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Iowa public records: who holds what

In Iowa, deeds are recorded by the County Recorder, birth and death certificates come from the Iowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics and requests for other government records fall under the Iowa Open Records Law (Examination of Public Records). Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Iowa
  2. Public records law in Iowa
  3. How Iowa organizes its records
  4. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  5. Counties in Iowa
  6. Warnings from official sources
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Official directories
  9. Sources

Who holds what in Iowa

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty Recorder in each of Iowa's 99 counties.1—
Property recordsLocal assessor (county assessor, or a city assessor in cities of 10,000+ that choose one) sets value and classification; county auditor sets levy rates and bills; county treasurer collects.2—
Court recordsUnified statewide Iowa Judicial Branch; district court in every county, with case records kept by the Clerk of District Court in the county where the case is filed.3Copies $0.50 per page; certification and seal $50 per court document (Iowa Judicial Branch fee table, updated for 2026 legislative changes).4
Marriage recordsCounty Recorder (as county registrar) issues marriage licenses and holds local marriage records; Iowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics holds the statewide file.5—
Divorce recordsClerk of District Court in the county where the case was filed holds the decree/case file; Iowa HHS holds divorce vital statistics records under 75 years old (no certified divorce certificate service is described on HHS pages).6Court copies $0.50/page; certified (certificate and seal) $50 per document per the Judicial Branch 2026 fee table.4
Birth certificatesIowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics (state registrar, Des Moines) and the County Recorder of each county (local registrar). County recorders can issue certified copies of births from 1986 to present statewide; earlier births from the county where the birth occurred.7$20 per certified copy (also the non-refundable search fee if no record is found); VitalChek online orders add a fee starting at $14 ($9 by phone).7
Death certificatesIowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics and County Recorders; county recorders can issue deaths from 1954 to present; earlier deaths from the county of residence or of death.7$20 per certified copy/search.7
Probate and willsIowa District Court sitting in probate; files kept by the Clerk of District Court in the county.8—

Public records law in Iowa

Iowa Open Records Law (Examination of Public Records) (Iowa Code ch. 22 (ss. 22.1-22.16), as amended by 2026 Iowa Acts HF 2490) Read the law9

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Every person; requests may be made in person, in writing, by telephone or electronically, and the custodian may not require the requester's physical presence. No residency requirement appears in s. 22.2.9
Response time
No fixed deadline in ch. 22. A good-faith, reasonable delay to decide whether a record is confidential or to seek an injunction may not exceed 20 calendar days and ordinarily should not exceed 10 business days (s. 22.8(4)). IPIB FAQ: Iowa courts have found that an unreasonable delay may be interpreted as an implied refusal.9
Copy fees
Inspection is free while the record is in the custodian's possession. Copy fees may not exceed the actual cost of providing the service; a reasonable supervision fee may be charged; custodians must make every reasonable effort to provide a record that takes under 30 minutes to produce at no cost other than copying costs; expected expenses must be reasonable and communicated on receipt of the request. County recorders may not charge for examining and copying records needed for veterans' benefit claims (already in Code 2026 s. 22.3; renumbered s. 22.3(5)(d) by HF 2490, eff. July 1, 2026).9
If a request is refused
Two routes: (1) file a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board within 60 days of the violation (or of when it could have been discovered with reasonable diligence); or (2) sue in district court in the county where the custodian has its principal place of business (any aggrieved person, taxpayer, citizen, the Attorney General or a county attorney).10
What is exempt
Records are open unless a statute makes them confidential. s. 22.7 lists confidential categories in subsections numbered 1-77 (Iowa Code 2026), e.g. student records, medical records, many personnel records, police investigative reports under a qualified privilege; other statutes add more (e.g. vital records s. 144.43, expunged criminal cases s. 901C.2). HF 2490 (2026) made the last work date and severance/continuation pay of departing public employees non-confidential.9
Official guide
No Attorney General guide located; the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) is the state's open-records agency: it publishes a Chapter 22 FAQ, advisory opinions (e.g. 26AO:0008 on the 2026 HF 2490 changes), takes complaints and answers questions.11

