south-central Iowa, one of the state’s least populous counties.
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 Ringgold 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
109 W. Madison, Mount Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-3545
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
109 W. Madison, Mount Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-3234
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
109 W. Madison, Mount Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-3234
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Ringgold County Public Health – 109 W. Madison Street, Mount Ayr, IA 50854.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mount Ayr
Population: 4,900
Area: 537 sq mi
Established: 1847
Public Records
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