Woodbury County Recorder: Deeds & Records

The Recorder’s Office lists Diane Swoboda Peterson as Real Estate/Recorder Deputy.

Official source: Woodbury County Recorder’s Office.

Woodbury County uses Iowa Land Records, a statewide service maintained by Iowa’s county recorders, for online access to recorded land documents.

For Woodbury County, the service provides an index and document images from June 1994 to the present.

The Recorder states that new index information and images are normally uploaded within 48 hours after recording.

Step-by-step: find a recorded deed

1. Open Iowa Land Records.

   Choose the Search service from the official website.

2. Create a free account or sign in.

   The statewide search system requires user registration. Basic public searching and viewing are available without a document-viewing charge.

3. Select Woodbury County.

   Use the county filter to avoid documents recorded in another Iowa county.

4. Search the grantor or grantee.

   Enter the property owner’s name, previous owner’s name, or the legal name of a trust or business.

5. Narrow the recording period.

   Use the available date and document-type filters when there are too many matches.

6. Review the matching document.

   Compare the parties, recording reference, legal description and document type.

7. Save or print the image.

   Registered users can access available recorded-document images for viewing and printing at no cost.

How do grantor and grantee searches differ?

A deed found through Iowa Land Records is a recorded instrument, not a guarantee that the property is free of mortgages, judgments, easements or other claims.

Woodbury County has a second online research service for historical records, separate from Iowa Land Records.

The county’s Cott Systems Online Index Book service is especially useful for deeds recorded before June 1994.

How to search an old deed book

1. Open the Online Index Book system.

   Use the Recorder’s official historical search link.

2. Select the correct index category.

   Choose deeds or the relevant document category, based on the type of record.

3. Look up the owner’s surname.

   Use the index’s alphabetical arrangement and available year range.

4. Page through the scanned index.

   Locate the entry and note the document’s book-and-page reference.

5. Retrieve the image.

   Enter the document’s starting book and page if the historical image is available.

If the direct historical portal is unavailable, use the county’s Land and Records Management page to reopen the county-approved index-book link.

Researching ownership through transfer books

Woodbury County also maintains Auditor Real Estate Transfer Books covering 1960 through February 24, 2020.

These books can help trace the history of a parcel when you know its legal land location but not every previous owner’s name.

In the Cott system, select Auditors Transfer Books under Type. Then search by section, township and range, or use the city and addition options.

Once you find the transfer entry, use the Roll & Image reference to locate the underlying recorded document.

If you only have a property address, start with the Assessor’s parcel search rather than searching deeds by name.

Woodbury County has an important local distinction: Sioux City has its own Assessor, separate from the Woodbury County Assessor.

After opening: find the deed reference

1. Choose the appropriate Assessor.

   Use Sioux City Assessor for properties in its jurisdiction and County Assessor for the remaining county area.

2. Open Property Search.

   The county links its parcel search to the Beacon mapping and property-information system.

3. Enter the address.

   Search using the house number and street name or another available search option.

4. Check the parcel.

   Confirm the property address, owner information and available legal land description.

5. Return to the Recorder.

   Use the owner name or historical deed reference in Iowa Land Records or the Cott index books.

Why might the Assessor and Recorder show different owners?

The Assessor maintains valuation and tax-administration records, while the Recorder preserves recorded instruments.

Ownership changes may reach the two systems on different schedules. A difference should be investigated rather than automatically treated as an error in the deed.

Deeds affecting land in Woodbury County are submitted to the Recorder in Sioux City.

Before filing, verify the legal description, signatures, document formatting, transfer declaration and groundwater-hazard requirements.

1. Prepare the deed and correct legal description

Confirm the grantor and grantee names, property legal description, appropriate signatures and acknowledgment.

The Recorder maintains the official document but cannot decide which deed or ownership arrangement best fits your situation.

Consult an Iowa attorney or title professional for an estate-related transfer, trust deed, correction or ownership dispute.

2. Check Iowa’s recording-format standards

Iowa Code Sections 331.606A and 331.606B contain recording and document-format requirements.

The first page must also contain specified information, including the document preparer’s contact information, document title, parties and return address.

Documents of conveyance must include the taxpayer’s name and complete mailing address. Statutory exceptions apply to certain document types.

3. Determine whether a Declaration of Value is required

Many nonexempt Iowa real-estate transfers require a Real Estate Transfer Declaration of Value.

This form reports transaction information for state and county administration.

An instrument that clearly identifies a qualifying statutory exemption may not require a completed Declaration of Value.

