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Minnesota County
Renville County, Minnesota
Olivia - the Corn Capital of the Nation - from Renville County's extraordinary corn production (Renville County is one of the most productive corn counties in Minnesota and the entire United States - the rich glacial till soils and favorable growing conditions of the Minnesota River valley produce exceptional corn yields that have made Olivia's claim as the Corn Capital of the Nation a genuine reflection of agricultural productivity - a giant ear of corn sculpture on the city's water tower announces the designation) and the county's significant ethanol and agricultural processing economy.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Renville County Sheriff’s Office operates a state-of-the-art 24-hour Dispatch Center that coordinates not just its own deputies but all emergency services countywide – six police departments, ten fire departments, five ambulance services, and five first-responder/medical response units. About 95% of the county’s 911 call volume comes from cell phones.
Address: 105 S. 5th St., Suite 210, Olivia, MN 56277
Sheriff: Sheriff Scott D. [surname per current department listing – verify with the office directly]
Notes: The Sheriff’s Office also administers Project Lifesaver, a locator-device program helping caregivers rapidly find people with Alzheimer’s, autism, dementia, or other cognitive conditions who wander and become lost. For life-threatening emergencies, dial 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Notes: Route through the Renville County Government Services Center, 105 South 5th Street, Olivia, MN 56277, for current highway department contact information.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Notes: Contact the Renville County Assessor’s Office ((320) 523-3645) for property valuation questions; route through the Government Services Center for zoning/building permit information.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Renville County Veterans Services – Government Services Center, 105 South 5th Street, Suite 247, Olivia, MN 56277 | (320) 523-3763
Services: Connects veterans, dependents, and survivors with federal and state benefits.
Notes: The office runs a Veterans Van providing scheduled transportation to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center (odd-numbered Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays), the St. Cloud VA Medical Center (Wednesdays), and the Montevideo VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (first even Tuesday of each month); rides must be scheduled at least four days ahead, appointment times 7 a.m.–2 p.m. The van is not wheelchair accessible and cannot transport anyone with a serious/acute medical condition or continuous oxygen needs.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Notes: A dedicated Renville County library page was not fully detailed in available sourcing at the time of writing. Olivia and other Renville County cities are served by public libraries affiliated with the regional Traverse des Sioux Library System serving southwestern Minnesota; contact the county or city directly for current branch details.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Olivia, the county seat, has called itself the “Corn Capital of the World” since 1973, when it erected a 50-foot corn-shaped monument; it is home to nine seed research facilities and hosts Corn Capital Days each year during the last weekend of July, featuring a parade, corncob toss, “corn-lympics,” free corn feed, and fly-in breakfast. The Renville County Courthouse and Jail (500 East DePue Avenue, Olivia) was built in 1902 by architect Fremont D. Orff in a Late Victorian style with Second Empire-influenced copper-domed corner pavilions and central tower; listed on the National Register of Historic Places since June 13, 1986. Renville County Historical Museum (441 N Park Drive, Morton, MN) was established in 1940 and includes a restored one-room schoolhouse (Norfolk Schoolhouse #28), the relocated 1891 St. John’s Episcopal Church, a Heritage Building built over an 1869 log cabin, and exhibits on the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and county pioneer Joseph Renville.
Website: renvillecountyhistory.com
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Renville County Hub is the county’s public open-data GIS portal, offering property tax/assessment lookups and downloadable county datasets.
Website: hub-renvilleco.hub.arcgis.com
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Notes: A dedicated county-operated animal shelter was not clearly confirmed in available sourcing at the time of writing. Note that Duke Memorial / Redwood Area Animal Shelter in neighboring Redwood Falls (see Redwood County) serves a region including Renville County. Contact the Renville County Sheriff’s Office for current local animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Facility: The Redwood/Renville Regional Solid Waste Authority (RRRSWA) jointly serves Redwood and Renville counties through the Redwood/Renville Regional Material Recovery Facility (RRRMRF) – a genuinely notable regional facility, one of only a handful of publicly owned conjoined recycling-and-transfer facilities in Minnesota.
Address: 907 West Bridge St., Redwood Falls, MN
Notes: The transfer station accepts demolition materials, scrap metal, and municipal solid waste from commercial haulers, contractors, and private/self-haulers; high-visibility vests are required on the tip floor (provided if you don’t have one). Asbestos-containing materials are NOT accepted. 24/7 recycling drop-off is available outside the facility fence. RRRSWA does not rent dumpsters or roll-off boxes – contact a local solid waste hauler for that service. Household Hazardous Waste for Renville County residents is also handled regionally through the Kandiyohi County HHW Center, 1400 22nd Street SW, Willmar, MN, which serves Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Meeker, Renville, and Swift counties; phone (320) 231-3587.
NOTES
Renville County’s seat, Olivia, has proudly called itself the “Corn Capital of the World” since 1973, and its Redwood/Renville Regional Material Recovery Facility is a genuinely notable joint regional waste facility. 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 Renville County
Renville County is the Corn Capital of the Nation – the rich Minnesota River valley soils produce some of the highest corn yields in the United States, and Olivia’s giant corn sculpture water tower announces an agricultural identity that is genuine rather than merely promotional.
Olivia (the county seat, population ~2,500) serves Renville County’s corn, soybean, and ethanol processing communities in the Minnesota River valley.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Renville County Assessor at 500 E. DePue Avenue, Olivia, MN 56277, phone 320-523-3669. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Renville County District Court at 500 E. DePue Avenue, Olivia, MN 56277, phone 320-523-3680, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Renville County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Renville County Historical Museum, Morton, MN, established 1940, operated by the Renville County Historical Society, includes a research library.
Local societies
Renville County Historical Society, Morton, MN, confirmed (operates the Renville County Historical Museum with a research library).
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
Renville County District Court Renville County Courthouse, 500 E. DePue Avenue, Olivia, MN 56277 (320) 523-3680
Renville County was founded February 20, 1855 (organized 1866), named for Joseph Renville, in southwestern Minnesota, seated in Olivia – “The Corn Capital of the World.” The 1902 Renville County Courthouse and Jail, Late Victorian 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
105 S. 9th St., Olivia, MN 56277
(320) 523-1161
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
500 E. DePue Ave., Olivia, MN 56277
(320) 523-3680
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Renville County Public Health Services – Government Services Center, 105 South 5th Street, Olivia, MN 56277
Services: Provides screenings, health education, immunization clinics, and family planning services.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Olivia
Population: 14,500
Area: 983 sq mi
Established: 1862
Tier: 3
Public Records
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