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Iowa County
Webster County, Iowa
Fort Dodge's Cardiff Giant hoax and gypsum mining heritage - from the Cardiff Giant (the 1869 hoax in which a 10-foot petrified "giant" carved from Gypsum obtained from Fort Dodge was buried on a New York farm and "discovered" - the Cardiff Giant became the most famous hoax in American history, attracting enormous crowds before being exposed as a fake, and a replica at the Fort Museum documents the connection to Webster County gypsum) to Fort Dodge's significant gypsum deposits (the Des Moines River valley's gypsum beds - among the largest in the United States - have been mined continuously since the 1870s for wallboard, plaster, and industrial uses, making Webster County one of America's most significant gypsum producing regions).
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Office: Webster County Emergency Management/Telecommunications – Fort Dodge, IA | Dispatch (515) 573-2323.
Sheriff: Webster County Sheriff’s Office – Fort Dodge, IA | (515) 573-1410 | Jail (515) 573-1462. Total staff of 47 serving roughly 37,000 residents across 718 square miles.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-20 and US-169 intersect at Fort Dodge, the county seat, a four-lane route running from Dubuque to Sioux City.
Notes: Webster County was created January 15, 1851, one of 43 counties established in a single legislative package; it’s named for statesman and orator Daniel Webster. The community of Homer was the original county seat after organization in 1852, but Fort Dodge – already the region’s largest town – won an 1856 election to relocate the seat, beginning a long and troubled effort to build an adequately designed courthouse.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Webster County Courthouse – 701 Central Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA (built 1902, Beaux-Arts Classical Revival, architect Henry C. Koch; part of the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places since 1981/2010; the second courthouse building in county history).
Notes: Fort Dodge has a genuinely significant industrial legacy nicknamed “Gypsum City.” In 1872, George Ringland, Webb Vincent, and Stillman T. Meservey founded the Fort Dodge Plaster Mills, constructing the first gypsum mill west of the Mississippi River. Over the following decades, 13 gypsum mills were built in the county, reportedly making Webster County the largest gypsum producer in the world at points in its history – a legacy tied to the exceptionally pure, 10-to-30-foot-thick gypsum beds deposited across the county during the Permian geologic period. The county was also historically Iowa’s largest stoneware producer. Today’s Gypsum City OHV Park (65 miles of off-highway vehicle trails) commemorates this mining heritage.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Webster County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via webstercountyia.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Fort Dodge Public Library (Fort Dodge) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Gypsum City OHV Park (65 miles of trails), two state-designated water trails (65 miles combined), 100+ miles of snowmobile trails, and 30 miles of connected multi-use paved trails are the county’s premier recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, historically significant “Gypsum City” mining legacy – once possibly the world’s largest gypsum-producing region – is among the standout local industrial histories covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Webster County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via webstercountyia.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa – 725 S. 32nd Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Webster County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via webstercountyia.gov.
NOTES: Webster County is the ninety-ninth county completed in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, historically significant “Gypsum City” mining legacy is among the standout local industrial histories 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 Webster County
Webster County is north-central Iowa’s Cardiff Giant hoax and gypsum mining county – the stone that became the most famous hoax in American history was carved from Fort Dodge gypsum, and the massive gypsum deposits beneath the Des Moines River valley have been mined for 150 years.
Fort Dodge (the county seat, population ~24,000) is the regional hub for north-central Iowa – its hospital, retail, and Iowa Central Community College serve a broad surrounding region.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Webster County Assessor at 701 Central Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA 50501, phone 515-576-4721. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Webster County District Court at 701 Central Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA 50501, phone 515-573-7175, 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)
701 Central Ave., Fort Dodge, IA 50501
(515) 576-7117
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Webster County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District, home to the courthouse, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Webster 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
Webster County District Court, 2nd Judicial District 701 Central Avenue, Fort Dodge, IA 50501 (515) 576-7115
Webster County was founded January 15, 1851, named for statesman Daniel Webster. Its seat, Fort Dodge, is the county’s largest city. The 1902 Webster County Courthouse (Beaux-Arts Classical Revival, National Register of Historic Places) anchors the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District.
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 Webster 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
701 Central Ave., Fort Dodge, IA 50501
(515) 576-4264
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
701 Central Ave., Fort Dodge, IA 50501
(515) 576-7115
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
701 Central Ave., Fort Dodge, IA 50501
(515) 576-7115
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Webster County Health Dept
(515) 576-2440
Iowa DHHS — Region 2
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional (Fort Dodge)
unitypoint.org/fortdodge (major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Webster County Public Health – confirm current contact via webstercountyia.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fort Dodge
Population: 37,000
Area: 718 sq mi
Established: 1851
Tier: 3
Public Records
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