Iowa Public Records
An Introduction to Iowa Public Records Law
For open records, every state is allowed to make its own decisions on what should be public and what should be private. Iowa public records are decided by the Iowa Public Records Law, which includes any and all information - including tapes, documents, or any type of record - that belong to the state, country, city or township. Meaning any document that is held by the government may become a matter of public records.
Not all information is included, however. The state has decided that social security numbers, hospital records, and student information are all considered examples of data that are considered too private, and don't need to be included within Iowa public records. Trade secrets are also excluded, as well as any information that involves a decision making process that has not yet been completed. Iowa public records are fairly substantial, but whether or not it is included in the records is dependent on the rules of the state.
Still, if the records you are looking for are included, all you need to do is fill out a simple request and you should be able to get a response fairly quickly. Should you need information that you believe to be made public, you can contact the office of public records directly and request that information.
Iowa Birth Records
Birth records started out as a way for officials to record the number of people in a given town. Today that information is still utilized, but they also serve a more important role. They identify who we are and where we came from.Iowa birth records are issued to anybody who is born in the State – even if you were not a resident of the State (say your mother was visiting and gave birth while there) Birth records today are used as identity tools. A child will need a birth record to enroll in school, you will need one when you try to get a drivers license or passport and you will need one if and when you decide to marry.Birth records are a great tool when researching family history as well. Iowa birth records date back to the 1880’s and are searchable through County record offices.
Iowa Death Records
The Bureau of Health Statistics is responsible for keeping vital records and health statistics in the State of Idaho. Vital records include all occurrences of births, deaths, and marriages occurring in the State. It is also the principal authority issuing certificates of these records.
In order to access the Iowa death records of an individual and get certificates of the records, you will need to provide a written request, should identify the record you are seeking, and you should also be able to prove that you are entitled to the record. For entitlement, you need to prove that you are a spouse, child, legal parents, grandparents or legal representative.
You are able to apply for these certificates in person where you will be able to pay the required fee of $15 in cash, by telephone and through mail where you can pay the fee in check or by money order. Under normal circumstances, you will be able to get the record within 2 weeks. In other circumstances, you might wish to investigate Iowa death records to research your family history. In such cases, you have to allow at least 2 months for the search to be complete.
Search Iowa Public Records By County
Additional Iowa Resources
The links listed below lead to government agencies that provide free online access to public record information.
- Iowa - Business Entities
- Iowa - Sex Offender Registry
- Iowa - Statewide Court Records
- Iowa - UCC & Federal Liens
- Iowa - Incarceration Records
- Iowa - Property Tax and Ownership (99 Counties)
- Iowa - All County Level Court Records
- Iowa - State Archives
- Iowa - Unclaimed Property
- Iowa - Treasurer's Office - Search Names by County
- Iowa - 80+ Counties - Recorder, Real Estate, Deed, Judgment, Lien, UCC
- Iowa - County Land Records (87 Counties)
- IA - 87 Counties - Recorded Documents
- IA - 50+ Counties - Property Tax and Ownership
- Iowa - Statewide Inmates, Offenders
- Iowa - Campaign Spending Disclosure, PACs
- Iowa Online Searches
- Iowa Court Records