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Minnesota County
Pope County, Minnesota
Lake Minnewaska and Glenwood's west-central Minnesota resort heritage - from Lake Minnewaska (the 9,300-acre glacial lake at Glenwood - one of the finest walleye and northern pike fishing lakes in west-central Minnesota - whose clear water and sandy shoreline have attracted resort development and lake cabin communities that make it the centerpiece of Pope County's recreation economy) and Glenwood's position as the west-central Minnesota regional hub between Alexandria and Willmar on the US-28 corridor.
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Office: Pope County Emergency Management is housed within the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff: Pope County Sheriff’s Office – 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334 | (320) 634-5411 | fax (320) 634-5457 | office hours Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; dispatch operates 24/7 | Sheriff Tim Riley.
Services: Enhanced 911 emergency call handling, water safety/boating enforcement (a genuine local priority given the county’s many lakes), traffic enforcement, permits for special events, and Operation I.D./D.A.R.E. crime-prevention programs.
Notes: POSSE (Peace Officers Serving Society Effectively) is a volunteer group assisting the Sheriff’s Office with community peacekeeping. Effective July 1, 2025, all adult motorboat and personal watercraft operators born after June 30, 2004, are required to have a valid watercraft operator’s permit. For life-threatening emergencies, dial 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Notes: Pope County maintains its county road network via the county Highway Department; route through the general county line, (320) 634-7700, 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334, for current departmental contact.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Pope County Land & Resource Management – route through the county Government Center, 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334 | (320) 634-5715
Services: Handles building, zoning, and permitting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Pope County Veteran Services – Pope County Courthouse, 130 East Minnesota Avenue, Suite 125, Glenwood, MN 56334-1628 | (320) 634-7846 (also listed as (320) 634-5710)
Services: Led by a County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO) who serves as the primary point of contact for local veterans and their families seeking local, state, and federal veterans benefits.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Glenwood Public Library – 108 First Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334 | a member of the Viking Library System.
Notes: A genuine architectural landmark – its original wing was built in 1908 as a Carnegie library (Neoclassical style, architect A.S. Foss, built by J.H. Olson) and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1982, recognized as one of Pope County’s most architecturally distinctive buildings and its only example of the Carnegie library era.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Pope County is a west-central Minnesota county dotted with glacial lakes, most notably Lake Minnewaska (roughly 8,050 acres, 20 miles of shoreline, max depth 32 ft), which borders both Glenwood and Starbuck, MN. The county maintains a network of ATV, snowmobile, hiking, bicycling, and equestrian trails; a picnic-area park is located in Glenwood on 14th Avenue. The American Craftsman-style Sunset Beach Hotel, a historic resort on Lake Minnewaska’s southern shore, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Starbuck, the county’s second-largest city, functions as a key lakefront recreation and tourism hub.
Notes: County department contact numbers for parks/trail info: route through the general county line, (320) 634-7700.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Pope County provides GIS/property mapping through the county website; route through Land & Resource Management ((320) 634-5715) for current GIS contact and parcel map access.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Pope County Humane Society (PCHS) – 17584 195th Ave, Glenwood, MN 56334 | (320) 634-4761 | pchsmn.org | Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; closed Monday.
Services: Has cared for animals in Pope County since 1985 (incorporated 1987), and is a Minnesota-licensed kennel (MBAH Kennel License #MN140839) serving all of west-central Minnesota; it is a no-kill 501(c)(3) organization. Accepts out-of-state adoptions and operates a senior-pet hospice/rescue program that does not discriminate by breed, illness, or history.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Notes: A dedicated Pope County solid waste/recycling department page was not fully detailed in available sourcing at the time of writing. Residents should contact the Pope County Government Center ((320) 634-7700) or Land & Resource Management ((320) 634-5715) for current recycling and household hazardous waste program details.
NOTES
Pope County’s many glacial lakes, anchored by Lake Minnewaska, make water safety and lakefront recreation genuine local priorities for this west-central Minnesota 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 Pope County
Pope County is Lake Minnewaska country – the 9,300-acre glacial lake’s exceptional walleye fishing and sandy shoreline make it the recreational centerpiece of west-central Minnesota, and Glenwood serves the surrounding agricultural and lake resort communities on the prairie.
Glenwood (the county seat, population ~2,600) serves Pope County’s grain, dairy, and lake resort communities between Alexandria and Willmar.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pope County Assessor at 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334, phone 320-634-7706. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Pope County District Court at 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334, phone 320-634-7706, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pope County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1930 Pope County Courthouse and the Fremad Association Building are among the county’s National Register of Historic Places listings.
Local societies
No dedicated Pope 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
Pope County District Court Pope County Courthouse, 130 E. Minnesota Avenue, Glenwood, MN 56334 (320) 424-7170
Pope County was founded February 20, 1862 (organized 1866), named for John Pope, in west-central Minnesota, seated in Glenwood on Lake Minnewaska. The 1930 Pope County Courthouse, Beaux-Arts 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
130 E. Minnesota Ave., Glenwood, MN 56334
(320) 634-5106
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
130 E. Minnesota Ave., Glenwood, MN 56334
(320) 634-5301
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — West Central Region
(320) 634-5731
CentraCare Health — Glacial Ridge
centracare.com (Glenwood — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Pope County Public Health – (320) 634-5720
Related: Human Services – (320) 634-5750
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