Real Estate Recording Information

  1. Document Formatting Standards
  2. Iowa Real Estate Transfer Tax Calculator
  3. Land Records & Records Management
  4. Recording Information & Fees

Documents signed on or after July 1, 2005, must meet the Document Formatting Standards pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 331.606B. A $10 non-standard fee will be charged for all documents that do not conform to the requirements. Requirements are as follows:

  • All other text must be at least ten-point and no more than sixteen characters per inch
  • The document must be legible and reproducible
  • The document must be a letter or legal size paper, no larger
  • The document must be on white paper not less than twenty-pound weight with no visible watermarks
  • The document shall not have any attachment stapled, taped, or otherwise affixed to any page
  • Each document shall have the following information on the first page below the 3-inch margin:
    • The legal description and parcel identification number, if required
    • The name and address of the taxpayer for any document of transfer
    • The names of all grantors and grantees
    • A return name and complete address
    • The title of the document
    • The name, address, and phone number of the business and individual who prepared the document
  • Embossed or inked stamps shall not cover or interfere with any part of the document
  • The first page must have a top margin of three inches of vertical space from left to right reserved for the recorder's use
  • Margins shall be a minimum of ¾ of one inch
  • Pages must be printed on one side only and cannot be permanently bound or in a continuous form
  • The preprinted text must be at least eight-point and no more than 20 characters per inch
  • Signatures must be in dark black or dark blue ink and corresponding names shall be typed, printed, or stamped below signatures

If insufficient space exists on the first page for all of the information previously described, please reference on the first page, the page number where the information is located. Example: Legal Description - see page 5.

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