Frequently Asked Questions
Engineer & Secondary Roads
No, Hardin County purchases culvert pipe without tax. Therefore, the county cannot resell something that should produce state sales tax.
No, both these practices are illegal by Iowa Code. Tiles must outlet on private property and then flow into the county right-of-way.
Septic systems must flow into an approved system as per Iowa Code, Chapter 69 (PDF). Contact the Hardin County Sanitarian at 641-939-8135 or by email for more information.
If you or your organization are interested in the Adopt-A-Highway program, contact the Engineer's Office at 641-858-5058.
The Engineer’s Office has a Driveway Permit Application (PDF) to apply for a new driveway or to enhance an existing driveway. The road crew will check the location and determine if it is acceptable and whether it requires a culvert. All the costs for a new or widened driveway are at the landowner’s expense.
The Zoning Administrator assigns all rural 911 addresses in Hardin County.
If you need an address within the corporate limits of towns in Hardin County, you will need to contact that town's city hall.
Please contact Jessica Sheridan at 641-939-8124 or email Jessica Sheridan to request a rural 911 address.
See more at Requesting a 911 Address.
Obtaining 911 Addresses.
Please call the County Engineer’s Office at 641-858-5058, or email Lori Kohart, Office Manager.
If you find a broken or missing road sign, contact the Engineer’s Office at 641-858-5058 or email Lori Kohart Office Manager.
If you need to report a damage claim, please contact the County Engineer’s Office at 641-858-5058.
If the Hardin County Secondary Road Department damages a mailbox during maintenance or construction operations, the Hardin County will reimburse the owner of that mailbox up to a maximum of $40.00 for the replacement or repair of the mailbox upon presentation of itemized receipts.
Please contact the Engineer's Office at 641-858-5058 to report damage.
Mailbox Policy (PDF).
No timeline is being given. With 779 miles of unpaved roads to maintain, the secondary roads crew will be busy. Our goal is to continue hauling as often as possible to as many different locations as possible.
Typically; roads are bladed weekly when conditions are appropriate depending on weather and traffic conditions. If a road is too wet, the motor grader will sink and cause ruts. If a road is too dry, the grader can’t properly move the rock.
An article referencing frost boils from 1961 talks about the possible fixes for frost boils, but all were just theories at the time.
In that amount of time, a specific solution has never been determined. The best solution to this day is to do nothing but wait for the frost boil to dry out. Sometimes the road crew will attempt to level the area or pour rock on top, but these methods often prove ineffective.
The Hardin County Snow and Ice Removal Policy (PDF) has been in place since the mid-1990s. It states that snow will be cleared from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The policy also gives a priority to paved routes if necessary. The goal of each snow event is to open both lanes of all highways and at least one path of each gravel road. Some snow events are too severe to achieve this goal. In the event that fog or blowing snow reduce visibility to a dangerous level, Hardin County will not perform snow removal operations.
Each grader operator has 70-80 miles to cover in that time frame, sometimes moving under 5 miles/hour. In order to reach every stretch of road the grader may have to travel with the blade up.
Ditches are designed on the sides of a roadway for the distinct purpose of holding and moving water as naturally as possible. If there is no waterway or tile system in the area, the water has no choice but to stay where it is and slowly soak into the ground.