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Iowa · Des Moines Metro · #734
Warren County, Iowa
South of Des Moines on the Iowa prairie, Warren County has been one of Iowa's fastest-growing counties for a decade - absorbing the metro's southward expansion as families seek lower housing costs and Indianola's school system while remaining within commuting distance of Des Moines employment.
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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: Warren County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via warrencountyia.gov.
Sheriff: Warren County Sheriff’s Office – 115 N. Howard Street, Suite 101, Indianola, IA 50125 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Joe Carico.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-65 and IA-92 serve Indianola, the county seat, roughly 14-19 miles south of downtown Des Moines.
Notes: Indianola was founded in 1849 as the Warren County seat and is home to Simpson College.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Warren County Courthouse – Indianola, IA.
Notes: Indianola holds a genuinely notable place in American ballooning history. The fifth United States National Hot Air Balloon Championship held its preliminaries there in 1970, and due to the event’s success, Indianola hosted the national championships every year for the following 18 years – growing from just 11 balloons in the first year to more than 200 by 1976. Today the city hosts the National Balloon Classic, a nine-day festival held annually the first week of August with nearly 100 hot air balloons at Memorial Balloon Field, established 1989. Indianola is also home to the National Balloon Museum, one of only two balloon-dedicated museums in the entire United States (the other in Albuquerque, New Mexico), founded in 1975 and housed in a building shaped like a hot air balloon’s gondola; its collection includes exhibits spanning 200+ years of ballooning history from the Balloon Federation of America, the first hot air balloon to cross the English Channel, and the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame. Indianola is also home to Simpson College and the Des Moines Metro Opera, a major American summer opera festival.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Warren County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via warrencountyia.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Indianola Carnegie Library (Indianola) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The National Balloon Museum, the National Balloon Classic festival, Simpson College, and the Des Moines Metro Opera are the county’s premier cultural and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, deep ballooning heritage of Indianola – one of only two U.S. cities with a dedicated balloon museum – is among the most distinctive local cultural facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Warren County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via warrencountyia.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Kiya Koda Humane Society – 1206 N. Jefferson Way, Indianola, IA 50125 | (515) 961-7080. No-kill 501(c)(3) shelter; after-hours strays can also be reported to the Indianola Sheriff’s Office, (515) 961-1122.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Warren County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via warrencountyia.gov.
NOTES: Warren County is the ninety-sixth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, deep ballooning heritage of Indianola is among the most distinctive local cultural facts 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 Warren County
Warren County’s Indianola is a genuine small Iowa city with its own character – home of Simpson College (a liberal arts institution founded in 1860), the National Balloon Classic hot air balloon festival, and a historic courthouse square that has maintained genuine commercial activity even as development pressure from the Des Moines metro changes the county’s character. The county’s growth has been driven by its position as the most affordable and accessible southern suburb of Des Moines, with good schools and a small-city identity that appeals to families moving out of the metro.
Iowa’s biennial assessment system (odd years) means property values update on a specific cycle. Warren County’s agricultural land – corn and soybeans in the prairie soil – remains economically significant in the county’s rural townships even as suburban development accelerates near Indianola.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Iowa assesses property at 100% of actual value in odd years. Property owners may appeal to the Board of Review by April 25. Iowa offers a homestead credit for owner-occupied primary residences. Iowa has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
Phone: (515) 961-1033
Address: 301 N. Buxton St., Indianola, IA 50125
Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Website: iowacourts.gov
DISTRICT COURT
Phone: (515) 961-1033
Address: 301 N. Buxton St., Indianola, IA 50125
Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Website: iowacourts.gov | 5th Judicial District
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)
301 N. Buxton St., Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-1033
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Warren County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Simpson College Archives, Indianola, holds significant regional historical materials.
Local societies
No dedicated Warren 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
Warren County District Court, 5th Judicial District 115 North Howard Avenue, Indianola, IA 50125 (515) 961-1077
Warren County is part of the Des Moines metro, seated in Indianola, home to Simpson College and the National Balloon Museum.
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 Warren 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
1300 E. 2nd Ave., Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-1122
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
301 N. Buxton St., Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-1023
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
301 N. Buxton St., Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-1023
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Warren County Health Dept
(515) 961-1073
Iowa DHHS — Region 5
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
MercyOne Indianola Medical Center
mercyone.org/indianola (quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Warren County Public Health – confirm current contact via warrencountyia.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Indianola
Population: 55,000
Area: 572 sq mi
Established: 1846
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Warren County facilities via Amazon.
