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Missouri County
Iron County, Missouri
Taum Sauk Mountain and Johnson's Shut-Ins - Taum Sauk at 1,772 feet is Missouri's highest point, located in the ancient St. Francois Mountains - among the oldest exposed rock in North America. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park features natural water slides carved through ancient rhyolite rock by the East Fork Black River, one of Missouri's most beloved swimming destinations.
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Office: Iron County Emergency Management Agency – 650 Hammond Street, Ironton, MO 63650 | (573) 546-4000; a volunteer-based organization equipped with a mobile water purification system, cooperating with local, state, and federal partners.
Sheriff: Iron County Sheriff’s Office – 220 S. Shepherd St., Ironton, MO 63650 | Phone (573) 546-7051 (24 hours) | Dispatch (573) 546-4000 (24 hours) | Crime Tips Hotline (573) 546-7052 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-3:30 PM; Sheriff Chuck Helton. Serves Ironton, Arcadia, Pilot Knob, Annapolis, Belleview, Bixby, Des Arc, Glover, Hogan, Middle Brook, Viburnum, and Vulcan.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-21 and MO-72 serve Ironton, the county seat, in the scenic Arcadia Valley of the St. Francois Mountains, roughly 86 miles south of St. Louis.
Notes: Iron County was organized February 17, 1857, from parts of St. Francois, Madison, Washington, Dent, Reynolds, and Wayne Counties, and is named for its once-abundant iron ore deposits. Its irregular shape resulted from the requirement not to reduce any contributing county below its constitutional minimum size.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Iron County Courthouse – 250 S Main St, Ironton, MO 63650; note two historical courthouse fires have affected the survival of some older county records.
Notes: Iron County is genuinely one of Missouri’s most historic Civil War landscapes. The Battle of Pilot Knob (September 26-27, 1864) – one of the largest engagements fought on Missouri soil – saw a small Union garrison at Fort Davidson make a defiant stand against roughly 8,000 Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price; though Union forces ultimately evacuated, they inflicted devastating Confederate casualties that helped derail Price’s Missouri campaign. Fort Davidson is preserved today as the Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site, drawing over 139,000 visitors in 2019. The nearby Historic Immanuel Lutheran Church (built 1861) served as a Northern Army headquarters and hospital during the battle and retains its original hand-hewn pews, altar, and other period furnishings. The county is also home to Taum Sauk Mountain, at 1,772 feet the highest point in Missouri, and Elephant Rocks State Park, known for its massive, distinctively rounded granite boulders.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Iron County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via ironcountymo.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a St. Louis or Farmington VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Ozark Regional Library – Ironton Branch; confirm current address/phone via ironcountymo.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site (Fort Davidson), Taum Sauk Mountain State Park (Missouri’s highest point), Elephant Rocks State Park, and roughly 96,000 acres of Mark Twain National Forest are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine scale of the 1864 Battle of Pilot Knob and the county’s status as home to Missouri’s highest point are among the most notable local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Iron County Assessor – confirm current contact via ironcountymo.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Ironton Animal Control – text (314) 363-0821; proof of ownership required to reclaim an animal. NAMING TRAP: online searches for “Iron County Animal Shelter” primarily surface results for Iron County, Utah’s shelter – not Iron County, Missouri; confirm current local shelter/rescue status via ironcountymo.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (573) 546-7051.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Iron County – confirm current contact via ironcountymo.gov.
NOTES: Iron County is the sixth county in the seventh batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine scale of the 1864 Battle of Pilot Knob and the county’s status as home to Missouri’s highest point (Taum Sauk Mountain) are among the most notable local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Iron County
Iron County is southeast Missouri’s Taum Sauk summit and Johnson’s Shut-Ins county – Missouri’s highest point and the beloved natural rock slide swimming area define a county whose St. Francois Mountains geology creates some of the most distinctive natural landscapes in the Ozarks region.
Ironton (the county seat, population ~1,400) is Iron County’s governmental hub, a historic mining town in the St. Francois Mountains.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Iron County Assessor at 250 S. Main Street, Ironton, MO 63650, phone 573-546-2312.
Courts & Legal
Iron County Circuit Court at 250 S. Main Street, Ironton, MO 63650, phone 573-546-2811, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
250 S. Main St., Ironton, MO 63650
(573) 546-2912
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Iron County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1858 Iron County Courthouse complex, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Iron 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
Iron County Circuit Court, Probate Division 250 S. Main Street, Suite 220, Ironton, MO 63650 (573) 546-2511
Iron County was founded February 17, 1857, named for local iron ore deposits, in Missouri’s Lead Belt region, seated in Ironton. The 1858 Iron County Courthouse complex, Italianate/Greek Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Missouri probate is governed by Title XXXI of the Missouri Revised Statutes (Chapters 470-475), the Probate Code.
Small Estate Affidavit (RSMo § 473.097) – available when the entire estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $40,000. A 30-day waiting period after death applies, and only if no application for letters is pending. If the property listed is worth more than $15,000, the clerk must publish a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. A bond may be required. Once the court issues a certified small estate certificate, the affiant presents it directly to whoever holds the property to collect and distribute assets – avoiding full probate. Typical timeline: about two months to close, versus six months to a year or more for full probate.
Formal Administration – required for larger or more complex estates. A petition for Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one) is filed with the probate division. After review, the court appoints the personal representative and issues the letters. Missouri offers both supervised and independent administration. Missouri requires an attorney to represent the personal representative in both types of administration.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a petition with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
Within 30 days of appointment (unless the court extends the deadline), the personal representative files an inventory and appraisement of all estate assets.
After debts are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and files a final settlement with the court to close the estate.
What it costs
Missouri sets statutory minimum fees for attorneys and personal representatives based on a percentage of the estate’s value, though additional fees may be allowed for extraordinary services.
Missouri has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
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
250 S. Main St., Ironton, MO 63650
(573) 546-2211
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
250 S. Main St., Ironton, MO 63650
(573) 546-2912
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Iron County Health Department – confirm current phone via ironcountymo.gov.
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