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Iowa · Missouri River · #451
Woodbury County, Iowa
At the corner where Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota meet above the Missouri River, Sioux City anchors a tri-state regional economy that the rest of Iowa sometimes forgets exists - a place that has processed the Great Plains' livestock output for 150 years and built more around that work than most people expect.
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Office: Woodbury County Emergency Management – Courthouse, 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, IA 51101.
Sheriff: Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office (Law Enforcement Center) – 3701 28th Street, Sioux City, IA 51105 | Office (712) 279-6010. Established in 1853; operates civil investigations, jail, K-9, SWAT/RISC team, and court security/transportation divisions, serving over 100,000 residents across 15 communities. Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-4:15 PM, Fri 8 AM-3:15 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-29 and I-129 serve Sioux City, the county seat and Iowa’s 4th-largest city (population roughly 85,800), spanning both Woodbury and Plymouth counties along the Missouri River.
Notes: Woodbury County was established in 1851, originally named Wahkaw County before being renamed for Levi Woodbury, a former U.S. Supreme Court justice. Sergeant’s Bluff (now Sergeant Bluff) was Woodbury County’s first formally platted town, registered November 20, 1854 – meaning the county and its original seat were organized before Sioux City itself existed.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Woodbury County Courthouse – 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, IA. Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-4:15 PM, Fri 8 AM-3:15 PM.
Notes: Woodbury County holds one of the most historically significant Lewis and Clark Expedition sites in the country. Sergeant Charles Floyd, a member of the expedition, died and was buried on a high bluff along the Missouri River on August 20, 1804 – the expedition’s only fatality. His grave, repeatedly threatened by river erosion, was relocated and finally memorialized with the Sergeant Floyd Monument, a 100-foot white sandstone obelisk completed in 1901 at Floyd’s Bluff; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, one of the first such landmarks recognized in the United States. Floyd’s remains were reinterred there in a formal ceremony on the site’s dedication anniversary. The nearby Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum displays a facial reconstruction based on a plaster cast of his skull.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Woodbury County Veteran Affairs – Courthouse, 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, IA 51101.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Sioux City Public Library (Sioux City) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Sergeant Floyd Monument (National Historic Landmark), Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum, Sioux City Public Museum, and the Orpheum Theatre are the county’s premier heritage and cultural attractions.
Notes: The genuine, nationally significant Sergeant Floyd Monument – honoring the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s only casualty – is among the standout historic sites covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Woodbury County Assessor’s Office – Courthouse, 620 Douglas Street, Room 703, Sioux City, IA 51101 | (712) 279-6505.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Sioux City Animal Control Facility – 2400 Hawkeye Drive, Sioux City, IA 51105 | operated under private contract with Hannah, Inc., in partnership with Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue. In-district emergencies: Woodbury County Communications Center, (712) 279-6960.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Woodbury County Community & Economic Development (Planning & Zoning) – Courthouse, 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, IA 51101.
NOTES: Woodbury County is among the final counties completed in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, nationally significant Sergeant Floyd Monument is among the standout historic sites 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 Woodbury County
Woodbury County’s Sioux City is the regional capital of a tri-state corner where Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota converge above the Missouri River – an isolated geography that gives the city an economic self-reliance unusual for a metro of its size. The city’s economy has been built on the Missouri River corridor’s agricultural output: beef packing (Tyson Foods operates a major plant; IBP, which invented the boxed beef model, was founded in Dakota City, Nebraska just across the river), hog processing, and grain handling have sustained Sioux City’s blue-collar industrial economy through cycles that have devastated more diversified Midwestern cities.
The Missouri River itself has played a complicated role in Woodbury County’s history – the 2011 Missouri River flood caused catastrophic damage to much of Sioux City’s riverfront and surrounding communities, requiring years of infrastructure rebuilding. The subsequent levee improvements and the Missouri Riverfront development project have transformed a flood-prone industrial riverbank into an active recreation and commercial corridor. Sioux City’s downtown retains the Gothic-Revival Woodbury County Courthouse, considered one of the finest Prairie Style public buildings in the United States, designed by Purcell and Elmslie in 1918. Briar Cliff University, Morningside University, and Western Iowa Tech Community College provide higher education. The city’s Latino population – largely tied to meatpacking employment – has grown significantly and contributes substantially to the county’s economic and cultural character.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Iowa assesses property at 100% of actual value biennially (odd years). Property owners may appeal to the local Board of Review by April 25 or within 20 days of notice; further appeal goes to the Iowa Property Assessment Appeal Board or District Court. Iowa offers a homestead credit for owner-occupied primary residences and a military service property tax exemption. Iowa has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
West Central Iowa Area Agency on Aging – Long Lines Family Care (serving Woodbury County)
315 East Fifth Street, Suite 304, Sioux City, IA 51101
Phone: (712) 279-6900
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care options counseling for Woodbury County residents.
Senior Services
West Central Iowa Area Agency on Aging – Long Lines Family Care (serving Woodbury County)
315 East Fifth Street, Suite 304, Sioux City, IA 51101
Phone: (712) 279-6900
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care options counseling for Woodbury County residents.
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)
620 Douglas St., Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 279-6542
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Woodbury County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Woodbury County Courthouse, a National Historic Landmark and celebrated Prairie School building, is a significant local architectural resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Woodbury 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
Woodbury County District Court, 3rd Judicial District 620 Douglas Street, Room 101, Sioux City, IA 51101 (712) 279-6611
Woodbury County is home to Sioux City, its largest city. The 1918 Woodbury County Courthouse, a National Historic Landmark, is regarded as one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States, designed by architects George Grant Elmslie, William L. Steele, and William Gray Purcell.
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 Woodbury 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
407 7th St., Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 279-6010
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
620 Douglas St., Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 279-6529
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
620 Douglas St., Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 279-6529
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Woodbury County Health Dept
(712) 279-6119
Iowa DHHS — Region 3
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center (Sioux City)
mercyone.org/siouxland (Level II Trauma)
UnityPoint Health — St. Luke's (Sioux City)
unitypoint.org/siouxcity
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Siouxland District Health Department – confirm current contact via woodburycountyiowa.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Sioux City
Population: 105,000
Area: 873 sq mi
Established: 1851
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Woodbury County facilities via Amazon.
