Wapello County
Wapello County, Iowa, was established in 1843 and named after a Meskwaki chief, Wapello. It has a land area of 432 square miles and a population of 35,437 (2020 U.S. Census). Ottumwa is its county seat and largest city. Wapello County runs a unitary court system, like all counties in Iowa.
The sole court in the county with authority over all civil and criminal issues is the Wapello County District Court. It has different divisions for specific types of cases. The Juvenile Division focuses on cases involving minors. It deals with such matters as adoption, child support, emancipation, truancy, and juvenile delinquency. The Probate Division oversees guardianship and conservatorship appointments, estate and trust administration, and will admissions. Felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses are handled by the Criminal Division. The Small Claims Division has streamlined processes to handle landlord-tenant disputes and civil claims under $5,000. Family law matters, such as annulment, divorce, and dissolution of civil union, are heard by the Domestic Relations Division. The Civil Division hears civil proceedings with or without financial limits.
Wapello County public court records consist of court filings, depositions, writs, docket entries, orders, judgments, and legal proceedings of the Wapello County District Court that are available to the public. These records can be in text, audio, or video format. The Wapello County Clerk of Court prepares, indexes, sorts, preserves, and stores public court records for the county in compliance with state and county regulations.
Unless sealed by court orders, the Wapello County Clerk of Court provides access to these types of court records:
- Probate Case Records
- Traffic Case Records
- Criminal Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
Record seekers can access Wapello County public court records on the Iowa Courts Online Electronic Docket Record Search portal. They must select Wapello County from the list of counties and search for the specific records by case number, party name, or date. Persons interested in more detailed results can subscribe to the paid Advanced Case Search option. Alternatively, anyone can visit the Wapello County Clerk of Court to view and request the county's public court records. They can contact the Wapello County Clerk of Court at:
Wapello County Clerk of Court
101, West 4th Street
Ottumwa, IA 52501
Phone: (641) 683-0060
Fax: (641) 683-0064
