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HF633 • 2026

A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
LATHAM
Last action
2025-02-28
Official status
Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 471 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-28 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 471 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act concerning county recorder policies and procedures including the imposition of fees and the establishment of funds, and including transition and effective date provisions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

633

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

633

BY

LATHAM

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

concerning

county

recorder

policies

and

procedures

1

including

the

imposition

of

fees

and

the

establishment

2

of

funds,

and

including

transition

and

effective

date

3

provisions.

4

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

5

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633

Section

1.

Section

331.601A,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

1

the

following

new

subsections:

2

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

01.

“Additional

parcel

identifier”

means

a

3

capitalized

letter

or

a

string

of

numbers

separated

by

a

hyphen

4

used

to

identify

a

proposed

separate

piece

of

real

estate

5

represented

on

a

plat

or

survey

or

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

6

survey.

7

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

3A.

“Electronic

services

system”

means

the

8

organization

formed

under

chapter

28E

between

the

counties

to

9

create

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

10

management

system

as

required

by

2005

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

179,

11

§101,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

126,

§2,

and

this

Act.

12

“Electronic

services

system”

also

means

the

statewide

electronic

13

system

implemented

to

accept,

manage,

and

make

available

14

records

filed

with

a

county

recorder.

15

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

7A.

“Parcel

identification

number”

means

16

the

unique

identification

number

designated

to

each

piece

of

17

real

estate

referenced

in

the

book

of

plats

kept

by

the

auditor

18

in

section

558.63.

19

Sec.

2.

Section

331.601A,

subsections

3

and

7,

Code

2025,

20

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

21

3.

“Electronic

document”

means

a

document

or

instrument

22

that

is

received,

processed,

disseminated,

or

maintained

in

an

23

electronic

format.

The

submission

of

an

electronic

document

24

through

the

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

25

system

electronic

submission

service

shall

be

equivalent

to

26

delivery

of

a

document

through

the

United

States

postal

service

27

or

by

personal

delivery

at

designated

offices

in

each

county.

28

Persons

who

submit

electronic

documents

for

recording

are

29

responsible

for

ensuring

that

the

electronic

documents

comply

30

with

all

requirements

for

recording.

31

7.

“Page”

means

a

writing,

printing,

or

drawing,

other

than

32

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

33

occurring

on

one

side

only

and

covering

all

or

part

of

such

34

side,

and

not

larger

than

eight

and

one-half

inches

in

width

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633

and

fourteen

inches

in

length.

“Page”

also

includes

a

plat

1

of

survey,

as

defined

in

section

355.1,

subsection

9,

or

a

2

drawing

related

to

a

plat

of

survey

occurring

on

one

side

only

3

and

covering

all

or

part

of

such

side,

with

a

width

of

not

4

larger

than

twenty-four

inches

and

a

length

of

not

larger

than

5

thirty-six

inches.

6

Sec.

3.

Section

331.603,

subsection

5,

paragraph

a,

Code

7

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

8

a.

The

governing

board

of

the

county

land

record

information

9

system

shall

not

enter

into

an

agreement

to

provide

access

10

to

electronic

documents

or

records

on

a

batch

basis.

The

11

county

recorder

may

collect

reasonable

fees

for

access

to

12

electronic

documents

and

records

pursuant

to

an

agreement.

13

The

fees

shall

not

exceed

the

actual

cost

of

providing

access

14

to

the

electronic

documents

and

records.

“Actual

cost”

means

15

only

those

expenses

directly

attributable

to

providing

access

16

to

electronic

documents

and

records.

“Actual

cost”

shall

17

not

include

costs

such

as

employment

benefits,

depreciation,

18

maintenance,

electricity,

or

insurance

associated

with

the

19

administration

of

the

office

of

the

county

recorder

or

the

20

county

land

record

information

system

.

21

Sec.

4.

Section

331.604,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

22

the

section

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

following:

23

331.604

Recording

and

filing

fees.

24

1.

a.

Except

as

otherwise

provided

by

state

law,

including

25

paragraph

“b”

of

this

subsection

or

section

331.605,

the

26

recorder

shall

collect

a

fee

of

ten

dollars

for

each

page

or

27

fraction

of

a

page

of

an

instrument

that

is

physically

filed

or

28

recorded

in

the

recorder’s

office.

The

maximum

recording

fee

29

for

documents

with

fifty

or

more

pages

is

five

hundred

dollars.

30

b.

A

county

shall

not

be

required

to

pay

a

fee

to

the

31

recorder

for

filing

or

recording

instruments.

However,

a

32

county

treasurer

is

required

to

pay

recording

fees

pursuant

to

33

sections

437A.11

and

437B.7.

34

2.

The

treasurer,

on

behalf

of

the

recorder,

shall

establish

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and

maintain

a

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

into

1

which

all

moneys

collected

pursuant

to

subsection

3

shall

be

2

deposited.

Interest

earned

on

moneys

deposited

in

the

fund

3

shall

be

credited

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

4

fund.

