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Minnesota County
Houston County, Minnesota
La Crescent - the Apple Capital of Minnesota in the Driftless bluffs - from La Crescent's apple orchards (the Mississippi River bluffs above La Crescent produce exceptional apples in one of the northernmost apple-growing regions in the United States - the microclimate created by the Mississippi River valley and the south-facing bluff slopes allows apple varieties to thrive that would not survive in the open Minnesota prairie, and La Crescent's Apple Festival celebrates the harvest that has defined the community's agricultural identity) and the Driftless Area's Houston County bluff country (the ancient unglaciated landscape of stream-carved valleys and limestone bluffs makes Houston County one of the most topographically dramatic counties in Minnesota).
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Office: Houston County Emergency Management – Caledonia, MN 55921
Services: Prepares hazard mitigation plans in coordination with the State of Minnesota and FEMA; recent focus has included response to severe weather and flooding events.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Minnesota Highways 44 and 76 serve Caledonia, the county seat, connecting to Interstate 90 and the urban centers of La Crosse, WI and Winona, MN
Transit: Houston County sits in Minnesota’s southeastern corner, bordered by the Mississippi River (Wisconsin) to the east and Iowa to the south; La Crescent, the county’s largest city, benefits from its connection to La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Houston County Zoning/Planning – 304 S. Marshall St, Caledonia, MN 55921
Services: Building permit applications are processed online through Beacon (beacon.schneidercorp.com) under Houston County’s Geo Permits system; several incorporated cities (Houston, Caledonia, etc.) issue their own permits separately.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Houston County Veterans Services – Caledonia, MN 55921
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Caledonia Public Library (SELCO) – 231 East Main Street, Caledonia, MN 55921
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Houston County’s seat, Caledonia, is genuinely and officially proclaimed the “Wild Turkey Capital of Minnesota,” earning the title as the location where wild turkeys were successfully reintroduced to the state in the early 1970s after the species had vanished from Minnesota; the city celebrates the designation each fall with its Wild Turkey Fest, held alongside the Caledonia Balloon Rally. Caledonia was also proclaimed “The Heart of Quilt Country” in 2008, home to a self-guided driving tour past more than 60 barns painted with colorful quilt-pattern murals. The 1883 Houston County Courthouse and its 1875 Italianate jail and sheriff’s residence, both designed by C. G. Maybury & Son of Winona in Romanesque and Italianate styles, are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearby Beaver Creek Valley State Park offers nearly 1,200 acres of Driftless Area bluffs and trout streams, and the county’s rolling terrain is part of Minnesota’s scenic “Bluff Country” region
Notes: Houston County’s Caledonia is genuinely the official “Wild Turkey Capital of Minnesota,” celebrating the site of the state’s successful wild turkey reintroduction in the early 1970s.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Houston County GIS – accessible via co.houston.mn.us / hocomn.gov
Parcel Search: Houston County Recorder – 304 S. Marshall St, Caledonia, MN 55921, (507) 725-5813
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Houston County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: La Crescent Animal Rescue – La Crescent, MN 55947
Services: Genuinely the only animal shelter based in Houston County, a no-kill, entirely volunteer-run rescue; historically limited to serving La Crescent city limits under a city contract, but has been actively working with area cities and townships to expand service countywide.
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
Houston County’s Caledonia is genuinely Minnesota’s official “Wild Turkey Capital,” celebrating the site of the state’s successful wild turkey reintroduction in the early 1970s. The county itself is named for Sam Houston, unrelated to the city of Houston, Texas. 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 Houston County
Houston County is Minnesota’s Apple Capital in the Driftless bluffs – La Crescent’s Mississippi River bluff orchards produce exceptional apples at the northernmost commercial growing region in the US, and the ancient unglaciated Driftless landscape of carved valleys and limestone bluffs makes Houston County one of Minnesota’s most dramatic corners.
Caledonia (the county seat, population ~2,900) and La Crescent (population ~5,000) serve the county’s orchard, agricultural, and Mississippi River bluff communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Houston County Assessor at 304 S. Marshall Street, Caledonia, MN 55921, phone 507-725-5812. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Houston County District Court at 304 S. Marshall Street, Caledonia, MN 55921, phone 507-725-5801, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Houston County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Houston 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
Houston County District Court Houston County Courthouse, 304 South Marshall Street, Suite 2100, Caledonia, MN 55921 (507) 724-7002 Houston County is in Minnesota’s southeastern corner, seated in Caledonia.
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
304 S. Marshall St., Caledonia, MN 55921
(507) 725-3391
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
304 S. Marshall St., Caledonia, MN 55921
(507) 725-5806
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — Southeast Region
(507) 725-5811
Gundersen Health System
gundersenhealth.org (La Crosse, WI — major regional hospital across the Mississippi; Level I Trauma; accessible)
Mayo Clinic Health System — La Crescent
mayoclinichealthsystem.org (La Crescent — quality community clinic)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Houston County Public Health & Human Services – Caledonia, MN 55921, (507) 725-5811 or (507) 725-5810
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Caledonia
Population: 18,500
Area: 551 sq mi
Established: 1854
Tier: 3
Public Records
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