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Iowa County
Wapello County, Iowa
Ottumwa - Radar O'Reilly's hometown and the Des Moines River valley - from Ottumwa's M*A*S*H connection (Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly - the beloved character from the long-running CBS television series M*A*S*H - was written as being from Ottumwa, Iowa, and the character's earnest small-town Iowa identity made Ottumwa famous to generations of television viewers) to Ottumwa's John Morrell & Co. meatpacking heritage (the John Morrell pork processing plant - one of the largest in Iowa - shaped Ottumwa's working-class identity, labor union culture, and immigrant workforce for over a century) and the Ottumwa Courier's regional journalism legacy.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Wapello County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via wapellocounty.org.
Sheriff: Wapello County Sheriff’s Office (Joint Wapello County/City of Ottumwa Law Enforcement Center) – opened November 2000; Sheriff Donald L. Phillips. 48 budgeted staff, 12 patrol deputies covering nearly 800 miles of unincorporated roadway; operates a 148-bed jail and a 911 Communications Center handling over 12,000 annual calls, including roughly 2,500 to 911. Serves approximately 36,000 residents (Iowa’s 19th most populous county).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-63 and US-34 serve Ottumwa, the county seat, along the Des Moines River.
Notes: Wapello County was created February 17, 1843, named for Chief Wapello of the Meskwaki people, from unorganized territory; the county opened at midnight with hundreds of eager settlers already camped at its eastern border, and within a month had a population exceeding 5,000.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wapello County Courthouse – 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA (built 1894, Romanesque, architects Foster & Liebbe; National Register of Historic Places since 1981; the fourth courthouse building in county history, part of the Central Park area alongside Ottumwa City Hall and the Ottumwa Public Library).
Notes: Ottumwa is famously the fictional hometown of Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly from the classic TV series M*A*S*H, a connection celebrated locally through the M*A*S*H Characters’ Hometown Tour and an exhibit at the Iowa Heartland History Connection Museum (20,000+ items spanning Native American, settler, and industrial history). Wapello County is also home to the American Gothic House in Eldon, the real farmhouse that served as the backdrop for Grant Wood’s iconic 1930 painting “American Gothic,” managed as a state historic site.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Wapello County Veterans Affairs – Courthouse, 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Ottumwa Public Library – Central Park area, Ottumwa, IA.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The American Gothic House (Eldon), the Iowa Heartland History Connection Museum, and the M*A*S*H Characters’ Hometown Tour are the county’s premier heritage and cultural attractions.
Notes: The genuine dual claim to fame – as the real setting behind “American Gothic” and the fictional hometown of M*A*S*H’s Radar O’Reilly – makes Wapello County one of the most culturally recognizable counties covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Wapello County Assessor’s Office – Courthouse, 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Ottumwa Animal Control Officer – (641) 683-0661. Contact via the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office, (641) 684-4350, for countywide arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Wapello County Environmental Health – Courthouse, 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501.
NOTES: Wapello County is the ninety-fifth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine dual claim to fame – as the real setting behind “American Gothic” and the fictional hometown of M*A*S*H’s Radar O’Reilly – makes Wapello County one of the most culturally recognizable counties 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 Wapello County
Wapello County is southeast Iowa’s Radar O’Reilly hometown county – M*A*S*H’s most beloved character was from Ottumwa, and the meatpacking industry that shaped the city’s working-class identity for a century makes it one of Iowa’s most recognizable communities.
Ottumwa (the county seat, population ~25,000) is the Des Moines River valley’s regional hub – its hospital, retail, and Indian Hills Community College serve southeast Iowa’s communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wapello County Assessor at 101 W. 4th Street, Suite 101, Ottumwa, IA 52501, phone 641-683-0085. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Wapello County District Court at 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501, phone 641-683-0060, 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)
101 W. 4th St., Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 683-0068
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wapello County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Ottumwa’s Central Park historic area (Ottumwa Public Library, City Hall, and St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church) holds significant local historical materials.
Local societies
No dedicated Wapello 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
Wapello County District Court, 8th Judicial District 101 West 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501 (641) 683-0060
Wapello County was founded in 1843, named for Meskwaki Chief Wapello. Its seat, Ottumwa, is the county’s largest city. The 1894 Wapello County Courthouse (Romanesque, National Register of Historic Places) sits within Ottumwa’s Central Park historic area.
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 Wapello 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
120 E. Main St., Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-8612
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
101 W. 4th St., Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 683-0060
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
101 W. 4th St., Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 683-0060
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Wapello County Health Dept
(641) 683-0074
Iowa DHHS — Region 7
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
MercyOne Ottumwa Medical Center
mercyone.org/ottumwa (major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Wapello County Public Health – Courthouse, 101 W. 4th Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Ottumwa
Population: 35,000
Area: 432 sq mi
Established: 1843
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Wapello County residents.
