In order to comply with national standards, Iowa has adopted Document Formatting Standards. Senate File 371, effective July 1, 2005, states that all documents presented for recording must meet certain requirements. Below are some of the basic guidelines.
Documents are taken for recording daily up until 4:00 p.m. Anything recieved after 3:00 p.m. will not be uploaded until the following business day. Documents can either be submitted over the counter or via online E-Submission.
For help filing or preparing legal documents, or finding a template for a specific form, we recommend contacting an attorney or title company. The Recorder's Office does not practice law and as such we are limited in our capacity to assist with the preparation of legal documents.
The Recorder's Office is happy to help search for documents but if you require a thorough title search, we suggest you reach out to a title company who specializes in these property record searches.
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Document Formatting Standards
The Basics
(As provided by Iowa Code Section 331.606B)
- Paper
- One side only
- White
- Not less than 20-pound weight
- Without watermarks or other visible inclusions
- Margins
- Top margin shall be at least 3 inches across the top of the document
- Other margins shall be a minimum of 3/4 of one inch
- Text
- At least 8 point, legible and reproducible (10 point, fill in information)
- Signatures
- Black ink only
- Names typed, printed or stamped beneath signatures
- Notary: State law requires that all instruments have signatures notarized
Information Required on First Page (Coversheet)
- Name, address, and phone number of preparer
- Name of taxpayer and complete address
- Return address
- Title of document
- Grantor's name and grantee's name
- Legal description (if the space on the first page doesn't allow for the necessary information, the page where it is located must be noted)
On or after July 1, 2005, a document that does not conform to the document formatting standards shall not be recorded except upon payment of an additional recording fee of ten dollars per document or instrument.
Declaration of Value and Ground Water Hazard Statement
In addition to all previous formatting standards, deeds must also have the following doucments submitted at the time of recording unless otherwise noted/exempted on the deed.
Declaration of Value
- All deeds must be accompanied by a Declaration of Value form unless exempt (see Iowa Code Section 428A.2). This applies also to any documents of conveyance; Contracts and assignments of contracts on Quit Claim Deeds. Certain documents are exempt from the Declaration of Value. Visit the Iowa Department of Revenue to obtain declaration of value forms and instructions.
Iowa Department of Revenue Forms
Ground Water Hazard Statement
- Each Declaration of Value submitted to the Recorder must ALSO have a Groundwater Hazard Statement submitted with it or a disclaimer contained within the transfering document.( Code of Iowa Sec. 558.69)
- Groundwater Hazard Statements are exempt on all conveyances that are exempt of Declaration of Value.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forms
Exemptions to Formatting Standards
The following documents are exempt from document formatting requirements:
- A document that was signed before July 1, 2005
- A military separation document
- A document that executed outside of the United States
- A certified copy of a document issued by a government agency, including a vital record
- A document where one of the original parties is deceased or otherwise incapacitated
- A document formatted to meet court requirements
- A federal tax lien
- A filing under the uniform commercial code, chapter 554
- A plat or survey or a drawing related to a plat or survey
Recording Fees
| Type |
First Page |
Each Add'l Page |
| Affidavits (Non Transfer) |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Assignments of Mortgage |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Assignments of Contract |
$12.00 |
$5.00 |
| Change of Title |
$12.00 |
$5.00 |
| Contracts |
$12.00 |
$5.00 |
| Deeds |
$12.00 |
$5.00 |
| Leases |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Mortgages |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Plats/Surveys/Corner Cert |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Releases |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
| Trade Names |
$7.00 |
$5.00 |
Included in the $12.00 fee for Deeds, Change of Name, Condemnations and Contracts is a $5.00 transfer fee for each separate parcel of real estate involved. Add $5.00 to the first page fee for each additional parcel ($50.00 maximum fee for additional parcels).
A document that contains more than one transaction will be charged an additional $7.00 per transaction.
A page longer than 14 inches and any attached piece will be considered an additional page. (Exception of Surveys)
On or after July 1, 2005, a document that does not conform to the document formatting standards shall not be recorded except upon payment of an additional recording fee of $10.00 per document or instrument.
