Union County Recorder

Union County Recorder Welcome to the Union County Recorder's page! Detailed reports are filed monthly and annually to the county and to the state agencies.

We hope to use this page to inform our Union County residents of any upcoming deadlines for Boats, Snows, & ATV's along with information on upcoming hunting seasons and Hunter's Safety classes. The Office of the Iowa County Recorder was created by the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory ofIowa in 1839. Since the creation of the County Recorder's office, numerous additional responsibilities

have been added over the years. The County Recorder is responsible for land and records management, maintaining and recording a wide variety of official documents affecting real estate and numerous other valuable miscellaneous documents. The office collects real estate transfer tax for the Iowa Department of Revenue and collects and reports theCounty Auditor's fee on transfer of property. The Recorder's office serves as a licensing agent for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources by issuing fishing and hunting licenses, and registering and titling boats, snowmobiles, and ORV's. As of July, 1997 the Recorder's office is the County Registrar of Vital Records and has the responsibility of issuing Marriage Licenses, registering Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates and issuing certified copies of Vital Records. The Recorder's duties are defined by state statutes and established by state agencies through administrative actions. The County Recorder works with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Department of Public Health. The Union County Recorder’s Office DOES NOT:
Provide legal services
Prepare legal documents

06/22/2026

📂 Let's Talk Document Filing Fees: Part 1 of 9
🔹Where Does Your Recording Fee Go?

When you record a document in Iowa, the fee isn't simply "kept by the Recorder's Office."
For most land records, the recording fee consists of:
✔️ $5 per page recording fee
✔️ $1 Records Management Fee
✔️ $1 Electronic Transaction Fund

This means a one-page document typically costs $7 to record.
These fees are established in Iowa Code Chapter 331.604, and help support local record preservation, public access to records, and Iowa's statewide land records system.

Over the next several posts, we'll break down each fee and explain where the money goes. Make sure to check back on tomorrow (6/17) for Part 2!

06/22/2026

📂 Let's Talk Document Filing Fees: Part 2 of 9
🔹The $5 Per Page Recording Fee

The largest portion of your recording fee is the $5 per page recording charge.
This fee supports the work required to permanently preserve Iowa's public records including deeds, mortgages, easements, surveys, liens, and many other legal documents.

County Recorders maintain these records forever. Recording fees help cover the costs associated with preserving, indexing, imaging, and making these records accessible to the public. A one-page document contains a $5 page fee. A four-page document contains $20 in page fees.

Don't forget to check back on Friday for Part 3 of our document filing fees series!

06/22/2026

📂 Let's Talk Document Filing Fees: Part 3 of 9
🔹The $1 Records Management Fee

Every recorded document includes a $1 Records Management Fee. This fee helps counties preserve and manage official records through technology, storage, imaging, digitization, and records management initiatives.

While recording documents may seem simple today, preserving public records for future generations requires significant investment in technology and long-term record preservation.

This fee helps ensure that Iowa's public records remain secure, accessible, and protected for decades to come.

Check back on Monday, June 22nd for Part 4!

06/22/2026

📂 Let's Talk Document Filing Fees: Part 4 of 9
🔹The $1 Electronic Transaction Fund

Every recorded document includes a $1 Electronic Transaction fee. This fee supports Iowa Land Records, the statewide system used by all 99 Iowa counties to provide public access to recorded land records.

Through this shared system, customers can search documents statewide rather than visiting each county individually.

The ESS fee helps fund the technology infrastructure that allows counties to work cooperatively while providing consistent access to land records across Iowa.
Fees are collected monthly and sent to the treasurer of state’s office and from there Iowa Land Records can draw down funds for operations.

Part 5 of 9 will be posted on Wednesday!

06/18/2026

Unfortunately, our system for printing passport photos has broken down. We tried ordering a replacement immediately, but they are on backorder. We apologize for the inconvenience! Thank you for your patience as we work to get this remedied as soon as possible.

06/15/2026

‼️Further clarification from Iowa Dept. of Revenue‼️

✔️Effective immediately Recorders are required to provide the 57-019 (Sales Condition Reporting) form along with the DOV to the public. The hope is that by 7/1 all involved in the use of this form will have the new details and the transition will be smooth.
✔️Recorders are NOT REQUIRED to refuse a filing if they do not submit this new form in a ‘deed package.’
✔️Effective 7/1/2026, the DOV is not required for exceptions 14, 15, and 22.
✔️Effective 1/1/2027, the DOV exception 23 is an added option.

06/03/2026

📣Please note that effective July 1, 2026, the fee for certified copies of vital records in Iowa will increase from $15 to $20 per copy. This includes certified copies of birth, death, and marriage records.

The process for obtaining certified copies will remain the same, and the marriage application fee will remain $35.

The additional revenue generated from this fee adjustment will help support increased workload and associated costs at the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

If you have questions regarding certified copies or applications, please contact the County Recorder’s Office.

Address

300 N Pine Street, Ste 5
Creston, IA
50801

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+16417821725

Website

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