Des Moines County Recorder's Office

10/12/2026

OWN PROPERTY IN IOWA? READ THIS!

A new statewide property notification system is coming to Iowa, and there’s something you can do RIGHT NOW to make getting signed up easier when it launches!

WHAT’S COMING?
Iowa is preparing to launch a FREE statewide system that will allow property owners to receive notifications when documents are recorded that may affect their property.

AND IT’S STATEWIDE!
You’ll be able to sign up for notifications on property you own in any and all Iowa counties — you won’t be limited to just one county.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?
Head over to IowaLandRecords.org and create your FREE Iowa Land Records account!

WHY SIGN UP NOW?
Having your account already set up will make the registration process much smoother for you — and for the Iowa Land Records staff — once the notification system is ready.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SIGN UP?
Once you create your Iowa Land Records account, Iowa Land Records will email you when the property notification system is ready for you to register.

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE!
The property notification system is NOT available yet! It is currently in the testing phase, with plans to roll it out to the public this month.

Creating your Iowa Land Records account now is simply a way to get ahead of the game and be ready when the new system launches.

FREE account
Statewide access
Get notified when registration opens
Be ready for the rollout

Get your account set up today at IowaLandRecords.org!

Have questions? Give your County Recorder’s Office a call — we’re happy to help!

A few minutes now can make the process much easier later!

09/29/2026

🧾 Post 2: Vital Records — Helping You Get the Records You Need

Birth certificates. Death certificates. Marriage certificates.

Our office processes applications for all three, and there’s a lot more involved than simply printing a copy.

We follow state rules and regulations when processing certified copies of vital records, and we carefully verify that customers are entitled to receive the records they are requesting.

Sometimes that record is needed for something as simple as checking a box off a to-do list. Other times, it’s an important piece of a much bigger process.

Need a birth certificate to get the REAL ID star on your driver’s license? ⭐
Need a marriage certificate to update your name on your passport? ✈️
Need a death certificate to help claim funds through the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt? 💰

We can help!

We’re also seeing an upward trend in dual citizenship applications, which often require older vital records and documentation. We’re happy to help customers figure out what records they may need and where to find them.

Vital records are some of the most important documents we issue, and we’re here to help you navigate the process and get the records you are legally entitled to receive.

09/16/2026

We provide all these services in Des Moines County!

Over the next several posts, we’re going to take you behind the counter and highlight some of the many things the Recorder's Office does for our communities. From recording and preserving important documents to helping with vital records, marriage applications, passports, DNR registrations, military records, genealogy research, and more, our office plays a role in many different aspects of our communities.

So, follow along as we share “What Does the Recorder’s Office Do?” and take a closer look at the many services provided by your County Recorder’s Office!

📜 Post 1: Recording Documents — More Than Just a Stamp

When most people think of the County Recorder’s Office, they probably think of recording documents — and they’re right! But there’s a lot more to it than simply putting a recording stamp on a piece of paper.

Our office records real estate documents of all kinds, including deeds, mortgages, easements, surveys, assignments, releases, and much more.

Before a document can be recorded, we have to make sure it meets Iowa’s Document Formatting Standards and that the correct recording fees have been submitted. And while we’re talking about fees — the recording fees we collect today have not changed in over 40 years!

Once a document is accepted, we carefully record it and make sure the information is indexed accurately. These records become part of the permanent public record, so accuracy and preservation are incredibly important.

We know that a document being recorded may represent someone’s home, property, business, or investment. We take that responsibility seriously.

So the next time you bring a document to the Recorder’s Office, know that there’s a lot happening behind the scenes to make sure it becomes an accurate and permanent part of the record. 📚

Stay tuned as we take a closer look at each of these responsibilities and explain a little more about what happens behind the scenes at your County Recorder’s Office!

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

2027 Iowa DNR Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) registration’s can be renewed!

Stop by your County Recorder's Office to renew or online at:
https://ia.accessgov.com/desmoinescounty-recorder/Forms/Page/desmoinescounty-recorder/vehicle-renewal/1

08/11/2026

Go ahead, spend some extra time in bed Aug. 15. Deer tags go on sale at 9 a.m. this year, not midnight!

Buy in-person at a vendor, online at GoOutdoorsIowa.com or through the Go Outdoors Iowa app.

08/10/2026

We have also been able to assist local residents with the Iowa Century Farm application process by helping them research historical property records and trace the ownership of their family farms.

Century Farm application specifically directs applicants to deeds, abstracts, or local county courthouse records to document when their ancestors first purchased the land.

Sometimes the most important work we do isn't glamorous — it's the quiet act of keeping records safe, year after year, decade after decade, so that they're there when someone desperately needs them.

Recently, a VA Office in Minnesota reached out to Mitchell County Veterans Affairs Office with an unusual request: they were looking for the military discharge record of a man born in 1888. His ashes had been sitting on a shelf in a funeral home since 1974, over fifty years, because without proof of his military service, there was no way to secure him a VA burial plot and headstone.

Our Veterans Affairs Office turned to the Mitchell County Recorder's Office for help. We located the document: a half page record, preserved in our books for over a century, and it turned out to be the missing piece. With it, the funeral home was finally able to move forward and give this man the honorable burial he was entitled to as a veteran.

Without that record sitting safely in our archives, he may have remained on that shelf indefinitely.

This is a reminder that the work of the VA office doesn't end when a veteran's service ends, and it doesn't end when their life ends, either. VA offices are often thought of as a resource for benefits, claims, and support while a veteran is alive: helping them and their families navigate compensation, pensions, healthcare, and countless other services they've earned. But that responsibility doesn't stop there. They're also there in death: making sure a veteran's service is documented, honored, and recognized, even decades later, even when almost everyone who knew them is gone.

And behind that effort is another office entirely: the Recorder's Office, quietly preserving the records that make moments like this possible. This is why what we do matters. Record-keeping isn't just paperwork, it's a promise. A promise that even decades later, no one gets forgotten, and every veteran's service is honored in the end, in life and in death.

For veteran assistance contact your local Veterans Affairs Office. For records assistance contact your County Recorder's Office.

07/24/2026

07/13/2026

‼️Good news‼️

Birth records for 1983 have now been added to Iowa's statewide vital records database.

If you were born in 1983 or later, you can obtain a certified copy of your Iowa birth certificate from any Iowa County Recorder's Office.

If you were born in 1982 or earlier, you'll still need to obtain your birth certificate from the county where your birth occurred.

If you have questions or need assistance obtaining a certified copy of your birth certificate, contact your local County Recorder's Office; we're happy to help!