The

recorder

may

collaborate

with

other

entities,

5

boards,

and

agencies

to

further

the

purposes

of

subsection

3.

6

3.

From

the

total

fee

paid

for

the

recording

of

a

document

7

or

instrument

pursuant

to

subsection

1,

two

dollars

shall

be

8

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund.

9

Moneys

in

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

must

be

10

used

for

the

following

purposes:

11

a.

Maintaining

and

improving

equipment,

software,

and

12

systems.

13

b.

Preserving

and

maintaining

archived

physical

and

14

electronic

documents

and

instruments.

15

c.

Converting

physical

documents

to

electronic

documents

16

and,

if

it

is

possible

to

index

the

documents

during

the

17

conversion

to

meet

the

requirements

outlined

in

sections

18

331.606

and

558.49,

indexing

the

documents.

19

d.

Education

and

training

for

advancing

technology.

20

4.

The

treasurer,

on

behalf

of

the

recorder,

shall

establish

21

and

maintain

a

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

into

22

which

all

moneys

collected

pursuant

to

subsection

5

shall

be

23

deposited.

Interest

earned

on

moneys

deposited

in

the

fund

24

shall

be

credited

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

25

fund.

26

5.

a.

From

the

total

fee

paid

for

the

recording

of

a

27

document

or

instrument

pursuant

to

subsection

1,

three

dollars

28

shall

be

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

29

system

fund.

The

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

30

must

be

used

for

the

purposes

outlined

in

section

331.605B,

31

subsection

1.

32

b.

By

the

first

day

of

each

month,

the

treasurer

shall

33

transfer

the

moneys

deposited

into

the

recorder’s

electronic

34

services

system

fund

to

an

account

in

a

financial

institution

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633

designated

by

the

electronic

services

system.

1

6.

The

recorder

or

the

electronic

services

system

shall

2

make

available

any

information

required

by

the

county

auditor

3

or

auditor

of

state

concerning

the

moneys

collected

from

4

fees

under

this

section

and

the

uses

for

which

such

fees

are

5

expended.

6

Sec.

5.

Section

331.605B,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

7

the

section

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

following:

8

331.605B

Electronic

services

system

——

fees

collected

——

9

liability.

10

1.

The

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

system

11

shall

create

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

12

record

management

system

for

the

following

purposes:

13

a.

Enable

electronic

filing

to

record

documents.

14

b.

Provide

electronic

access

to

recorded

documents

to

the

15

public.

16

c.

Receive

electronic

payments

to

process

electronic

17

documents

for

recording.

18

d.

Implement

security

and

redaction

systems

to

protect

19

personally

identifiable

information.

20

e.

Integrate

with

other

appropriate

real

property

filing

or

21

management

systems.

22

f.

Establish

standards

for

processing,

recording,

indexing,

23

accessing,

and

archiving

documents

for

electronic

county

land

24

record

management

systems.

25

g.

Develop

a

notification

system

to

inform

a

user

when

26

electronic

filings

or

records

are

associated

with

the

27

user’s

name,

identified

property,

or

other

recorded

filing

28

information.

29

2.

The

electronic

services

system

may

collect

a

fee

of

not

30

more

than

three

dollars

per

recorded

document

to

receive

and

31

process

electronic

documents

for

recording.

An

additional

32

service

charge

may

be

added

for

credit

or

debit

card

payments.

33

The

moneys

collected

from

fees

to

receive

and

process

34

electronic

documents

for

recording

shall

be

used

for

the

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purposes

specified

in

subsection

1.

The

electronic

services

1

system

shall

collect

only

statutorily

authorized

fees

for

land

2

records

management

and

shall

not

collect

a

fee

for

viewing,

3

accessing,

or

printing

documents

in

the

statewide

electronic

4

county

land

record

management

system

unless

specifically

5

authorized

by

statute.

The

electronic

services

system

shall

6

not

provide

access

to

electronic

filings

or

records

on

a

batch

7

basis.

8

3.

Each

county

shall

participate

in

the

electronic

services

9

system

and

shall

comply

with

the

policies

and

procedures

10

established

by

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

11

system.

The

board

of

supervisors

of

each

county,

on

behalf

12

of

each

county

recorder,

may

vote

to

amend

the

chapter

28E

13

agreement

with

other

counties

to

provide

for

the

ongoing

14

implementation

of

the

electronic

services

system

as

required

15

by

2005

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

179,

§101,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

16

ch.

126,

§2,

and

this

Act.

17

4.

The

electronic

services

system

is

a

unit

of

local

18

government

for

purposes

of

chapter

670.

However,

a

person

19

who

has

contracted

with

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

20

services

system

to

carry

out

the

duties

of

the

board

is

not

an

21

employee

for

purposes

of

chapter

670.

22

Sec.

6.

Section

331.606,

subsections

1

and

2,

Code

2025,

are

23

amended

to

read

as

follows:

24

1.

a.

