Emmet County Engineer's Office and Secondary Roads Department
Emmet County Courthouse
609 1st Avenue North
Suite #4
Estherville, IA 51334
ph: 712-362-4846
Office Hours: 8:00 aM – 4:30 PM, Monday – Friday
The Emmet County Secondary Roads Department has responsibility for over 644 miles of paved, gravel, and dirt roads. This does not include the 53 miles of primary roads in Emmet County that are the responsibility of the Iowa Department of Transportation, nor the municipal streets in Emmet County. The Secondary Roads Department lays gravel, grades roads, plows snow, places signs and maintains the road right-of-way, including drainage tiles within the right-of-way. The department also maintains many culverts and bridges within the county, and oversees their design and replacement when necessary.
The County Engineer, who is the head of the Secondary Roads Department, issues permits for the following:
- New driveways and entrances onto county roads
- Utilities to be constructed in the right-of-way
- Right-Of-Way encroachment
- Overweight and oversize moving
The Secondary Roads Department has maintenance shops in various locations around the county (Estherville, Armstrong, Ringsted, Wallingford, Dolliver and Gruver) and is headquartered on the first floor of the Emmet County Courthouse in Estherville.
The County Engineers Office Can Be Called To:
- Report road problems
- Report problems with traffic control signs or signals. (After office hours, please contact the Emmet County Sheriff, 712-362-2639 to report downed stop signs or broken traffic signals)
- Request information regarding maps, elevations, aerial photos, land surveying and right-of-way
- Questions regarding road or bridge construction
- For building permit information call Emmet County Planning & Zoning at 712-362-2609.
- For questions about wells and septic systems – call the Emmet County Public Health Community Services at 712-362-2490.