Access Iowa County Public Records

The State of Iowa provides access to its records according to the Freedom of Information Act. While a number of such records are held in state repositories, a good number of them may be found by going through the databases maintained at the county levels as well.

Vital Records

The birth, date, marriage and divorce records are considered to be a part of the vital records in the state of Iowa as it is across the other states of the United States.  The Iowa county records for certificates as well as licenses can be retrieved by contacting the concerned offices located at the local county levels.

The office of the Polk County recorder is located 111 Court Avenue Suite, 250, Des Moines, Iowa 50309 2251. Information about the birth, death and marriage can be obtained from here along with pertinent information about various deeds and mortgages, state and federal taxes as well as military records.

Both certified as well as non certified copies of the birth documents are available from the office of the Polk County recorder for a requisite fee. The request needs to have a notarized signature and furnishing of an ID card is mandatory in order to retrieve certificates of birth.

The marriage records of residents of Polk County can be retrieved by giving details like the names of the groom and bride along with the date of application for the marriage license. All vital records requests are required to be made on a specified form which is available online http://www.polkrecorder.com/countyvital.pdf  as well.

The Linn County Recorder (http://www.linncounty.org ) maintains all birth and death records of its residents. Records of out of county birth or death are, however, not available from the county recorder’s office. The divorce records are not maintained here and needs to be obtained from the office of the district court clerk.

The office of the Scott County recorder situated at 600 W. 4th St. Davenport, Iowa 52801-1030 and the Black Hawk County Courthouse located at 316 East 5th Street Waterloo, Iowa are responsible for maintaining the vital records for the respective counties too.

Law Enforcement Records

The Appanoose Sheriff’s Office provides online assistance to the crime victims via the VINE or victim notification program. Details of obtaining information about offenders convicted of committing the crime can be accessed by logging in to http://www.appanoosecosheriff.org/assets/user/Iowa%20Vine.pdf . Records about the arrest warrants issued or about specific jail inmates can also be obtained by contacting the Sheriff by mailing the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office, PO Box 474, 1125 W. Van Buren St., Centerville, IA 52544.

The jail records of Buena Vista County can be accessed by going to the official website of the county Sheriff http://www.bvjail.com/jade2/public/searchform.asp and conducting an online search for relevant information.  Similar facilities are available at 1019 West Mamie Eisenhower Avenue, Boone, Iowa which is the contact address for the Boone County Sheriff’s office.

Property Records

Property records for almost all counties across the state can be obtained from the recorders office as well. Scott County land records are available at http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/recorder/ while the details for obtaining land and real estate related information for Black Hawk County Iowa Records can be accessed by going to http://www.co.black-hawk.ia.us/depts/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/recorder.html