In

addition

to

the

information

required

in

section

25

331.606B,

subsection

2,

section

558.49,

and

other

requirements

26

specified

by

law,

the

recorder

shall

note

in

the

electronic

27

county

land

record

management

system

the

date

of

filing

of

28

each

instrument,

the

number

and

character

,

type,

or

title

29

of

the

instrument,

and

the

name

of

each

grantor

and

grantee

30

named

in

the

instrument.

In

numbering

the

When

assigning

31

reference

numbers

to

documents

or

instruments,

the

recorder

may

32

start

with

the

number

one

immediately

following

the

date

of

33

annual

settlement

with

the

board

and

continue

to

number

them

34

consecutively

until

the

next

annual

settlement

with

the

board

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or

the

recorder

may

shall

start

with

number

one

on

the

first

1

working

day

of

the

calendar

year

and

continue

to

number

the

2

instruments

consecutively

until

the

last

working

day

of

the

3

calendar

year.

Reference

numbers

shall

include

only

numbers,

4

contain

no

more

than

eight

digits,

and

the

county

two-digit

5

number

and

four-digit

year

must

precede

each

reference

number.

6

The

recorder

may

also

assign

a

book

or

page

number

to

the

7

reference

number.

8

b.

Associated

and

antecedent

recording

references

shall

be

9

indexed

with

the

recorded

document.

10

c.

A

parcel

identification

number

shall

be

referenced

if

11

known

and

shall

not

be

modified

unless

the

modification

is

12

necessary

to

correct

an

error.

13

d.

A

legal

description

and

parsed

location

information

14

shall

be

indexed

if

known.

For

platted

land,

the

indexed

15

information

shall

include

the

lot,

block,

subdivision

name,

16

city

or

township,

and

county.

For

unplatted

land,

the

indexed

17

information

shall

include

the

section,

township,

range,

and

18

quarter

section.

Indexing

quarters

of

a

quarter

section

is

19

recommended

but

not

required.

20

e.

Any

additional

parcel

identifier

shall

be

indexed

as

an

21

additional

parcel

identifier

in

the

electronic

services

system.

22

2.

The

recorder

shall

also

note

in

the

index

the

exact

23

time

hour,

minute,

and

second

of

the

filing

recording

of

each

24

document

or

instrument.

25

Sec.

7.

Section

331.606A,

subsections

3

and

4,

Code

2025,

26

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

27

3.

Redaction

from

electronic

documents.

Personally

28

identifiable

information

that

is

contained

in

electronic

29

documents

that

are

displayed

for

public

access

on

an

internet

30

site,

or

which

that

are

transferred

to

any

person,

shall

be

31

redacted

prior

to

displaying

or

transferring

the

documents.

32

Each

recorder

that

displays

electronic

documents

and

the

33

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

that

34

displays

electronic

documents

on

behalf

of

a

county

shall

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633

implement

a

system

for

redacting

personally

identifiable

1

information.

The

recorder

and

the

governing

board

of

the

2

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

shall

3

establish

a

procedure

by

which

individuals

may

request

that

4

personally

identifiable

information

contained

in

an

electronic

5

document

displayed

on

an

internet

site

be

redacted,

at

no

6

fee

to

the

requesting

individual.

The

requirements

of

this

7

subsection

shall

be

fully

implemented

not

later

than

December

8

31,

2011.

9

4.

Dissemination

of

documents.

Persons

who

have

contracted

10

with

a

county

recorder

or

the

governing

board

of

the

county

11

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

to

redact

12

personally

identifiable

information

from

electronic

documents

13

pursuant

to

subsection

3

shall

not

sell,

transfer,

or

otherwise

14

disseminate

the

electronic

documents

in

an

unaltered

or

15

redacted

form,

except

as

provided

for

in

the

contract.

16

Sec.

8.

Section

331.606A,

subsection

7,

Code

2025,

is

17

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

18

thereof

the

following:

19

7.

Redaction

of

names.

Upon

request

by

a

peace

officer,

20

as

defined

in

section

801.4,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

21

enforcement

agency,

or

state

or

federal

judicial

officer

22

or

state

or

federal

prosecutor,

the

county

assessor

or

the

23

county

assessor’s

staff,

or

the

county

recorder

or

the

county

24

recorder’s

staff,

shall

redact

the

requestor’s

name

contained

25

in

electronic

documents

that

are

displayed

for

public

access

26

through

an

internet

site.

Upon

request

by

a

former

peace

27

officer,

as

defined

in

section

801.4,

or

a

former

civilian

28

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

the

county

assessor

or

29

the

county

assessor’s

staff,

or

the

county

recorder

or

the

30

county

recorder’s

staff,

may

redact,

upon

the

presentation

of

31

evidence

that

a

compelling

safety

interest

is

served

by

doing

32

so,

the

requestor’s

name

contained

in

electronic

documents

that

33

are

displayed

for

public

access

through

an

internet

site.

This

34

subsection

does

not

apply

to

a

requestor

holding

or

seeking

35

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public

office.