How to write a public records request

How Iowa organizes its records

  • County Recorder is the hub: it records deeds, is the local vital records registrar (birth, death, marriage), issues marriage licenses and records trade names (DBAs).12
  • County-level birth, marriage, divorce and (non-fetal) death records are open to inspection as of right under ch. 22, while the state file is closed; certified copies still require entitlement.12
  • County recorders lack 1921-1941 birth, death and marriage records (and several other categories); order those from Iowa HHS.13
  • Some cities of 10,000+ have their own city assessor separate from the county assessor.14
  • Lee County has two court record locations (Lee North and Lee South) in Iowa Courts Online.15
  • Mechanics liens are filed statewide with the Secretary of State (MNLR), not with the county recorder.16
  • 2026 law change HF 2490 (effective July 1, 2026) revised public-records fee/supervision language, opened some separation-pay data, and allows injunctions against vexatious requesters.17

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).18
Fee
$15 per last name (separate form and payment for each).18
Who may order
Anyone; no release from the subject needed, but without a signed release completed deferred judgments and arrests over 18 months old without disposition are withheld. Name-based (first, last name and exact DOB).18
How to order
Online request + billing forms (SeamlessDocs portal), mail/fax/email, or in person in Des Moines (immediate results only for self-requests). Processing 1-3 days online.18

Sex offender registry

Official registry
Iowa Sex Offender Registry, www.iowasexoffender.gov, maintained by DPS Division of Criminal Investigation (search by name or ZIP; free email notifications).19

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Iowa Department of Corrections Offender Search (doc-search.iowa.gov) covers prison and community-supervision (judicial district) offenders; updated weekly.20

Voter records

Access
Voter lists are sold to anyone for limited purposes (requesting votes, genuine political purpose, bona fide political research, official purposes); commercial use is a serious misdemeanor. Statewide lists from the Secretary of State; county auditors produce lists for their districts.21
Fee
$10 minimum (20,000 records or less) plus $0.50 per 1,000 additional records; CD-ROM $2 + data; paper $0.10/page + data; individual voter profile $5; statewide list with updates $1,500/year.21
Check registration
Am I Registered to Vote in Iowa? lookup at apps.sos.iowa.gov.22

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
A person doing business under a trade name (other than the true surname of each owner) must first record a verified statement with the County Recorder of the county where the business is conducted (Iowa Code ch. 547); registered LPs, LLCs, corporations, cooperatives and nonprofits are exempt. Sole proprietorships file a Trade Name Application with the county recorder, not the Secretary of State. Recording fee per s. 331.604.23
Companies and LLCs
Corporations, LLCs, LPs, nonprofits etc. are registered with the Iowa Secretary of State; free Business Entity Search online.24
Trademarks
State trademarks: SOS Trademark Search.22

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
UCC financing statements (except fixture filings and as-extracted/timber collateral) are filed with the Iowa Secretary of State, which offers an online UCC/Federal lien search that can print a certified lien search report. Federal liens on personal property go to the Secretary of State only when the debtor is a corporation or partnership with its principal executive office in Iowa; otherwise to the county recorder.25
Mechanics' liens
Mechanics liens are filed in the statewide Mechanics' Notice and Lien Registry (MNLR) at the Secretary of State, free search.16
Court liens
Other statutory liens and judgments are filed with the Clerk of District Court ($80 to file and enter a statutory lien per 2026 court fee table).4
Real estate
Federal liens on real property are recorded with the county recorder of the county where the property is located; UCC fixture filings (and as-extracted collateral/timber) are filed in the office where mortgages are recorded, i.e. the county recorder. Recorders and SOS issue a federal-lien search certificate for $6 and copies of federal tax lien notices for $5 per page.26

