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Iowa County
Union County, Iowa
Creston and Iowa's railroad heritage - from Creston's history as a major Burlington railroad division point (the city grew as a key stop on the Burlington Route, and its railroad heritage is reflected in the historic depot and the region's development as a rail hub in south-central Iowa) to Union County's Green Valley State Park (the county's outdoor recreation anchor features multiple lakes and wildlife habitat in the gently rolling south Iowa landscape).
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Office: Union County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via unioncountyiowa.gov.
Sheriff: Union County Sheriff’s Office (Law Enforcement Center) – 302 N. Pine Street, Creston, IA 50801 | (641) 782-7717; attached to the north side of the Union County Courthouse, alongside the Creston Police Department, for direct access between the jail and courtrooms. Union County has a somber early history: its first three sheriffs died in the line of duty.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-34 and US-169 serve Creston, the county seat. Creston remains a working railroad town – now on the BNSF Railway – used as a train crew-change point, and served by Amtrak’s daily Chicago-San Francisco Bay Area California Zephyr from the city’s historic 1899 CB&Q depot (restored and reopened as an Amtrak stop in 2019).
Notes: Union County was created January 15, 1851 and organized in 1853, named – during the tense pre-Civil War years – for the Union that its founders wished to preserve. Afton was selected as the original county seat in 1855; a hard-fought 1890 vote later moved the seat to Creston, aided by Creston having already built a new courthouse in anticipation of the outcome.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County Courthouse – 300 N. Pine Street, Creston, IA (built 1952, architects Thomas W. Williamson, Victor Loebsack and Associates; the fourth courthouse building in county history).
Notes: Creston was established in 1868-1869 by the Burlington and Missouri Railroad, taking its name because the site sat on the highest point – the “crest” – of the rail line between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Chosen as a division point, Creston grew a massive railroad roundhouse with stalls for 60 engines, which by the early 20th century was the largest American engine house west of Chicago (the roundhouse burned down in 1981; the machine shop was destroyed by tornado in 1946). Creston today hosts Southwest Iowa Balloon Days each September, the second-largest hot air balloon event in Iowa, with more than 60 balloons participating alongside a parade, flea market, and craft fair.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Union County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via unioncountyiowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Creston Public Library (Creston) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic 1899 CB&Q depot (now Amtrak station), Southwest Iowa Balloon Days, and downtown Creston’s railroad heritage sites are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine story of Creston’s massive railroad roundhouse – once the largest of its kind west of Chicago – and the county’s distinctive Balloon Days festival are among the standout local facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Union County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via unioncountyiowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Union County is genuinely Iowa’s #1 county for animal shelters per capita, with 4 shelters serving its population. Creston Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) / Creston City Pound – (641) 782-2330 | Email: [email protected]. Dog Gone Rescue – foster/home-based, no phone; Email: [email protected]. City of Creston Animal Control (dispatch) – (641) 782-8402, Mon-Fri 7 AM-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Union County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via unioncountyiowa.gov.
NOTES: Union County is the ninety-third county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine story of Creston’s massive railroad roundhouse and the county’s #1 ranking statewide for animal shelters per capita are among the standout local 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 Union County
Union County is south-central Iowa’s railroad heritage and agricultural county – Creston’s Burlington railroad history shaped the city’s growth and character while the surrounding county supports corn, soybean, and livestock farming across the gently rolling terrain of southern Iowa.
Creston (the county seat, population ~7,600) is Union County’s governmental and commercial center and one of south-central Iowa’s larger small cities, serving surrounding rural communities with retail, healthcare, and regional services.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Union County Assessor at 300 N. Pine Street, Creston, IA 50801, phone 641-782-1735. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Union County District Court at 300 N. Pine Street, Creston, IA 50801, phone 641-782-7315, 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)
300 N. Pine St., Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-7315
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Creston’s history as a major railroad hub is a significant local historical resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Union 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
Union County District Court, 5th Judicial District 300 North Pine Street, Creston, IA 50801 (641) 782-7315 Union County is in southwestern Iowa, seated in Creston, historically a major railroad hub.
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 Union 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
300 N. Pine St., Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-7714
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
300 N. Pine St., Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-7315
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
300 N. Pine St., Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-7315
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Union County Health Dept
(641) 782-5731
Iowa DHHS — Region 6
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
Greater Regional Medical Center
greaterregional.org (Creston — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Union County Public Health – confirm current contact via unioncountyiowa.gov.
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