The

county

assessor

and

the

county

recorder

1

shall

implement

a

process

without

charging

a

fee

to

facilitate

2

requests

pursuant

to

this

subsection.

3

Sec.

9.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

4

amended

to

read

as

follows:

5

1.

Except

as

otherwise

provided

in

subsection

7

,

the

county

6

recorder

shall

refuse

any

document

or

instrument

presented

7

for

recording

To

ensure

that

recorded

documents

are

legible

8

and

contain

all

required

information

in

order

to

facilitate

a

9

permanent

record

that

can

be

properly

archived

and

indexed,

a

10

recorder

may

decline

to

record

a

document

or

instrument

that

11

does

not

meet

the

following

requirements:

12

a.

Each

document

or

instrument

shall

consist

of

one

or

13

more

individual

pages

not

permanently

bound

or

in

a

continuous

14

form.

The

For

purposes

of

this

paragraph,

“continuous

form”

15

means

individual

one-sided

pages.

A

physical

document

or

16

instrument

presented

for

filing

shall

not

have

any

attachment

17

be

permanently

bound,

stapled

,

taped,

or

otherwise

affixed

18

to

any

page

except

as

necessary

to

comply

with

statutory

19

requirements

and

must

contain

text

or

graphics

on

only

one

20

side

.

However,

the

The

individual

pages

of

a

document

or

21

instrument

may

be

stapled

clipped

together

for

presentation

for

22

recording.

A

document

or

instrument

containing

a

label

that

23

is

firmly

attached

with

a

bar

code

or

return

address

may

be

24

accepted

for

recording.

25

b.

All

preprinted

text

shall

must

be

legible

and

the

font

26

at

least

eight

ten

point

in

size

and

no

more

than

twenty

27

characters

and

spaces

per

inch

,

except

that

the

font

may

be

28

eight

point

in

size

if

the

document

is

a

plat

or

survey

.

All

29

other

text

typed

or

computer

generated,

including

but

not

30

limited

to

all

names

of

parties

to

an

agreement,

shall

be

at

31

least

ten

point

in

size

and

no

more

than

sixteen

characters

32

and

spaces

per

inch.

If

a

document

or

instrument,

other

than

33

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

34

presented

for

recording

contains

type

smaller

than

eight

point

35

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type

for

the

preprinted

text

and

ten

point

type

for

all

other

1

text,

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

accompanied

by

an

2

exact

typewritten

or

printed

copy

that

meets

the

requirements

3

of

this

section

.

4

c.

Each

document

shall

be

of

sufficient

legibility

to

5

produce

a

clear

reproduction.

If

a

A

document

or

instrument,

6

other

than

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

7

survey,

that

is

not

fully

or

partially

sufficiently

legible

8

to

produce

a

clear

reproduction

,

the

document

or

instrument

9

shall

be

accompanied

by

an

exact

typewritten

or

printed

copy

10

that

meets

the

type

size

requirements

of

paragraph

“b”

and

11

shall

a

legible

copy

of

the

full

or

partial

page,

which

will

be

12

recorded

contemporaneously

as

additional

pages

of

the

document

13

or

instrument.

14

d.

Each

A

physical

document

or

instrument

,

other

than

a

plat

15

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

shall

must

16

be

on

standard

white

paper

of

not

less

than

twenty-pound

weight

17

without

watermarks

or

other

visible

inclusions

markings

.

All

18

text

within

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

of

sufficient

19

color

and

clarity

to

ensure

that

the

text

is

readable

when

20

reproduced

from

the

record.

21

e.

All

signatures

on

a

document

or

instrument

shall

be

in

22

black

or

dark

blue

ink

and

of

sufficient

color

and

clarity

to

23

ensure

that

the

signatures

are

readable

discernible

when

the

24

document

or

instrument

is

reproduced

from

the

record.

The

25

corresponding

name

shall

must

be

typed,

printed

,

or

stamped

26

beneath

the

original

signature.

The

typing

or

printing

of

a

27

name

or

the

application

of

an

embossed

or

inked

stamp

shall

28

not

cover

or

otherwise

materially

interfere

with

any

part

29

of

the

document

or

instrument

except

where

when

provided

by

30

law.

Failure

to

print

or

type

signatures

as

provided

in

this

31

paragraph

does

not

invalidate

the

document

or

instrument.

32

f.

The

first

page

of

each

document

or

instrument,

other

33

than

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

34

shall

have

a

top

margin

of

at

least

three

inches

of

vertical

35

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space

from

left

to

right

which

shall

be

reserved

one-half

of

1

one

inch.

If

the

document

or

instrument

does

not

include

a

2

cover

page,

then

there

must

be

a

blank

rectangular

space

with

3

the

dimensions

of

three

and

three-fourths

inches

in

width

and

4

two

and

one-half

inches

in

height

adjacent

to

the

margin

on

the

5

first

page

and

designated

for

the

recorder’s

use.

