Cedar County is named for the Red Cedar River which runs through the county and which river is named for the cedar tree.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jones County
E – Clinton County and Scott County
S – Muscatine County
W – Johnson County and Linn County
Created: December 21, 1837 
County Seat:
Rochester 1840 – 1841
Tipton 1841 – present
County Courthouse – Tipton
Location: 400 Cedar Street / 4th Street
Built: 1965 – 1966
Style: Modern
Architect: Soenke & Wayland
Contractor: Schoff Construction
Description: The building faces west and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular building is located on spacious landscaped grounds. The west front has a recessed entrance at the center with three small windows above on the second story. There is a wide projecting band around the roof. The roof line is flat. The building houses the District Court of the 7th Judicial District.
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Clinton County, Jackson County, Muscatine County and Scott County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Rochester was selected as the county seat in 1840 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a log structure built in Rochester in 1840. The county seat was moved to Tipton in 1841. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure built in Tipton in 1841 to 1845 due to difficulties with the builder. In 1859, the third courthouse was a brick structure designed by W L Carroll and built by Ed Godden and Samuel Tomlinson at a cost of $45,000. The building was expanded in 1889 and 1901. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1965 to 1966 at a cost of $595,000.
County Courthouse – Tipton
Bell 1859 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2008