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Minnesota County
Waseca County, Minnesota
Waseca's agricultural research heritage and south-central Minnesota farming - from the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca (the University of Minnesota's long-running agricultural research station in Waseca has been one of the most important corn and soybean research facilities in the Upper Midwest for over a century - the agronomic research conducted at Waseca has contributed to crop variety development and farming practices that have shaped Midwestern agriculture) and Waseca County's highly productive corn, soybean, and livestock farming economy on the south-central Minnesota plains.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Waseca County Emergency Management – (507) 835-0590 | co.waseca.mn.us
Services: Alert system via MN Alert, Waseca County Alert, and NOAA Weather Radio; FEMA Region 5. Waseca County is a south-central Minnesota county (population ~19,000) with an agricultural, manufacturing, and service economy, facing severe winter storms, tornado risk, and flooding along the Straight and Le Sueur Rivers.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Minnesota Highway 13 (north-south through Waseca, connecting Mankato to the west and Owatonna to the east) and US-14 (east-west through the county); Waseca, the county seat, is about 75 miles south of Minneapolis
Transit: Limited and primarily auto-dependent; Waseca County Transit serves local needs.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Waseca County Zoning/Planning – Waseca, MN 56093, (507) 835-0670
Services: The local economy is a mix of agriculture, manufacturing, and agricultural research; building and zoning permits are handled through the county courthouse.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Waseca County Veterans Services – Waseca, MN 56093
Notes: Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the Mankato VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic serve the county’s veteran population.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Waseca County Library – Waseca, MN 56093
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Waseca County is home to Lake Waseca, a roughly 1,046-acre recreational lake offering strong walleye and bass fishing, swimming, and boating alongside city parkland, plus Elysian Lake in the eastern part of the county for additional fishing and recreation. The county also hosts the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center, a long-running agricultural research station focused on corn, soybean, and sustainable-agriculture research. FarmAmerica, Minnesota’s agricultural interpretive center, is located in the county and tells the broader story of the state’s farming history
Notes: Lake Waseca offers genuinely strong recreational fishing, and the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center gives the county a long-running role in Minnesota agricultural research.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Waseca County GIS Information / Interactive GIS Map – accessible via mn-wasecacounty.civicplus.com/164/GIS-Information; data also published to the Minnesota Geospatial Commons
Parcel Search: Waseca County Assessor – Waseca, MN 56093
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Waseca County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Waseca County Animal Humane Society – Waseca, MN 56093, (507) 201-7287
Services: A no-kill, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, entirely foster-based (no physical shelter location), independently funded by the community and serving southern Minnesota.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – pca.state.mn.us
Notes: Straight River and Le Sueur River watershed management, Waseca-area lake water quality (including invasive species management), and agricultural runoff/tile drainage nutrient management are significant local environmental focus areas.
NOTES
Lake Waseca offers genuinely strong recreational fishing, and the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center gives the county a long-running role in Minnesota agricultural research. 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 Waseca County
Waseca County is south-central Minnesota’s agricultural research heartland – the University of Minnesota’s century-old Waseca research station has shaped Midwestern corn and soybean variety development, and the surrounding farmland represents some of the most productive agricultural land in southern Minnesota.
Waseca (the county seat, population ~9,400) serves the county’s farming communities between Mankato and Owatonna on the US-14 corridor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Waseca County Assessor at 307 N. State Street, Waseca, MN 56093, phone 507-835-0630. MN homestead exclusion reduces taxable market value.
Courts & Legal
Waseca County District Court at 307 N. State Street, Waseca, MN 56093, phone 507-835-0500, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Waseca County District Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Waseca County Historical Society is a noted local historical resource; the 1897 Waseca County Courthouse is NRHP-listed.
Local societies
Waseca County Historical Society confirmed as a local historical resource.
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
Waseca County District Court Waseca County Courthouse, 307 N. State Street, Waseca, MN 56093 (507) 308-7002
Waseca County was founded February 27, 1857, named for the settlement of Waseca, in south-central Minnesota, seated in Waseca. The 1897 Waseca 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
307 N. State St., Waseca, MN 56093
(507) 835-0500
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
307 N. State St., Waseca, MN 56093
(507) 835-0500
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MN DHS — South Central Region
(507) 835-0500
Mayo Clinic Health System — Waseca
mayoclinichealthsystem.org (Waseca — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Waseca County Public Health – Waseca, MN 56093
Hospital: Mayo Clinic Health System – Waseca, MN, (507) 835-1210, a Mayo Clinic-affiliated community hospital and clinic serving the county.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Waseca
Population: 19,000
Area: 423 sq mi
Established: 1857
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Waseca County residents.