All

other

6

margins

on

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

a

minimum

of

7

three-fourths

of

one

inch.

Nonessential

information

including

8

but

not

limited

to

form

numbers,

page

numbers,

or

customer

9

notations

may

be

placed

in

a

margin

except

the

top

margin.

The

10

recorder

shall

not

incur

any

liability

for

not

showing

a

seal

11

or

information

that

extends

beyond

the

margin

of

the

permanent

12

archival

record.

13

g.

Each

A

document

or

instrument

presented

for

recording

14

shall

meet

the

requirements

of

section

331.606A,

subsection

2

15

not

include

personally

identifiable

information

unless

redacted

16

in

accordance

with

section

331.606A,

subsection

3

.

17

Sec.

10.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

2,

unnumbered

18

paragraph

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

19

Each

document

or

instrument,

other

than

a

plat

or

survey

or

20

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

that

is

presented

for

21

recording

shall

contain

the

following

information

on

the

first

22

page

below

the

three-inch

margin

or

on

a

cover

page

:

23

Sec.

11.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

2,

paragraphs

a,

d,

24

and

i,

Code

2025,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

25

a.

The

name,

address,

and

either

the

telephone

number

or

26

email

address

of

the

individual

who

prepared

the

document

,

or

27

the

contact

information

for

an

individual

familiar

with

the

28

document

or

instrument

who

is

able

to

address

questions

from

29

the

recorder

.

30

d.

The

title

or

type

of

the

document

or

instrument.

31

i.

A

document

or

instrument

number

for

statutory

32

requirements

Associated

and

antecedent

recording

references

,

33

if

applicable.

34

Sec.

12.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

35

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amended

to

read

as

follows:

1

3.

A

cover

page

meeting

the

requirements

of

section

2

331.606B,

subsection

1,

may

be

included

with

the

document

3

or

instrument

and

will

be

recorded

contemporaneously

as

an

4

additional

page

of

the

document

or

instrument.

If

insufficient

5

space

exists

on

the

first

page

or

the

cover

page

for

all

of

the

6

information

described

in

subsection

2

,

the

person

presenting

7

the

document

for

recording

must

identify

on

the

first

page

8

or

the

cover

page

a

page

reference

of

for

the

document

or

9

instrument

where

the

required

information

is

located

shall

be

10

noted

on

the

first

page

can

be

located

.

11

Sec.

13.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

4,

Code

2025,

is

12

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

13

thereof

the

following:

14

4.

A

recording

of

a

document

or

instrument

evidencing

a

15

transaction

for

the

conveyance

or

assignment

of

property,

16

transactions

related

to

the

property’s

financing,

or

a

release

17

of

a

legal

or

financial

obligation

on

the

property

applies

18

solely

to

the

parties

identified

and

participating

in

the

19

recorded

transaction

and

not

any

other

party

concerning

any

20

other

transaction.

21

Sec.

14.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

6,

Code

2025,

is

22

amended

to

read

as

follows:

23

6.

A

physical

document

or

instrument

rejected

declined

24

for

recording

by

a

recorder

shall

be

returned

to

the

preparer

25

or

presenter

accompanied

by

an

explanation

of

the

reason

26

for

rejection

declining

the

document

or

instrument

and

any

27

information

necessary

to

correct

the

defect

.

A

person

who

28

files

an

electronic

document

or

instrument

declined

for

29

recording

by

a

recorder

shall

be

notified

by

the

recorder

that

30

the

document

or

instrument

has

been

declined,

the

reason

the

31

document

or

instrument

has

been

declined,

and

any

information

32

necessary

to

correct

the

defect.

If

the

recording

fee

for

an

33

electronic

document

or

instrument

was

calculated

and

processed

34

incorrectly,

the

person

who

filed

the

document

or

instrument

35

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shall

be

notified

of

the

error

and

the

reason

for

the

fee

1

adjustment

by

the

recorder.

2

Sec.

15.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

7,

Code

2025,

is

3

amended

by

striking

the

subsection.

4

Sec.

16.

NEW

SECTION

.

331.612

Recording

of

surveys.

5

1.

Notwithstanding

section

331.606B,

the

following

6

document

or

document

formatting

standards

shall

apply

to

7

surveys

submitted

by

licensed

professional

land

surveyors

for

8

recording:

9

a.

All

text

must

be

legible

and

the

font

at

least

eight

10

point

in

size.

11

b.

All

text

font,

signatures,

and

drawings

must

have

12

sufficient

weight,

contrast,

and

darkness

to

produce

a

clear

13

reproduction.

14

c.

A

survey

presented

to

a

recorder

or

submitted

15

electronically

through

the

electronic

services

system

must

16

be

on

standard

white

paper

with

a

width

of

not

larger

than

17

twenty-four

inches

and

a

length

of

not

larger

than

thirty-six

18

inches

without

watermarks

or

other

visible

markings.

