Recording of Documents

All documents presented for recording must be legible and reproducible and shall have typed or legibly printed on them the names of all signatories including the names of acknowledging officers beneath the original signatures. Documents must be signed, dated, and notarized. All documents pertaining to real estate must have a complete legal description. The abbreviated legal description found on tax statements and the Beacon website should not be used.

Documents of conveyance are required to have the following statement immediately below the preparer’s information: “Address Tax Statement To: (name and address of taxpayer).”

Transfer tax will be affixed to all deeds conveying real estate with a consideration of over $500. Transfer tax is based on $.80 per each $500 of consideration with the first $500 being exempt. If a document is exempt from transfer tax, the exemption pursuant to Chapter 428A.2, Code of Iowa, must be stated on the face of the document.

All conveyances of real estate after January 1, 1979, must be accompanied by a Declaration of Value form, unless exempt pursuant to Chapter 428A. In addition, effective July 1, 1987, all conveyances, including leases must also be accompanied by a Groundwater Hazard Statement. In Iowa, if no known groundwater hazards are present on a property, the seller can record a statement on the deed instead of a full groundwater hazard statement, stating the transaction is exempt from the requirement, according to Iowa Code section 558.69(8A). The seller must record the following language on the first page of the deed, instrument, or other writing instead of recording the groundwater hazard statement: “There is no known private burial site, well, solid waste disposal site, underground storage tank, hazardous waste, or private sewage disposal system on the property as described in Iowa Code section 558.69, and therefore the transaction is exempt from the requirement to submit a groundwater hazard statement."

Shelby County Recorder records various types of real estate and miscellaneous documents. Military Records are recorded no fee and do not need to meet document formatting standards.

Deeds, Change of Titles, Affidavits of Surviving Spouse & Any document that changes ownership of a property needs to add an Auditor's Transfer fee. The Auditor Transfer fees are $5.00 for each different block and/or section/addition/subdivision mentioned in the deed's legal description. Auditor’s fees are not to exceed $50.00 for one instrument.

All other documents are $7.00 for the first page and $5.00 each additional page. When a document performs more than one transaction there is an additional fee of $7.00 per each additional transaction.

Certification Fee – $6.00 + $1.00 per page copy fee.

Documents from all 99 counties are available at Iowa Land Records.