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Minnesota County
Faribault County, Minnesota
Blue Earth - home of the world's largest Jolly Green Giant statue - from the Jolly Green Giant of Blue Earth (the 55-foot fiberglass Jolly Green Giant statue towering over Blue Earth - erected in 1979 to celebrate the town's connection to the Green Giant vegetable brand and the nearby pea processing operations - is one of Minnesota's most beloved roadside giants, welcoming I-90 travelers with the grinning green vegetable icon whose brand originated just up the road in Le Sueur) and Faribault County's productive Blue Earth River valley pea, corn, and soybean farming economy.
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Office: Faribault County Sheriff’s Office / Emergency Management – 320 Dr. H. Russ St, Blue Earth, MN 56013, (507) 526-5148
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Interstate 90 and US Highway 169 serve Blue Earth, the county seat, in south-central Minnesota near the Iowa border
Transit: Prairie Lakes Transit, formed in 2016 by consolidating Faribault and Martin county transit services, operates fixed bus routes and countywide demand-response service; the Blue Route serves Blue Earth Mon-Fri 6:10 AM–5:35 PM, $2.00 fare.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Faribault County Planning and Zoning – Blue Earth, MN 56013
Services: The City of Blue Earth issues its own building permits separately – contact the City’s Building Official at (507) 526-7336 for projects within city limits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Faribault County Veterans Services – Blue Earth, MN 56013
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Blue Earth Community Library – 124 W 7th St, Blue Earth, MN 56013, (507) 526-5012
Services: Genuinely originated as the Memorial Library, built by William Ellery Channing Ross and dedicated in 1904 in memory of his wife Etta Chadbourn Ross; the library moved to its current downtown location in February 1985, and the original 1904 building was donated to the Faribault County Historical Association in 1987, now serving as a local history museum.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Faribault County, established in 1855 and named for fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault, is genuinely home to one of America’s most beloved roadside attractions: the Jolly Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth. Standing 55.5 feet tall and weighing 8,000 pounds, the fiberglass giant was conceived in the 1970s by local radio station owner Paul Hedberg, who hosted a summer show called “Welcome Travelers” interviewing motorists passing through town, and worried that the new Interstate 90 would divert traffic away from Blue Earth’s Main Street. The Green Giant vegetable company, which had genuine roots in the region, granted permission to use its mascot on the condition that the town fund the statue entirely itself; local residents did, and the giant was completed in 1978 and permanently bolted in place on July 6, 1979. Wearing a size-78 shoe and standing beside a companion figure of “Sprout,” the statue now draws over 10,000 visitors annually and anchors an adjacent museum telling the history of the regional vegetable-canning industry. Blue Earth also lays informal claim to being the birthplace of the ice cream sandwich
Notes: Faribault County’s Jolly Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth is a genuinely beloved piece of American roadside culture, funded entirely by the local community and now one of the most visited small-town landmarks in the Midwest.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Faribault County GIS/Map Hub – accessible via co.faribault.mn.us
Parcel Search: Faribault County Assessor – 415 North Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Faribault County Sheriff’s Office
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: New Chances Humane Society (formerly Faribault County Humane Society) – P.O. Box 231, Blue Earth, MN 56013, (507) 526-5160
Services: Genuinely reestablished in July 2008 after the original 1985 organization disbanded; a no-kill shelter that has earned the Best Friends No Kill Excellence Award, caring for lost, abandoned, and surrendered animals in the Faribault County area and finding homes for over 100 animals annually.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Faribault County’s Jolly Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth is a genuinely beloved American roadside landmark, community-funded and drawing over 10,000 visitors a year. Note the county seat (Blue Earth) should not be confused with neighboring Blue Earth County (seat: Mankato) or the separate city of Faribault (seat of Rice County). All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Faribault County
Faribault County is home to the Jolly Green Giant – the 55-foot fiberglass giant overlooking Blue Earth is one of Minnesota’s most beloved roadside icons, celebrating the Green Giant vegetable heritage that connects this south-central Minnesota farming community to one of America’s most recognizable food brands.
Blue Earth (the county seat, population ~3,300) serves the county’s pea, corn, and soybean farming communities at the I-90 and US-169 crossroads in southern Minnesota.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Faribault County Assessor at 415 N. Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013, phone 507-526-6270. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Faribault County District Court at 415 N. Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013, phone 507-526-6273, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Faribault County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Faribault 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
Faribault County District Court Faribault County Courthouse, 415 North Main Street (P.O. Box 130), Blue Earth, MN 56013 (507) 526-6273 Faribault County is in south-central Minnesota, seated in Blue Earth.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Minnesota follows the Uniform Probate Code, which keeps most estates on a streamlined informal track. Minnesota’s small-estate shortcuts are unusual among states in that they can include real property, not just personal property.
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201) – for personal property only. The entire probate estate – including the contents of any safe deposit box, less liens and encumbrances – must be under $75,000. Joint tenancy property and assets that pass by beneficiary designation (life insurance, transfer-on-death accounts) don’t count toward the threshold. A 30-day waiting period applies after death, and no court filing is required – the affidavit is presented directly to the institution holding the property.
Summary Assignment – can include real property, and is court-based. Covers estates up to $75,000, including real property. A certified copy of the court’s Decree of Distribution is filed in the county real estate records to transfer title.
Summary Administration (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1203) – the higher-threshold real-property option, covering estates up to $150,000, exclusive of the exempt homestead. The homestead itself is excluded from the value calculation entirely for both Summary Assignment and Summary Administration – Minnesota’s homestead exemption protects the family home from most creditor claims and it descends to the surviving spouse free of most claims against the estate. If closing and distribution follow the terms of a will, a formal probate hearing for the will is still required before a summary decree can issue.
STEP 2: FORMAL/INFORMAL PROBATE (for estates above the thresholds)
File with the District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled; informal probate is available for most estates, with the personal representative appointed by the Registrar and minimal ongoing court interaction.
The personal representative publishes a creditor notice and directly notifies known creditors, opening a 4-month creditor claim period.
Once the creditor period closes and debts are paid, assets can typically be distributed and the estate closed without returning to court, unless there’s a dispute or a beneficiary requests a formal accounting.
Formal probate – requiring a hearing before a judge – is used in more complicated situations, such as will contests or disputes over the personal representative.
THE 3-YEAR DEADLINE – MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN MOST STATES Informal probate is no longer available after 3 years from the date of death, though formal probate may still be possible in limited circumstances.
What it costs
Small estate procedures can move relatively quickly once the 30-day wait passes. Standard informal probate is largely governed by the 4-month creditor period, so most straightforward estates take at least that long to close.
Minnesota has its own state estate tax, but the exemption threshold is relatively high – $3 million – so most Minnesota families aren’t affected. Rates on the amount above the exemption range from 13% to 16%, applied on a graduated scale; the exemption is not portable between spouses. Minnesota has no state inheritance tax.
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
415 N. Main St., Blue Earth, MN 56013
(507) 526-3241
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
415 N. Main St., Blue Earth, MN 56013
(507) 526-6264
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Faribault County Public Health – 415 North Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013, (507) 526-6225 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Blue Earth
Population: 13,500
Area: 714 sq mi
Established: 1855
Tier: 3
Public Records
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