A

larger

19

survey

document

that

is

scanned

or

digitized

must

be

legible

20

and

maintain

the

original

scale

of

the

document

in

order

to

be

21

accepted.

22

d.

The

survey

must

contain

an

index

legend

as

outlined

in

23

subsection

2.

24

e.

A

survey

must

provide

a

cover

page

or

a

blank

rectangular

25

space

on

the

first

page

with

the

dimensions

of

three

and

26

three-fourths

inches

in

width

and

two

and

one-half

inches

in

27

height

designated

for

the

recorder’s

use.

28

2.

A

survey

must

contain

an

index

legend

consisting

of

a

29

compact

table

or

a

grid

with

lines

that

provides

the

following

30

information:

31

a.

County

name.

32

b.

A

legal

description

and

parsed

location

information.

33

For

platted

land,

the

indexed

information

shall

include

the

34

lot,

block,

subdivision

name,

city

or

township,

and

county.

35

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For

unplatted

land,

the

indexed

information

shall

include

1

the

section,

township,

range,

and

quarter

section.

Indexing

2

quarters

of

a

quarter

section

is

recommended

but

not

required.

3

c.

The

parcel

identification

number

and

additional

parcel

4

identifier,

if

applicable.

5

d.

Proprietor’s

name.

6

e.

Requester’s

name.

7

f.

Associated

reference

numbers

for

previously

recorded

8

surveys.

9

g.

The

surveyor’s

name,

address,

and

phone

number

or

email

10

address.

11

h.

Information

necessary

for

the

county

recorder

to

return

12

the

survey

document.

13

i.

If

the

survey

document

is

a

monument

preservation

14

certificate,

the

name

of

the

government

entity

requesting

the

15

certification

in

accordance

with

section

355.6A.

16

Sec.

17.

Section

354.18,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

17

to

read

as

follows:

18

2.

The

recorder

shall

examine

each

plat

of

survey

and

19

subdivision

plat

to

determine

whether

the

plat

is

clearly

20

legible

and

whether

the

approval

by

the

applicable

governing

21

body

and

the

other

attachments

required

by

this

chapter

are

22

presented

with

the

plat.

The

recorder

shall

also

keep

a

23

reproducible

physical

or

electronic

copy

of

the

plat

from

24

which

legible

copies

can

be

made.

The

When

a

physical

plat

is

25

presented

for

recording,

the

recorder

may

specify

the

material

26

and

the

size

of

the

plat

,

accepted

for

recording

as

long

as

the

27

document

is

not

less

than

eight

and

one-half

inches

in

width

by

28

eleven

inches

,

that

will

be

accepted

for

recording

in

order

to

29

comply

with

this

section

in

height

.

The

recorder

must

accept

a

30

plat

or

subdivision

plat

meeting

the

requirements

of

section

31

355.7,

355.7A,

or

355.8,

respectively,

submitted

electronically

32

through

the

electronic

services

system.

The

recorder

shall

not

33

record

a

subdivision

plat

that

violates

this

chapter

.

34

Sec.

18.

Section

355.6A,

subsection

4,

paragraphs

a

and

b,

35

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Code

2025,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

1

a.

The

monument

preservation

certificate

shall

be

filed

with

2

the

county

recorder

pursuant

to

section

331.606B,

subsection

5

,

3

no

later

than

thirty

days

after

the

certificate

is

signed

by

4

the

surveyor.

5

b.

The

county

recorder

shall

index

the

monument

preservation

6

certificate

according

to

the

township,

range,

section

number,

7

and

quarter

section

on

in

which

the

monument

is

located

within

.

8

If

the

monument

is

located

within

an

official

plat,

the

county

9

recorder

shall

also

index

the

certificate

alphabetically

by

the

10

official

plat

name.

11

Sec.

19.

Section

355.6A,

subsection

4,

paragraph

c,

Code

12

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

the

paragraph.

13

Sec.

20.

Section

355.12,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

14

follows:

15

355.12

Indexing

of

survey

documents

by

recorder.

16

The

recorder

shall

index

survey

documents

and

United

States

17

public

land

corner

certificates

submitted

in

accordance

with

18

section

331.612,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“b”

,

by

township,

19

range,

and

section

number.

If

the

survey

is

in

a

recorded

20

subdivision,

the

recorder

shall

also

index

the

document

21

alphabetically

by

subdivision

name.

22

Sec.

21.

Section

670.2,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

23

to

read

as

follows:

24

2.

For

the

purposes

of

this

chapter

,

“employee”

includes

a

25

person

who

performs

services

for

a

municipality

whether

or

not

26

the

person

is

compensated

for

the

services,

unless

the

services

27

are

performed

only

as

an

incident

to

the

person’s

attendance

28

at

a

municipality

function.

“Employee”

does

not

include

29

contractors

employed

by

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

30

services

system

to

provide

services

in

accordance

with

section

31

331.605B.

32

Sec.

22.

2005

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

179,

section

101,

33

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

126,

34

section

2,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

35

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1.

