Dakota County is named for the Dakota Native American tribe and the word means “allies” or “brother”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Dixon County and Union County, South Dakota
E – Woodbury County, Iowa
S – Thurston County
W – Dixon County
Created: March 7, 1855 
County Seat:
Dakota City 1855 – present
County Courthouse – Dakota City
Location: 1601 Broadway Street / North 16th Street
Built: 1940 – 1941
Style: Art Deco
Architect: R F Reynolds of Sioux City, Iowa
Contractor: Work Projects Administration using local trades
Description: The building faces south and is a two story cream colored stucco and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious grounds in the center of Dakota City. The building is “L” shaped with an east wing extending south. The central entrance at the north wing has a vertical square pillar on each side with a header. The roof line is flat. The building was constructed under the Work Projects Administration Program. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 6th Judicial District. An addition was built on the east side in 1975. The contractor was Paul Bielenberg and the engineer was Eldon Schroder.
Note: Under the Work Projects Administration the contractor was numerous trades including C W Sutter & Son ( plumbing ), C E Millis ( electrical ), Lyman-Rickey Sand and Gravel ( gravel ), Otto F Bridge ( windows).
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Burt County, Cedar County, Dixon County, Dodge County, Thurston County and Washington County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and Dakota City was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure erected in 1855. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by Augustus Haase and built by A H Baker in 1871 at a cost of $15,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1940 to 1941 at a cost of $66,000.
County Courthouse - Dakota City
Commissioner Minutes 1939 and 1940
Photos taken 2008 and 2012