Vital Records Notice

Vital Records Notice

  We are required by law to obtain the following before we can search our county files for a
  birth, death or marriage record:

    1. Complete written application on  notarized form  Application for an Iowa Vital Record.

    2. Additional proof of entitlement to a certified copy, if necessary

    3. Satisfactory photo identification.
   
    4. Fee payment of $15.00 (Cash or Money Order Only) for each certified copy. (A Non-Refundable $15.00 fee 
         is required to search for a record and includes one certified copy if the record is located)
         
 The fee is nonrefundable once the request is accepted.

If we do not locate the record, you will receive a "No-Record Notification." If we locate the record, but discover that you are not entitled to a certified copy, you will receive a "No-Entitlement" letter.

If we locate the record, but there are errors on it, you will be issued a certified copy of that record as it is. We will process a request with the state vital records office to update our record and notify you either to return your copy for a corrected replacement or that you will need to do an amendment with the state office. It may take up to several weeks to get the results of our verification requests.

By law, we cannot look in our files to see if we have the record, or reveal information about the record, unless you have satisfactorily met the four application criteria above.

*If the request is by mail, a letter that fully identifies everything as asked for on the application form may be acceptable. Under open viewing laws, customers may search and inspect county vital records in person.

Directive issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Records per chapter sections 144.12; 144.45; 144.46