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Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Taylor County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.iowa.gov.
Sheriff: Taylor County Sheriff’s Office (Law Enforcement Center) – 1601 Justice Street, Bedford, IA 50833 | (712) 523-2153 or (712) 523-3545 | Fax (712) 523-2153; Sheriff Joshua D. Weed.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-2 and IA-148 serve Bedford, the county seat.
Notes: Taylor County was first established in 1847 and formally organized in 1851, named for General and later President Zachary Taylor. It is Iowa’s fourth-least populous county. A portion of Taylor County was, at one time, part of Missouri. The first county elections drew only 53 votes.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Taylor County Courthouse – Court Avenue, Bedford, IA (built 1892-1893, Romanesque Revival, architect Francis M. Ellis of Omaha; National Register of Historic Places since 1981; features an original spiral staircase; the second courthouse building in county history).
Notes: Bedford’s namesake is believed to be Thomas J. Bedford, who ran a store and trading post within the future city limits in 1848 before departing for the California Gold Rush later that year; he is credited as the first westbound Pony Express rider to deliver mail on its final leg into Oakland, California, on April 23, 1861. The community was originally called “Grove” when its post office opened in 1855, renamed Bedford in 1856.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Taylor County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.iowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bedford Public Library – 507 Jefferson Street, Bedford, IA 50833 | (712) 523-2828 | Email: [email protected].
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake of Three Fires State Park (1,155 acres, 4.3 miles northeast of Bedford, named for a Potawatomi group; established 1935, features an 85-acre lake with beach, boat ramps, and fishing) and the Taylor County Historical Museum (1001 Pollock Boulevard, Bedford) are the county’s premier recreational and heritage attractions.
Notes: Bedford’s Pony Express connection, via its namesake’s role as the first westbound rider to complete the route, is a distinctive local historical detail covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Taylor County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ No confirmed dedicated Taylor County animal shelter was found in current sourcing. Residents should contact the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, (712) 523-2153, for current animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Taylor County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Taylor County is the ninety-second county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Bedford’s Pony Express connection is a distinctive local historical detail covered in this project. ⚠️ Animal services could not be confirmed and are flagged for follow-up rather than smoothed over. 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 Taylor County County
Taylor County is southwest Iowa’s Platte River and cattle country – the wooded river valley and rolling corn, soybean, and beef cattle landscape define a traditional farming community where Bedford serves the county’s agricultural population near the Missouri border.
Bedford (the county seat, population ~1,400) is Taylor County’s governmental hub on IA-2, a southwest Iowa agricultural community whose Platte River watershed, cattle farming, and courthouse anchor its identity near the Missouri border.
All Services
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Taylor County Assessor at 405 Jefferson Street, Bedford, IA 50833, phone 712-523-2518. IA assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Taylor County District Court at 405 Jefferson Street, Bedford, IA 50833, phone 712-523-2095, 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)
405 Jefferson St., Bedford, IA 50833
(712) 523-2095
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Taylor County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Taylor 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
Taylor County District Court, 4th Judicial District 405 Jefferson Street, Bedford, IA 50833 (712) 523-2095
Taylor County was founded in 1847, named for President Zachary Taylor. The 1892 Taylor County Courthouse (Romanesque Revival, National Register of Historic Places) is the county’s second.
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 Taylor 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
405 Jefferson St., Bedford, IA 50833
(712) 523-2231
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
405 Jefferson St., Bedford, IA 50833
(712) 523-2095
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
405 Jefferson St., Bedford, IA 50833
(712) 523-2095
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Taylor County Public Health – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.iowa.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bedford
Population: 6,200
Area: 535 sq mi
Established: 1847
Public Records
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