State Resources
Iowa
Free statewide court search, free UCC search, and a Public Information Board that can actually order an agency to hand records over. Iowa is quietly one of the easier states to work.
At a glance
| Record | Held by | Cost | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and entity search | Secretary of State | Free to search | Yes |
| UCC filings | Secretary of State — UCC | Free to search | Yes |
| Professional licenses | Individual licensing boards | Free | By board |
| Property and land records | County recorder and county assessor | Free online in most counties | By county |
| Court records | Iowa Judicial Branch — Iowa Courts Online | Free | Yes |
| Criminal records | Division of Criminal Investigation, Dept of Public Safety | Fee per name | By request |
| Vital records | Health and Human Services, Vital Records | Certified copies carry a fee | Yes |
| Unclaimed property | State Treasurer — Great Iowa Treasure Hunt | Free | Yes |
| Voter and resident records | Secretary of State | Free | Yes |
Worth knowing about Iowa
The Public Information Board can order compliance
Most states leave you with a lawsuit. Iowa built an agency instead.
The Iowa Public Information Board takes complaints about denied records, investigates them, and can issue orders. It costs nothing to file, you don’t need a lawyer, and the Board can compel a government body to produce records and impose penalties on individuals who knowingly violated the law.
That last part matters. Personal liability for the official who refused focuses attention in a way that a suit against the agency doesn’t, and most complaints resolve informally once the Board opens a file.
Iowa also has no residency requirement and no purpose requirement. Anyone can ask, and nobody can make you explain why.
Iowa Courts Online covers everything, including the small stuff
The statewide case search is free and it reaches all 99 counties in one query — criminal, civil, family, probate, small claims and traffic.
Small claims is the underused part. Iowa handles a large volume of it, and a small claims judgment gives you a named creditor, a dated address, and frequently an employer through the garnishment that follows.
One thing to watch: Iowa restricts what appears in remote public access compared to what’s available at the courthouse. Some case detail and most documents are terminal-only. The docket tells you the case exists and what happened; the file itself may need a trip or a clerk.
Record by record
Business and entity search
Open business search →- Held by
- Secretary of State
- Cost
- Free to search
Free entity search returning status, formation date, registered agent and registered office, with filed documents viewable.
Iowa requires a biennial report rather than an annual one, so address information can be two years stale even on an entity in good standing. Check the date of the last filing.
UCC filings
Open UCC search →- Held by
- Secretary of State — UCC
- Cost
- Free to search
Free search of UCC financing statements and federal tax liens by debtor name.
Iowa is an agricultural filing state, so UCC records here describe equipment, grain, and livestock in detail. On a farm-connected asset search this is frequently the best free inventory of what somebody owns.
Professional licenses
- Held by
- Individual licensing boards
- Cost
- Free
Iowa splits licensing across boards under the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing and the health professions boards. Search the specific board.
Property and land records
- Held by
- County recorder and county assessor
- Cost
- Free online in most counties
No statewide property search. The county recorder holds documents and the assessor holds ownership and value across Iowa’s 99 counties.
Iowa counties widely share the same vendor platforms, so the second county you search looks like the first. Polk, Linn and Scott are the deepest.
Court records
Open Iowa Courts Online →- Held by
- Iowa Judicial Branch — Iowa Courts Online
- Cost
- Free
Free statewide search across all 99 counties. Search by name, with date of birth available to narrow common names.
Covers criminal, civil, small claims, family, probate and traffic in a single query — no county-by-county sweep needed.
Criminal records
Open Public Safety →- Held by
- Division of Criminal Investigation, Dept of Public Safety
- Cost
- Fee per name
DCI handles Iowa criminal history record checks. A check without the subject’s signed waiver returns conviction data only; a waiver unlocks more.
For most work Iowa Courts Online answers the question faster and free, because it covers the criminal courts statewide directly.
Vital records
Open vital records →- Held by
- Health and Human Services, Vital Records
- Cost
- Certified copies carry a fee
Births, deaths and marriages from the state office, with county recorders also issuing for local events. Iowa restricts certified copies to people with a direct interest.
Unclaimed property
Open Treasure Hunt search →- Held by
- State Treasurer — Great Iowa Treasure Hunt
- Cost
- Free
Free name search. The holder named on a reported item is a confirmed bank, insurer or employer relationship, reported with a last known address.
Voter and resident records
Open voter lookup →- Held by
- Secretary of State
- Cost
- Free
Individual registration lookup confirming status and county. Iowa sells the bulk voter list with restrictions on use.
Public records requests in Iowa
- Statute
- Iowa Code ch. 22 (Open Records / Examination of Public Records)
- Response deadline
- Reasonable delay only; guidance treats 10–20 business days as the outside
- Appeal to
- Iowa Public Information Board
- Appeal window
- 60 days from the alleged violation
Iowa Code chapter 22 says records must be produced without unreasonable delay rather than setting a hard number, and Board guidance treats anything past roughly ten to twenty business days as needing an explanation.
The Iowa Public Information Board is the reason this statute has teeth. Free to use, no lawyer needed, it investigates and can order production — and it can reach individual officials who knowingly violated the law, not just the agency.
File within 60 days of the violation. That deadline is real, and it’s shorter than people expect.
No residency requirement and no purpose requirement.
What Iowa will not give you
- Some case detail online. Available at a courthouse terminal but not through remote access.
- Driver and vehicle records. Closed under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
- Juvenile records. Not public.
- Non-conviction criminal data. A DCI check without a signed waiver returns convictions only.
- Peace officer investigative files. Largely exempt beyond the basic incident information.
Course
The Ultimate FOIA and Public Records Course
Every state page here tells you what the law says. The course shows you how to write the request, what to do when it comes back gutted, and how to appeal without a lawyer — the part that decides whether you actually get the records.
See the FOIA courseRelated
- Minnesota — free public criminal history to the north
- Missouri — Case.net and MACHS to the south
- UCC filings name the lender
- Appealing a public records denial
- Garnishment: what you need before you file
Fees and procedures verified August 2026. Clerks change their counter rules more often than the statutes change — call before you drive.