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Minnesota County
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
The world's largest concentration of Canada geese - from Lac qui Parle Wildlife Management Area (the "lake that speaks" - whose Dakota name evokes the calls of thousands of waterfowl - hosts one of the largest concentrations of Canada geese in the world each fall migration, with 500,000 or more Canada geese staging on the lake and surrounding wildlife management area in what is arguably the most spectacular waterfowl spectacle in the continental United States - the geese darkening the sky and filling the air with their calls make the Lac qui Parle migration one of the great wildlife events in Minnesota).
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Office: Lac qui Parle County Emergency Operations Center – 911 8th Ave, Madison, MN 56256 (moved to new Government Center in 2025), (320) 598-7171
Services: Emergency Management services are contracted to Paramount Planning, a Minnesota public safety consulting firm; maintains a FEMA-approved Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan and chairs the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Minnesota Highways 7 and 40 serve Madison, the county seat, in far western Minnesota near the South Dakota border
Transit: Lac qui Parle County Airport, opened in 2001, is jointly owned by the county and the cities of Madison and Dawson.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lac qui Parle County Assessor/Building Permits – Government Center, 911 8th Ave, Madison, MN 56256, (320) 598-3187
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Lac qui Parle County Veterans Services – Madison, MN 56256
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Madison Public Library (Pioneerland Library System) – 401 6th Avenue, Madison, MN 56256, (320) 598-7938
Services: Housed in the historic Madison Carnegie Library building.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lac qui Parle County, whose French name translates the Dakota name for “the lake that talks,” has one of Minnesota’s most genuinely dramatic county-seat histories. After the railroad bypassed the original county seat of Lac qui Parle village in the 1880s, a fierce rivalry erupted between the nearby towns of Dawson and Madison over which would become the new seat. When county voters chose Madison in an 1886 election, roughly 150 men and 40 teams of horses and oxen – some accounts describe the operation beginning secretly in the dead of night – physically hitched up the entire wooden-frame county courthouse building and dragged it some 15 to 20 miles overland from Lac qui Parle village to Madison, an operation so dramatic that the courthouse at one point became stuck in a bog along the way. The move was formally completed and the county seat officially transferred to Madison in 1889; the county’s current 1899 Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse, built of red brick and river-boulder foundation stone at a cost of $30,689, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Madison also genuinely and proudly proclaims itself the “Lutefisk Capital of the USA,” a title the Madison City Council bestowed in 1982 in honor of the town’s Scandinavian heritage; the Madison Chamber of Commerce funded a 25-foot fiberglass cod statue nicknamed “Lou T. Fisk” that still stands in J.F. Jacobson Park
Notes: Lac qui Parle County’s 1886 courthouse relocation – in which 150 men and 40 horse teams physically dragged the entire county courthouse building 15-20 miles overland to Madison – is a genuinely dramatic chapter of Minnesota county-seat history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Lac qui Parle County GIS – accessible via lqpcomn.gov
Parcel Search: Lac qui Parle County Assessor – 911 8th Ave, Madison, MN 56256
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Lac qui Parle County Sheriff’s Office
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: No dedicated general-purpose Lac qui Parle County animal shelter or humane society could be confirmed as of this writing (only a breed-specific rescue, Gemini Rottweiler and Pitbull Rescue, is based in Madison); residents are encouraged to contact the county directly for current animal control referral information.
Services: N/A
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Lac qui Parle County Environmental Office – (320) 598-3132.
NOTES
Lac qui Parle County’s 1886 courthouse relocation – 150 men and 40 horse teams physically dragging the entire county courthouse building 15-20 miles overland to Madison – is a genuinely dramatic chapter of Minnesota county-seat history, and Madison genuinely and proudly proclaims itself the “Lutefisk Capital of the USA.” No dedicated general-purpose local animal shelter could be confirmed for this small, rural county as of this writing; this should be flagged for follow-up rather than filled with an inaccurate placeholder. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Lac qui Parle County
Lac qui Parle County hosts one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles – up to 500,000 Canada geese stage on Lac qui Parle Lake each fall in one of the largest waterfowl concentrations in the continental United States, and the “lake that speaks” fills with their calls in an event that draws wildlife observers from across the region.
Madison (the county seat, population ~1,500) serves the county’s grain and livestock farming communities west of Willmar.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Lac qui Parle County Assessor at 600 6th Street, Madison, MN 56256, phone 320-598-3536. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Lac qui Parle County District Court at 600 6th Street, Madison, MN 56256, phone 320-598-7444, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lac qui Parle County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1899 Lac qui Parle County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark; the county seat itself was the subject of a 19th-century county-seat controversy (Dawson vs. Madison) that went to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Local societies
No dedicated Lac qui Parle 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
Lac qui Parle County District Court Lac qui Parle County Courthouse, 600 6th Street, Suite 11, Madison, MN 56256 (320) 295-4000
Lac qui Parle County was founded March 6, 1871, named “Lake that speaks” in French, in southwestern Minnesota, seated in Madison. The 1899 Lac qui Parle County Courthouse, Richardsonian Romanesque in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
600 6th Ave., Madison, MN 56256
(320) 598-7525
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
600 6th Ave., Madison, MN 56256
(320) 598-3536
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Lac qui Parle County Public Health – Madison, MN 56256
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Madison
Population: 6,500
Area: 765 sq mi
Established: 1871
Tier: 3
Public Records
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