The

board

of

supervisors

of

each

county,

on

behalf

of

1

each

county

recorder,

shall

execute

a

chapter

28E

agreement

2

with

the

other

counties

for

the

implementation

of

the

county

3

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

to

create

4

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

5

management

system

.

6

Sec.

23.

TRANSITION.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

each

county’s

7

county

recorder’s

records

management

fund,

as

described

in

8

section

331.604,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“a”,

Code

2025,

as

9

of

the

effective

date

of

this

Act

shall

be

transferred

to

the

10

respective

county’s

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund,

as

11

described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

2,

as

amended

by

this

12

Act.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

each

county’s

county

recorder’s

13

electronic

transaction

fund,

as

described

in

section

331.604,

14

subsection

3,

paragraph

“c”,

Code

2025,

as

of

the

effective

15

date

of

this

Act

shall

be

transferred

to

the

respective

16

county’s

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund,

as

17

described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

4,

as

amended

by

this

18

Act.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

the

local

government

electronic

19

transaction

fund,

as

described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

20

3,

paragraph

“d”,

Code

2025,

after

the

effective

date

of

this

21

Act

are

appropriated

to

the

treasurer

of

state

to

be

used

by

22

the

treasurer

of

state

to

assist

the

governing

board

of

the

23

electronic

services

system

in

accomplishing

the

purposes

stated

24

in

section

331.605B,

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

this

Act.

25

Sec.

24.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following

takes

effect

January

26

1,

2026:

27

The

portion

of

the

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

28

331.606,

subsection

1.

29

EXPLANATION

30

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

31

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

32

This

bill

relates

to

certain

required

document

criteria

to

33

file

documents

and

instruments

with

county

recorders,

fees

34

paid

for

recording

documents,

funds

created

for

recorders

and

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the

electronic

services

system

and

associated

authorization

1

for

spending

moneys

in

those

funds

for

certain

purposes,

the

2

creation

of

the

electronic

services

system,

organized

by

an

3

agreement

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

28E

(28E

agreement),

and

4

the

electronic

filing

system

used

to

accept,

manage,

and

make

5

available

county

recorder

filings

electronically.

Under

6

current

law,

county

recorders

are

required

to

execute

a

28E

7

agreement

with

other

counties

to

implement

a

county

land

8

record

information

system

in

accordance

with

2005

Iowa

Acts,

9

chapter

179,

section

101,

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

10

Acts,

chapter

126,

section

2.

The

bill

amends

this

provision

11

to

require

county

recorders

to

enter

into

a

28E

agreement

12

to

create

and

implement

the

electronic

services

system,

a

13

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

management

system.

The

14

bill

defines

“electronic

services

system”

as

the

organization

15

formed

under

the

28E

agreement.

The

electronic

services

system

16

is

also

the

name

of

the

actual

electronic

system

implemented

to

17

accept,

manage,

and

make

available

records

filed

with

a

county

18

recorder.

19

Several

sections

of

Code

chapter

331,

subchapter

V,

20

part

3,

pertaining

to

the

county

recorder

are

amended

to

21

specify

certain

requirements

for

documents

or

instruments

22

submitted

to

a

county

recorder

for

filing

either

in

person

23

or

electronically.

Many

of

these

requirements

pertain

to

24

required

recording

references,

indexing,

formatting,

text,

25

margin

sizes,

and

document

size

limitations

with

an

emphasis

on

26

legibility.

References

to

the

county

land

record

information

27

system

are

removed

throughout

Code

chapter

331

and

replaced

28

with

“electronic

services

system”.

29

Under

current

law,

in

addition

to

the

$5

county

recorders

30

collect

for

each

page

of

a

document

or

instrument

filed

in

31

the

county

recorder’s

office,

$1

is

collected

for

the

county

32

recorder’s

records

management

fund,

and

$1

is

collected

for

33

the

county

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

fund.

The

bill

34

changes

the

fees

to

a

flat

fee

of

$10

for

each

page

filed

or

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recorded

in

the

recorder’s

office,

with

a

maximum

recording

fee

1

of

$500

for

50

or

more

pages

filed.

From

the

total

fee

of

$10

2

per

page

of

a

document

or

instrument

filed

with

a

recorder,

$2

3

is

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

4

and

$3

is

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

5

system

fund.

6

The

bill

eliminates

the

county

recorder’s

records

management

7

funds

and

creates

recorder’s

technology

advancement

funds

to

8

be

used

for

the

following

purposes:

maintaining

and

improving

9

equipment,

software,

and

systems;

preserving

and

maintaining

10

archived

physical

and

electronic

documents

or

instruments;

11

converting

physical

documents

to

electronic

documents;

and

12

education

and

training

for

advancing

technology.

The

bill

13

eliminates

the

county

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

funds

14

and

creates

recorder’s

electronic

services

funds.

