How to Get a Death Certificate in Iowa
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers Iowa. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In Iowa, certified death certificates are issued by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services' Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines and the county recorders. Iowa charges $20 for each certified copy, and the state does not accept cash. County recorders charge the same $20. Some county offices also sell uncertified copies for between 50 cents and $5, but those are not certified.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in Iowa, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to Iowa.
Who issues death certificates in Iowa?
Certified copies come from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines and the county recorders. In practice, the funeral home usually files the certificate and orders an initial batch of certified copies for you.
How much does a certified copy cost in Iowa?
Iowa charges $20 for each certified copy, and the state does not accept cash. County recorders charge the same $20. Some county offices also sell uncertified copies for between 50 cents and $5, but those are not certified.
Who can order a copy in Iowa?
Certified copies go only to people with a tangible interest, such as immediate family, and funeral homes can order within six months of the death. Mail requests to county recorders must be notarized and include a copy of photo ID.
How do I order more copies in Iowa?
- At a county recorder: county recorders can issue certified copies of deaths from 1954 on for any Iowa county, wherever in the state the death occurred, in person or by mail (mail requests are notarized).
- At the state office: the Bureau of Health Statistics, in the Lucas State Office Building at 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, takes in-person applications. By mail, send the application with ID and payment (no cash) to Iowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics, Des Moines, IA 50319-0075.
- Online: through VitalChek, the only authorized vendor, but use it only if you can pick the order up in person in Des Moines.
What else should I know before I order?
Records from 1921 to 1941 are kept at the state level rather than by county recorders.
What should I do next?
Confirm with the funeral home how many copies it is ordering for you, then decide how many more you need; see how many death certificates you need in Iowa and our general guide to death certificates.
Add this to your Final Day Plan: your Social Security number, birthplace, and parents’ full names - the death certificate application asks for these, and they’re often surprisingly hard for a family to track down under pressure.
Fees and rules change - confirm current details with the Iowa Bureau of Health Statistics or a county recorder before you send payment.
Sources
- Iowa HHS - How to Request a Certified Record ($20 each; county recorders from 1954; VitalChek pickup only)(Government)
- Iowa HHS - Application to Order an Iowa Vital Record (instructions; no cash; in-person office)(Government)
- Woodbury County Recorder - Death Records ($20 certified; tangible interest; mail requests)(Government)
- Des Moines County Recorder - Death Records (statewide availability from 1954; notarized mail applications)(Government)
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 17, 2026.
Fees, eligibility rules, and ordering options were checked on October 17, 2026 against the state's own published fee information, application forms, and county government pages listed in the sources. Death certificate fees change often, and some official pages were read only as search extracts, so the current fee should be confirmed on the agency's page before paying. Recommended for periodic re-verification. This is general information, not legal advice
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