Iowa Public Records Quick Search

According to the Public Records law, all state agencies and institutions are accountable for the citizenry. This roughly generates a presupposition that vital records created and kept by the public entities are therefore public and are available to any member of the state in need. In the state of Iowa, such public records are accessible at the Vital Records Office, Department of Public Health and at the District Clerk’s office where the event took place. Free Iowa Public Records comprise of documents of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths.

When appealing for a vital record, you have to fill out an application form. For birth records, provide the full name of the person, date and place of birth, full name of father and the mother. For death certificates, include the full legal name of the deceased, date and county of death, sex, date of birth, name of spouse and of parents. For divorce and marriage records, include the county where the event was filed and granted or where the license was issued. In obtaining any of these records, you have to provide your personal details, your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting, the reason for your request, and your notarized signature. Written requests for certified copies of vital records will not be accepted unless they include a clear photocopy of the applicant's current government-issued photo ID and the applicant's notarized signature. Also, a personal check or money order should be made payable to the Department of Public Health.

Government records only available from such agencies are those that cover the years 1880 to present. The processing fee for birth, marriage, and death records is around $15 for each vital record stated. Deaths that are recorded prior to 1904 do not include the parent’s name of the decedent though. Divorce decrees, on the other hand, require a processing fee of $6 but such fee varies from county to county. Divorce records should be obtained from the office of the county clerk in the county where the divorce was file and ratified. Bear in mind that the state’s law limits access of such records to the registrants and family members only, genealogists representing the family, or others with a tangible interests such as those conducting background checks.

Usually, the turnaround time for record requests takes about 4 to 6 weeks depending on what method is utilized. Ways to obtain vital records in the state of Iowa are through walk-in or in person, via phone, mail, or online. If you want to get the vital records personally, then you can go to any agency mentioned above. For marriage and divorce records, you can choose to go to the District Clerk’s office where the marriage license was issued or where the divorce was filed and approved. In any of these agencies, you are required to bring with you the abovementioned requisites. The vital record you have requested for will be mailed to you the following business day.

Further, you can also obtain records via phone. The Vital Statistics phone number can be obtained from their website. The processing time for such requests is about 7 to 21 days. For mail requests, on the other hand, the usual turnaround time takes as much as to 20 days depending on the volume of requests in the Vital Statistics Office. Mail orders take 5 business days to reach such office, and another 5 business days to be returned to you. For genealogy requests, the processing time takes a minimum of 30 days or 1 month processing.

If you want to get government records in an expedited and convenient way, then pull a quick online record review. For the public’s convenience, the State’s Bureau of Vital Statistics which operates under the Department of Public Health has interlinked with VitalCheck, an independent company that provides the same service as that of the Vital Statistics Office but through the Internet. However, an additional fee is necessary if you choose to make use of VitalCheck.  In such case, you can resort to other independent online record providers if you want to cut costs. There are other online providers proffering the same service but only for a minimal to no fee. Just see to it that you perform a background check on the independent online record provider you are eyeing for to ensure accurate and comprehensive results.