Iowa Free Public Records Directory

Iowa, the 26th state in area at 56,272 sq. miles, is located in the Midwest of the United States. It is bordered by six states, Wisconsin on the northeast, Illinois on the east, Missouri on the south, Nebraska on the west, South Dakota on the northwest and Minnesota on the north. Iowa is the only state whose east and west borders are formed entirely by rivers.

Most of Iowa consists of rolling hills. It has a humid climate with extremes of heat and cold. Snowfall in the winter is common with temperatures dropping below freezing. Spring is the severe weather season with an average of 50 thunderstorms and about 47 tornadoes per year. Summer daytime temperatures in Iowa, known of its heat and humidity, can near 90⁰ F

More than 13,000 years ago, when the American Indians first arrived in the Iowa area, they were hunters and gatherers. By the time the European explorers arrived in Iowa, the American Indians were settled farmers. In the early 1800s, Iowa was under the jurisdiction of the Territory of Indiana. The U.S. Congress established the Territory of Iowa on July 4, 1838. The first American settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Almost immediately after achieving territorial status, Iowa became the 29th state on December 28, 1846. Iowa’s population grew dramatically following the Civil War in 1860. With the introduction of the railroads, Iowa was transformed into a major agricultural producer.

Iowa’s 2016 estimated population of 3,134,693 ranks it 30th in the U.S. for population. Its population is more urban than rural with 61% living in urban areas. The city of Des Moines, is the capital of Iowa and the largest city, with a population of 216,553. There are 99 counties in Iowa with 100 county seats. Lee County, Iowa, has two county seats.

A number of Midwestern states including Iowa are experiencing the brunt of rural flight. Iowa also experiences brain drain, in which educated young adults leave the state in search of better higher education and employment opportunities. Beginning in the 1980s and by the early 21st century, Iowa’s economy became less dependent on agriculture and became a mix of manufacturing, biotechnology, finance, insurance services and government services. Currently, the largest sector of Iowa’s economy is manufacturing with 16% of the workforce dedicated to manufacturing. The largest component of manufacturing is food processing. Iowa is the nation’s largest producer of ethanol and corn and some years it is the largest grower of soybeans. ^[1]

You can begin your search of public records for Iowa using the links below. The links are sorted by category and provide access to over 25 different types of public records for the state of Iowa.

Abbreviation	IA
Capital	Des Moines
Population	3,134,693 (2016 est.)
Area size	56,272 sq. mi.
Demonym	Iowan
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Kim Reynolds
Lieutenant Governor	Adam Gregg
U.S. Senators	Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernest
U.S. House Delegation	3 Republicans, 1 Democrat
Time Zone	Central: UTC -6/-5

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

There are two types of public records; 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records.^[2] The Iowa Open Records Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels. The law includes all records of government agencies except where the documents have been deemed confidential. ^[3]

Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them. When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.