By

the

first

15

day

of

each

month,

the

treasurer

shall

transfer

the

moneys

16

deposited

into

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

17

to

an

account

in

a

financial

institution

designated

by

the

18

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

system

to

be

used

19

as

outlined

in

new

Code

section

331.605B

for

the

following

20

purposes:

to

enable

electronic

filing

for

recording

documents;

21

to

provide

electronic

access

to

recorded

public

documents;

to

22

receive

electronic

payments

to

process

electronic

documents

23

for

recording;

to

implement

security

and

redaction

systems

to

24

protect

personally

identifiable

information;

to

integrate

with

25

other

appropriate

real

property

filing

or

management

systems;

26

to

establish

standards

for

processing,

recording,

indexing,

27

accessing,

and

archiving

documents

for

electronic

county

land

28

record

management

systems;

and

to

develop

a

notification

system

29

for

users

when

electronic

filings

or

records

are

associated

30

with

the

user’s

name,

property,

or

other

recorded

filing

31

information.

The

recorder

or

the

electronic

services

system

32

shall

make

available

any

information

required

by

the

county

33

auditor

or

auditor

of

state

concerning

the

moneys

collected

34

from

fees

and

the

uses

for

which

such

fees

are

expended.

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The

county

treasurer

must

transfer

moneys

remaining

in

the

1

county

recorder’s

records

management

fund

to

the

recorder’s

2

technology

advancement

fund

and

moneys

remaining

in

the

county

3

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

fund

to

the

recorder’s

4

electronic

services

fund

on

the

effective

date

of

the

bill.

5

The

bill

provides

that

any

moneys

remaining

in

the

local

6

government

electronic

transaction

fund

after

the

effective

date

7

of

the

bill

are

appropriated

to

the

treasurer

of

state

to

be

8

used

by

the

treasurer

of

state

to

assist

the

governing

board

of

9

the

electronic

services

system

in

accomplishing

the

purposes

10

stated

in

Code

section

331.605B(1).

11

The

electronic

services

system

may

collect

a

fee

of

not

more

12

than

$3

per

recorded

document,

along

with

any

service

charges

13

associated

with

a

credit

or

debit

card

payment,

to

receive

and

14

process

a

document

or

instrument.

Moneys

collected

from

these

15

fees

by

the

electronic

services

system

must

be

used

for

the

16

same

purposes

as

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

fund.

The

17

electronic

services

system

cannot

charge

a

fee

for

viewing,

18

accessing,

or

printing

records

and

cannot

provide

access

to

19

records

on

a

batch

basis.

20

The

bill

limits

tort

liability

of

government

subdivisions

21

by

excluding

contractors

hired

by

the

governing

board

of

the

22

electronic

services

systems

from

government

employees.

23

The

bill

creates

a

process

for

a

county

recorder

to

decline

24

acceptance

of

a

physical

or

electronic

document

and

to

provide

25

information

to

the

filer

to

correct

the

defect.

A

recorder’s

26

ability

to

collect

an

additional

recording

fee

of

$10

per

27

document

to

accept

nonconforming

documents

is

eliminated.

28

The

information

required

to

be

included

by

a

recorder

29

who

is

filing

and

indexing

documents

or

instruments

into

the

30

electronic

county

land

record

management

system

is

outlined

31

and

includes

how

reference

numbers

must

be

determined

and

32

applied

to

filings

each

calendar

year,

the

use

of

only

numeric

33

references

containing

no

more

than

eight

digits

preceded

by

34

a

county

two-digit

code

and

four-digit

year,

and

indexing

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requirements

for

certain

recorded

documents

associated

with

1

the

recording.

Additionally,

the

following

shall

be

indexed

2

if

known:

a

parcel

identification

number;

a

legal

description

3

and

parsed

location

information

including

platted

and

unplatted

4

information;

and

any

additional

parcel

identifiers

used

by

a

5

recorder.

The

indexing

and

recording

requirements

outlined

in

6

the

bill

take

effect

January

1,

2026.

Additionally,

a

recorder

7

must

note

in

the

index

the

exact

hour,

minute,

and

second

a

8

document

or

instrument

is

recorded.

9

The

bill

provides

for

the

recording

of

surveys

in

new

Code

10

section

331.612.

Specific

text

sizing

and

formatting

along

11

with

page

sizing,

index

legend

requirements,

and

other

required

12

information

for

surveys,

plats,

subdivision

plats,

and

monument

13

preservation

certificates,

with

an

emphasis

on

legibility,

14

are

provided.

The

recorder

must

accept

a

plat

or

subdivision

15

plat

that

meets

the

requirements

outlined

in

Code

section

16

355.7,

355.7A,

or

355.8

submitted

electronically

through

the

17

electronic

services

system.

The

bill

also

provides

for

the

use

18

of

cover

pages

when

submitting

the

information

required

in

Code

19

section

331.606B(2)

and

outlines

the

location

on

the

first

page

20

where

the

information

must

be

provided

when

filing

a

document

21

with

the

county

recorder

along

with

providing

guidelines

for

22

including

designated

space

for

a

county

recorder’s

use.

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