4. Check the groundwater-hazard requirement

Iowa has a separate groundwater-hazard disclosure rule under Iowa Code Section 558.69.

When applicable environmental or property conditions are known to be present, a completed Groundwater Hazard Statement may be required.

When none of the listed conditions is known to be present, Iowa law generally requires the prescribed exemption statement on the first page of the conveyance instead of filing the groundwater form.

Relevant conditions include known wells, private burial sites, certain waste-disposal locations, underground storage tanks and private sewage-disposal systems.

5. Calculate the recording fee and transfer tax

Woodbury County charges a page-based recording fee, plus an Auditor transfer fee for conveyances and applicable real-estate transfer tax.

Use the county’s current fee schedule and transfer-tax calculator before preparing payment.

6. Submit the deed

Present the completed document to the Recorder’s Office in Room 106 with the required forms and payment.

If mailing documents, use the courthouse address and contact the office about return-mail arrangements.

For professional filers, Iowa Land Records also offers an E-Submission service for eligible electronic documents.

7. Keep the recording reference

After the document is accepted, retain the recording reference and a copy of the recorded instrument.

The county normally uploads newer recorded-document information to Iowa Land Records within 48 hours.

The county’s published rates separate ordinary document recording from real-estate conveyance and copy services.

How much does it cost to record a deed?

A deed generally costs $7 for the first page and $5 for each additional page, plus the Auditor’s $5 charge for each applicable addition, section or block of the legal description being transferred.

If the same two-page deed involves two applicable sections or blocks, the county’s published example totals $22 before transfer tax.

Iowa real-estate transfer tax

Iowa’s current real-estate transfer tax is $0.80 per $500 increment of taxable consideration, with the first $500 exempt.

This is equivalent to $1.60 per $1,000, subject to the statutory $500-increment calculation.

Accepted payments

The Recorder lists cash, check, money order and credit or debit card as accepted payment methods.

Recording, copy and fax fees must be paid in advance.

Iowa Land Records allows registered users to view and print available document images without a search or printing charge.

The county’s historical Cott system also provides free viewing and printing of available older images.

A document printed from these services is not automatically a certified government copy.

Order a copy from the Recorder

1. Find the instrument.

   Search Iowa Land Records or the historical index books.

2. Record its details.

   Save the names, recording date and instrument number or book-and-page reference.

3. Choose a plain or certified copy.

   Use certification when a court, financial institution or government agency specifically requires it.

4. Contact the office.

   Call 712-279-6528 to confirm the total charge and delivery method.

Certified-copy fee example

The Recorder charges $0.50 per page for ordinary copies, plus $5 per document for certification.

Mortgage releases and satisfactions

A mortgage payoff should be followed by the appropriate recorded release or satisfaction.

Search for the mortgage and its associated release. If the release is missing, contact the lender or servicer before assuming the mortgage interest was removed.

Tax liens and other recorded claims

Woodbury County records certain federal and state tax liens and provides lien searches.

The fee schedule lists a $6 federal tax lien search per name. It also lists separate copy charges for federal tax lien documents.

Some court judgments and other claims require research outside the Recorder’s index.

Plats, surveys and drainage records

The Recorder maintains subdivision plats, survey documents, section corner certificates and other land-related filings.

Woodbury County’s Real Estate Department also maintains drainage ditch parcel information, including records for more than 22 main ditches and 61 lateral ditches.

This may be relevant when researching rural agricultural land and drainage-related property obligations.

DD214 and military discharge records

The office also records qualifying military discharge documents. Access to these records is restricted under Iowa law.

The county provides a soldier discharge request form, and the form instructions request photo identification for mail orders.

Start with the Recorder’s official forms page for the DD214 request resource.

Which department should you visit?

Note that the Treasurer is in the Trosper Hoyt Building at 822 Douglas Street, not at the Recorder counter.

Property fraud notification update for October 2026

Iowa county recorders have announced a new statewide Property Notification System through Iowa Land Records.

County announcements in October 2026 describe a free service intended to notify registered users when documents match selected names across Iowa’s 99 counties.

Published launch estimates differ between counties, and I have not confirmed active enrollment specifically for Woodbury County. Check Iowa Land Records for current availability.

For a comparison with another Iowa recorder, see the Linn County Recorder guide, which covers the Cedar Rapids office and its own records access procedures.

If you need a broader explanation of recording, legal descriptions and document references, the County Recorder Office guide explains common county recording workflows.

The County Recorder of Deeds guide explains how record-keeping duties differ between jurisdictions.

Use these official county and state resources to verify current fees, forms, office information and document-search access.