Iowa property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Iowa's differ from its neighbors in ways that decide whether your document records or comes back. Here is the whole picture: which deeds exist here, how they have to be signed, what the recorder wants on the page, and what it costs.
- Recording office
- County Recorder
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $0.80 for each $500 of consideration
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- $7 first page
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
Deeds Iowa recognizes
| Deed | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Quitclaim deed | Transfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title. | Yes |
| General warranty deed | Transfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows. | Yes |
| Special warranty deed | Transfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it. | Yes |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Names who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive. | No |
| Lady Bird Deed | An enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death. | No |
| Life estate deed | You keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you. | Yes, less common |
| Gift deed | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Iowa does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds and lady bird deeds, so recording one here may not do what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Iowa
Iowa requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required. Each signer must appear before the notary and acknowledge the signature. |
| Witnesses | None |
| Preparer statement | Required. Page 1 must show the name, address, and telephone number of the person who prepared the deed (Iowa Code § 331.606B(2)(a)). Deedly asks for the telephone number and prints it with the name and address. |
| Grantee address on the deed | Recommended |
| Taxpayer name and address | Required on the first page (Iowa Code § 331.606B(2)(b)). Deedly prints it. |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | If you are married, your spouse should sign the deed even if they are not on the title. A homestead conveyance is not valid without the spouse's signature (Iowa Code § 561.13), and for any Iowa real estate the spouse keeps a one-third elective share unless they give it up in writing (Iowa Code § 633.238). |
Iowa document formatting rules
A safe layout for Iowa is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the county recorder's stamp, 0.75-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Iowa document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.
- Iowa requires a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 0.75-inch margins elsewhere (Iowa Code § 331.606B).
- Print on white paper of at least 20-pound weight with no watermark, and sign in black or dark blue ink (Iowa Code § 331.606B(1)).
- Below the 3-inch margin, page one must show the name, address and telephone number of the person who prepared the deed, the taxpayer's name and complete mailing address, a return address, the title, and every grantor's and grantee's name (Iowa Code § 331.606B(2)). A recorder will not accept a deed that lacks the taxpayer's information, or whose signatures are not in black or dark blue ink with each name printed beneath. Other format defects cost $10 more to record (§ 331.606B(7)).
Iowa transfer tax and recording fees
Iowa charges Real estate transfer tax at $0.80 for each $500 of consideration (or fraction of $500) above the first $500, about $1.60 per $1,000. Iowa law makes anyone who grants or conveys the land by a taxable deed liable for the tax (Iowa Code § 428A.3). Iowa has no exemption for trusts as such: a sale by a trustee is taxed like any other sale.
Common exemptions: deeds between spouses or between parent and child without actual consideration (Iowa Code § 428A.2(11)), gifts and other deeds for $500 or less, such as a transfer into your own trust for no payment (§§ 428A.1(1)(a)(1), 428A.2(21)), distributions from a trust to its beneficiaries without consideration (§ 428A.2(22)), and deeds between former spouses under a divorce decree (§ 428A.2(16)).
A Declaration of Value goes with a sale
Iowa requires a Declaration of Value with most sales. A deed that states an exemption under Iowa Code section 428A.2 (for example a gift, a deed between spouses or between parent and child without actual consideration, or a deed for $500 or less) needs no Declaration of Value, and then no groundwater form either. A sale deed carries Iowa's no-known-hazards statement on its first page, or goes with a Groundwater Hazard Statement (Iowa DNR Form 542-0960) if the property has a well, septic system or another listed condition (Iowa Code §§ 428A.1(2), 558.69).
Recording fees run $7 for the first page and $5 per additional page. Iowa sets the recorder's fees by statute: $5 for each page plus $2 for each document (Iowa Code § 331.604), which is $7 for the first page and $5 for each additional page. The county auditor charges a separate $5 transfer fee for each parcel, up to $50 for one deed (§ 331.507(2)(a)). A two-page deed for one parcel costs $17 in all. A deed that does not meet Iowa's formatting standards costs $10 more (§ 331.606B(7)).
See how Iowa's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.
How to hold title in Iowa
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
What the law presumes for married couples
A deed to two grantees identified as married to each other presumes joint tenancy with right of survivorship unless it says otherwise (Iowa Code § 557.15); other co-owners are presumed tenants in common. Deedly states the form of ownership on the deed so nothing is left to presumption.
Where to record a deed in Iowa
Deeds are recorded with the County Recorder in the county where the property is located. Iowa has 99 counties. All 99 Iowa county recorders accept electronic submission through Iowa Land Records, the counties' statewide system. It is used mainly by abstractors, lenders, title companies and attorneys; if you prepared the deed yourself, record in person or by mail.
Polk · Linn · Scott · Johnson · Black Hawk · Woodbury · Dubuque · Story. all Iowa recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Iowa
- If your transfer needs a Declaration of Value (most sales), the deed must either carry Iowa's no-known-hazards statement on its first page or be accompanied by a Groundwater Hazard Statement. Recorders refuse deeds that have neither. Gifts and other transfers exempt from the Declaration of Value need neither.
- A Declaration of Value is required unless the transfer is exempt; exempt deeds must cite the exemption.
- A sale of a home served by a septic system cannot be recorded until the system has had a certified time-of-transfer inspection, or the buyer has filed a binding acknowledgment with the county board of health (Iowa Code § 455B.172(11)).
- Take the deed straight to the County Recorder. The recorder collects the county auditor's $5 transfer fee for each parcel with the recording fee and sends the recorded deed to the auditor for the transfer books.
- Iowa co-owners hold as tenants in common or joint tenants (Iowa Code § 557.15). Dower was replaced by the surviving spouse's elective share, so a married owner's spouse should sign every deed to release homestead and elective-share rights, even for property that is not the homestead.
- Iowa does not recognize transfer-on-death deeds.
From $29. Every Iowa rule above is applied automatically, and you read the finished document before you pay.
Common questions
You sign a deed, have it notarized, and record it with the County Recorder in the county where the property sits. Which deed depends on what you're doing: a quitclaim for family transfers and adding or removing a name, a warranty deed for a sale, and a living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Iowa does not require an attorney to prepare or record a deed. Use one when ownership is disputed, when the owner has died and the estate has not been probated, when the estate is large enough to owe tax, or when Medicaid planning is involved.
$7 for the first page and $5 per additional page. Iowa also charges real estate transfer tax at $0.80 for each $500 of consideration (or fraction of $500) above the first $500, about $1.60 per $1,000.
No. Iowa is not among the 34 states plus DC that authorize a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Iowa quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Iowa general warranty deedTransfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows.
- Iowa special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Iowa life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Iowa recording officesWhere to file in each county, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
Deedly is not a law firm
Its software and documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. We provide self-help software and state-specific deed forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.