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Minnesota · South-Central Minnesota · #445
Rice County, Minnesota
Two liberal arts colleges - Carleton and St. Olaf - sit on a hill above Northfield and give Rice County an intellectual density per square mile that surprises everyone who passes through, including the Jesse James gang, who discovered in 1876 that Northfield's college-town character concealed considerable resistance.
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Office: Rice County Emergency Management – (507) 332-6115 | ricecountymn.gov
Services: Alert system via MN Alert, Rice County Alert, and NOAA Weather Radio; FEMA Region 5. Rice County is a south-central Minnesota county (population ~67,000) with an education, agriculture, and manufacturing economy, facing severe winter storms, tornado risk, and flooding along the Cannon and Straight Rivers.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-35 (north-south through the eastern county, connecting the Twin Cities to the north and Iowa to the south, with Northfield accessible from I-35), Minnesota Highway 3 (north-south through Northfield and Faribault), and US-60 (east-west through Faribault, connecting Owatonna to the west and Waseca to the east); Faribault, the county seat, is about 55 miles south of Minneapolis, and Northfield about 40 miles south
Transit: Limited and primarily auto-dependent; Rice County Transit and Minnesota Valley Transit serve local needs.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rice County Planning & Zoning – Government Services Building, 320 Third St. NW, Faribault, MN 55021
Services: The local economy combines Northfield’s college-town character with Faribault’s manufacturing base, including the historic Faribault Woolen Mill; building and zoning permits are handled through the county courthouse.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Rice County Veterans Services – Faribault, MN 55021
Notes: Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the Mankato VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic serve the county’s veteran population.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Rice County Library – Faribault, MN 55021, with additional branches throughout the county
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Rice County is genuinely home to two nationally recognized liberal arts colleges in the same small city – Carleton College and St. Olaf College, both in Northfield. Carleton’s 880-acre Arboretum along the Cannon River is a well-regarded natural area and living laboratory for the college’s science programs; St. Olaf is known nationally for its choral music tradition, including the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, broadcast on public radio each year. Northfield is also the site of the real September 7, 1876 attempted bank robbery by the James-Younger Gang, defeated by armed citizens of the town – one of the most famous events in Minnesota history, commemorated annually with the Defeat of Jesse James Days festival each September. Faribault is home to the Faribault Woolen Mill, operating continuously since 1865 and known for handcrafted wool blankets. The Cannon River offers smallmouth bass fishing and canoeing through both Faribault and Northfield
Notes: Northfield’s real 1876 defeat of the James-Younger Gang, still celebrated annually, and the presence of both Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in one small city are genuine, well-documented distinctions for Rice County.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Rice County GIS – accessible via ricecountymn.gov/152/Geographic-Information-Systems; parcel search via Rice County Beacon (beacon.schneidercorp.com)
Parcel Search: Rice County Assessor – 320 Third St. NW, Faribault, MN 55021
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Rice County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Prairie’s Edge Humane Society (formerly Rice County Humane Society) – 1500 Clinton Lane, Suite F, Northfield, MN 55057, (507) 664-1035
Services: A nonprofit, open-admission shelter serving Rice County since 1985, providing adoption, surrender (by appointment), and animal welfare education; also offers referral help for pet owners facing behavioral or ownership challenges.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Cannon River and Straight River watershed management, and agricultural runoff management are the county’s main environmental focus areas.
NOTES
Northfield’s real 1876 defeat of the James-Younger Gang, still celebrated annually, and the presence of both Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in one small city are genuine, well-documented distinctions for Rice County. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Rice County
Rice County holds two of Minnesota’s most celebrated liberal arts institutions within three miles of each other: Carleton College and St. Olaf College, both on the Northfield hillside, with a combined enrollment of about 5,000 students and national rankings that routinely place them among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. The September 1876 Northfield bank raid – in which Jesse James, Cole Younger, and their gang attempted to rob the First National Bank and were met with armed resistance from townspeople who killed two gang members and eventually captured most of the others – is commemorated annually at the Defeat of Jesse James Days festival and remains part of the city’s self-presentation.
The county seat of Faribault has a distinct manufacturing and institutional character – it was historically home to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind, and Faribault Woolen Mill (established 1865) is one of the oldest continuously operating wool mills in the United States, producing blankets that have become collector items. Rice County’s agricultural base is corn, soybeans, and dairy, and the Cannon River provides both recreation and historical context as a historic waterway for Native peoples and settlers. The county’s two-city character – Northfield as a college town, Faribault as a working manufacturing city – gives it more economic diversity than either city alone would provide.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Minnesota assesses property at 100% of market value annually. The homestead classification provides a market value exclusion that reduces effective rates on primary residences. Property owners may file an April 30 objection; further appeal goes to the Minnesota Tax Court. The Senior Citizen Property Tax Deferral program is available for qualifying homeowners 65+ with income at or below $96,000. Minnesota has an estate tax on estates above $3 million; no Minnesota inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Rice County Senior Services (South Central Minnesota Area Agency on Aging)
1961 Premier Drive, Suite 375, Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: (507) 345-7516
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Rice County residents.
Senior Services
Rice County Senior Services (South Central Minnesota Area Agency on Aging)
1961 Premier Drive, Suite 375, Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: (507) 345-7516
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Rice County residents.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rice County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1910/1934 Rice County Courthouse and Jail, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Rice 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
Rice County District Court Rice County Government Services Building, 218 NW Third Street, Suite 300, Faribault, MN 55021 (507) 497-7134
Rice County is in south-central Minnesota, seated in Faribault. The 1910/1934 Rice County Courthouse, Art Deco 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
210 NW 3rd St., Faribault, MN 55021
(507) 334-2676
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
320 NW 3rd St., Faribault, MN 55021
(507) 332-6104
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — Southeast Region
(507) 332-6400
District One Hospital (Mayo)
mayoclinichealthsystem.org (Faribault — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rice County Public Health – Faribault, MN 55021
Hospital: District One Hospital – Faribault, MN, (507) 334-6451, the county’s primary community hospital.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Faribault
Population: 67,000
Area: 499 sq mi
Established: 1853
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Rice County facilities via Amazon.
