Winneshiek County

What Winneshiek County does

Winneshiek County is a political subdivision of the State of Iowa, established through early-settler petitions in 1847 and formally organized via the county seat election held on April 7, 1851 in Decorah. Governed by an elected five-member Board of Supervisors serving staggered four-year terms, the County delivers essential public services to all residents and property owners within its jurisdiction. Core functions include law enforcement (Sheriff's Office and jail administration), secondary road construction and maintenance across 1,056 miles of roads (804 miles gravel) via the Engineer's Office and Road Department (39 employees across 9 maintenance shops), property assessment and tax collection (Assessor and Treasurer), vital records and document recording (Recorder), elections administration (Auditor), veterans services, emergency management, environmental health, planning and zoning, conservation, and legal prosecution (County Attorney).

The County's technology stack is conventional government IT rather than proprietary platform infrastructure. It includes a Geographic Information System (GIS) for spatial data management and mapping, an E-911 addressing system, Iowa VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) for offender status notifications, and the Alert Iowa emergency communications platform integrated with Smart 911. The County's website (winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov) functions as the primary citizen portal, integrating external platforms including iowatreasurers.org for online tax and vehicle registration payments, Beacon Schneider for real estate information search, Microsoft Teams for internal meetings, and YouTube (SupervisorsWinneshiekCountyIA) for broadcasting Board of Supervisors meetings.

The County operates a direct-to-consumer service model with no traditional commercial revenue mechanics. Funding derives primarily from property tax collection (where the Auditor determines tax rates based on valuations and certified budgets), supplemented by transaction-based fees for vehicle registration, drivers license services, document recording, building and liquor permits, and state and federal program funding. Services are delivered in-person at the Courthouse (201 W. Main Street, Decorah), online through the website, by phone, and via mail, with driver license transactions requiring appointments. The County does not operate as a commercial enterprise and has no private ownership, funding rounds, M&A activity, or investor-facing metrics; its 11-50 employee organization serves a captive county-wide customer base with no competitive substitutes.

Name

Winneshiek County

Legal name

Winneshiek County, Iowa

Website

https://winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Winneshiek County is a political subdivision of Iowa providing public safety, infrastructure maintenance, property taxation, vital records, elections, and community programs to all county residents from its seat in Decorah.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

County Government Services

NAICS

Other General Government Support (92119), Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (92213), Administration of Veterans' Affairs (923140)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

County/District/Local Health Departments (HLAJAAAB)

Keywords

• County government services
• Public records access
• Property tax administration
• Law enforcement services
• Public safety administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Decorah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Collection: County collects property taxes which fund county operations, schools, cities, and other taxing entities. The Auditor determines tax rates and property taxes for all taxable property based on valuations and certified local budgets.
2. Vehicle Registration Fees: Treasurer collects vehicle registration fees as agent for the State of Iowa Department of Transportation
3. Drivers License Fees: Fees collected for drivers license transactions and testing services
4. Document Recording Fees: Recorder collects fees for recording real estate documents, vital records, and other official documents. Also collects auditor fees on real estate transfers and transfer taxes.
5. Permit Fees: The Auditor sells permits for beer, liquor, and cigarette sales by businesses. Planning & Zoning collects building permit fees.
6. State and Federal Funding: County receives funding from state and federal sources for various programs and services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Winneshiek County is a county government entity providing a broad range of public administrative services to residents, property owners, and businesses within its jurisdiction in northeast Iowa. Services include property assessment and taxation, vital records (birth, death, marriage), law enforcement, emergency management, road maintenance, elections administration, permits and licensing, veterans affairs, and public health programs.

Product overview

Winneshiek County operates a unified government services portal offering integrated access to 15 distinct departmental services. The platform functions as a single point of entry for county residents to access government administration, public safety, infrastructure management, vital records, and environmental services. Core service areas include the Auditor's office (elections, taxation, budget), Sheriff's office (law enforcement, jail), Treasurer (tax collection, vehicle registration), Recorder (vital records, property documents), Assessor (property valuation), and specialized services including Conservation, Emergency Management, Environmental Health, Veterans Affairs, and Planning & Zoning. The GIS service provides spatial data support across departments, while the Engineer's office manages the county's 1,056 miles of roads. The portal also integrates with external platforms including the Iowa Treasurer's online payment system, Beacon Schneider real estate search, Microsoft Teams for meetings, and YouTube for public meeting broadcasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Assessment and Taxation

Quantifiable outcome

• 1056 miles of roads maintained including 804 miles of gravel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Iowa Homeland Security Emergency ManagementcoreOthersThe Emergency Management Coordinator works under Iowa Codes 29C, 34A, and Iowa Administrative Code 605. County participates in state training programs and coordinates with state emergency management agencies.
• Weather.gov (National Weather Service)coreOthersEmergency Management uses NWS for weather forecasting, river monitoring, and storm reports for Winneshiek County area.
• Iowa City VA Medical CentercoreOthersVA Hospital serving Winneshiek County area. County Veterans Affairs works with Federal VA and Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs to inform veterans of various benefits.
• Home Base IowaminorOthersVeterans employment resource program. IowaWorks Decorah Office provides veteran employment services.
• Iowa Concrete Paving AssociationminorOthersProfessional association that awarded the County Engineer Excellence recognition for road construction projects.
• Iowa DOTcoreOthersIowa Department of Transportation partnership for drivers license services, road regulations, and road construction standards. Also co-awarded Excellence recognition with ICPA.
• Alert IowacoreOthersFree emergency communications tool provided by the state. Partner with Smart 911 app for enhanced emergency notifications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• CivicPlus: Provider of government website, agenda management, and civic engagement software to local governments. Comparable as a vendor enabling the integrated service portal model that Winneshiek County operates through winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov.
• Granicus (govDelivery): Government communications and digital-services platform used by many U.S. counties. Comparable as the enabling technology layer behind Winneshiek's Alert Iowa emergency communications, Board of Supervisors YouTube broadcasting, and digital public-notice workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Tyler Technologies: Major software vendor serving U.S. county governments with appraisal, tax billing, recording, financial, and public-safety software. Indirect peer via the technology stack that powers county service delivery comparable to Winneshiek's Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, and Assessor functions.

Direct peers

• Howard County, Iowa: Adjacent northeast Iowa county with similar small rural population, agricultural economy, and county-government service structure including secondary roads, public safety, and vital records.
• Clayton County, Iowa: Neighboring northeast Iowa county with comparable rural population, agricultural tax base, and service portfolio. Provides the same statutory county functions including secondary roads, public safety, and property assessment.
• Fayette County, Iowa: Adjacent northeast Iowa county offering the same county government service portfolio (sheriff, auditor, treasurer, recorder, engineer, assessor, conservation, emergency management). Comparable rural population and infrastructure footprint.
• Allamakee County, Iowa: Adjacent northeast Iowa county of comparable size and rural character. Operates the same set of statutory county departments (Sheriff, Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Engineer, Assessor, Conservation, Emergency Management) with similar population scale and road-network structure.
• Chickasaw County, Iowa: Nearby northeast Iowa county with comparable rural population, service portfolio, and road infrastructure. Provides the same statutory county departments and conservation/emergency-management functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SupervisorsWinneshiekCountyIA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/100064759268505

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Winneshiek County