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
Iowa Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (geodata.iowa.gov).27
Precinct shapefiles
SOS publishes maps and precinct and district shapefiles.28

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
State Historical Society of Iowa / State Archives (history.iowa.gov). The Des Moines Research Center is open; the Iowa City Research Center closed to the public on December 31, 2025 (litigation over the building is ongoing; some Des Moines-held items can be viewed at the University of Iowa by request). SHSI holds county records on microfilm (births, marriages, deaths, wills, probates, naturalization papers, land deeds) and state vital records in the State Archives (RG 48): birth/marriage/divorce 75+ years old, death 50+.29
Online
State Archives vital records are online through FamilySearch (free) and Ancestry.6
State census
Iowa state censuses 1850-1925 are open to the public.13
Genealogy vital
HHS genealogy searches: $20 per search; pre-statewide-index requests must name county, year and first/last name; genealogy requests are mailed, not same-day.30

Counties in Iowa

9 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 99 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.31

Warnings from official sources

  • Iowa Judicial Branch: texts about unpaid traffic tickets or fines are scams; courts do not send official communications or payment demands by text.32
  • Iowa vital records: VitalChek is the only authorized third-party vendor; other online sellers are not authorized by Iowa HHS.7
  • Secretary of State: business identity theft; SOS sends a postcard/email to the registered agent for each filing, and an affidavit of unauthorized filing is available.33
  • UCC/MNLR filings: SOS does not check filer authority; check filings for unauthorized submissions.25

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Iowa office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 34 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Iowa Land Records (statewide county recorder search/e-submission site)Electronic Services System / Iowa county recorders (county land record information system, Iowa Code 331.604(3))
  2. Iowa Property Tax OverviewIowa Department of Revenue
  3. Public Records RequestsIowa Judicial Branch
  4. Civil Court FeesIowa Judicial Branch
  5. Iowa Code ch. 595 MarriageIowa Legislature
  6. Vital RecordsState Historical Society of Iowa
  7. How to Request a Certified RecordIowa Department of Health and Human Services
  8. Iowa Code ch. 633 Probate CodeIowa Legislature
  9. Iowa Code ch. 22 Examination of Public Records (Open Records)Iowa Legislature
  10. Iowa Code ch. 23 Public Access to Government Information (Iowa Public Information Board)Iowa Legislature
  11. Iowa Public Information Board homeIowa Public Information Board
  12. Iowa Code ch. 144 Vital StatisticsIowa Legislature
  13. Vital Records (Marriage, Birth, or Death Certificates)Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
  14. Iowa Code ch. 441 Assessment and Valuation of PropertyIowa Legislature
  15. Iowa Courts Online Search - Search SelectionIowa Judicial Branch
  16. Mechanics LiensIowa Secretary of State
  17. Advisory Opinion 26AO:0008 - Changes to Notice Requirements, Confidentiality Exceptions, and Injunctions Against Vexatious RequestorsIowa Public Information Board
  18. Criminal History Record Check InformationIowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation
  19. Iowa Sex Offender RegistryIowa Department of Public Safety, DCI
  20. Iowa Offender SearchIowa Department of Corrections
  21. Voter Registration List RequestsIowa Secretary of State
  22. Iowa Secretary of State homeIowa Secretary of State
  23. Iowa Code ch. 547 Trade NamesIowa Legislature
  24. Business FAQ'sIowa Secretary of State
  25. UCC Certified/Federal Liens SearchIowa Secretary of State
  26. Iowa Code 331.609 Federal liensIowa Legislature
  27. Iowa Geospatial Data ClearinghouseState of Iowa
  28. Research and DataIowa Secretary of State
  29. County RecordsState Historical Society of Iowa
  30. Genealogy Search Guidelines & RequirementsIowa Department of Health and Human Services
  31. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  32. Scam AlertIowa Judicial Branch
  33. Protecting You and Your BusinessIowa Secretary of State
  34. County Auditors directory (Find My County Auditor)Iowa Secretary of State