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SF371 • 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
KLIMESH
Last action
2025-03-03
Official status
Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
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. 2025-03-03 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.

  2. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/25/2025 3:30PM Room 315.

  3. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Klimesh, Knox, and Webster. S.J. 329 .

  4. 2025-02-19 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Local Government. S.J. 310 .

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
Senate

File

371

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

371

BY

KLIMESH

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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371

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

parcel

letter

or

number

designation

approved

by

the

auditor

in

4

accordance

with

section

354.4,

subsection

1,

paragraph

“a”

,

and

5

section

558.63.

6

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

1A.

“County

land

record

management

system”

7

means

the

physical

or

hosted

system

maintained

or

licensed

8

by

each

county

for

recording

documents,

assigning

recording

9

reference

numbers,

specifying

recording

times,

maintaining

10

the

database

and

index

of

records,

and

archiving

physical

and

11

electronic

documents

and

generally

providing

recording

services

12

as

required

in

this

part

3

of

subchapter

V

and

section

558.49.

13

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

3A.

“Electronic

services

system”

means

the

14

organization

formed

under

chapter

28E

between

the

counties

to

15

create

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

16

information

system

as

required

by

2005

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

179,

17

§101,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

126,

§2,

and

this

Act.

18

“Electronic

services

system”

also

means

the

statewide

electronic

19

system

implemented

to

accept,

manage,

and

make

available

20

records

filed

with

a

county

recorder.

21

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

7A.

“Parcel

identification

number”

means

an

22

existing

permanent

real

estate

index

number

with

related

tax

23

maps

as

provided

in

section

441.29,

subsection

2.

24

Sec.

2.

Section

331.601A,

subsections

3

and

7,

Code

2025,

25

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

26

3.

“Electronic

document”

means

a

document

or

instrument

27

that

is

received,

processed,

disseminated,

or

maintained

in

an

28

electronic

format.

The

submission

of

an

electronic

document

29

through

the

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

30

system

electronic

submission

service

shall

be

equivalent

to

31

delivery

of

a

document

through

the

United

States

postal

service

32

or

by

personal

delivery

at

designated

offices

in

each

county.

33

Persons

who

submit

electronic

documents

for

recording

are

34

responsible

for

ensuring

that

the

electronic

documents

comply

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with

all

requirements

for

recording.

1

7.

“Page”

means

a

writing,

printing,

or

drawing,

other

than

2

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

3

occurring

on

one

side

only

and

covering

all

or

part

of

such

4

side,

and

not

larger

than

eight

and

one-half

inches

in

width

5

and

fourteen

inches

in

length.

“Page”

also

includes

a

plat

6

of

survey,

as

defined

in

section

355.1,

subsection

9,

or

a

7

drawing

related

to

a

plat

of

survey

occurring

on

one

side

only

8

and

covering

all

or

part

of

such

side,

with

a

width

of

not

9

larger

than

twenty-four

inches

and

a

length

of

not

larger

than

10

thirty-six

inches.

11

Sec.

3.

Section

331.603,

subsection

5,

paragraph

a,

Code

12

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

13

a.

The

governing

board

of

the

county

land

record

information

14

system

shall

not

enter

into

an

agreement

to

provide

access

15

to

electronic

documents

or

records

on

a

batch

basis.

The

16

county

recorder

may

collect

reasonable

fees

for

access

to

17

electronic

documents

and

records

pursuant

to

an

agreement.

18

The

fees

shall

not

exceed

the

actual

cost

of

providing

access

19

to

the

electronic

documents

and

records.

“Actual

cost”

means

20

only

those

expenses

directly

attributable

to

providing

access

21

to

electronic

documents

and

records.

“Actual

cost”

shall

22

not

include

costs

such

as

employment

benefits,

depreciation,

23

maintenance,

electricity,

or

insurance

associated

with

the

24

administration

of

the

office

of

the

county

recorder

or

the

25

county

land

record

information

system

.

26

Sec.

4.

Section

331.604,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

27

the

section

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

following:

28

331.604

Recording

and

filing

fees.

29

1.

a.

Except

as

otherwise

provided

by

state

law,

including

30

paragraph

“b”

of

this

subsection

or

section

331.605,

the

31

recorder

shall

collect

a

fee

of

ten

dollars

for

each

page

or

32

fraction

of

a

page

of

an

instrument

that

is

physically

or

33

electronically

filed

or

recorded

in

the

recorder’s

office.

The

34

maximum

recording

fee

for

documents

with

fifty

or

more

pages

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is

five

hundred

dollars.

1

b.

A

county

shall

not

be

required

to

pay

a

fee

to

the

2

recorder

for

filing

or

recording

instruments.

However,

a

3

county

treasurer

is

required

to

pay

recording

fees

pursuant

to

4

sections

437A.11

and

437B.7.

5

2.

The

treasurer,

on

behalf

of

the

recorder,

shall

establish

6

and

maintain

a

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

into

7

which

all

moneys

collected

pursuant

to

subsection

3

shall

be

8

deposited.

Interest

earned

on

moneys

deposited

in

the

fund

9

shall

be

credited

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

10

fund.

The

recorder

may

collaborate

with

other

entities,

11

boards,

and

agencies

to

further

the

purposes

of

subsection

3.

12

3.

From

the

total

fee

paid

for

the

recording

of

a

document

13

or

instrument

pursuant

to

subsection

1,

two

dollars

shall

be

14

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund.

15

Moneys

in

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

must

be

16

used

for

the

following

purposes:

17

a.

Maintaining

and

improving

equipment,

software,

and

18

systems.

19

b.

Preserving

and

maintaining

archived

physical

and

20

electronic

documents

and

instruments.

21

c.

Converting

physical

documents

to

electronic

documents

22

and,

if

it

is

possible

to

index

the

documents

during

the

23

conversion

to

meet

the

requirements

outlined

in

sections

24

331.606

and

558.49,

indexing

the

documents.

25

d.

Education

and

training

for

advancing

technology.

26

4.

The

treasurer,

on

behalf

of

the

recorder,

shall

establish

27

and

maintain

a

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

into

28

which

all

moneys

collected

pursuant

to

subsection

5

shall

be

29

deposited.

Interest

earned

on

moneys

deposited

in

the

fund

30

shall

be

credited

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

31

fund.

32

5.

a.

From

the

total

fee

paid

for

the

recording

of

a

33

document

or

instrument

pursuant

to

subsection

1,

three

dollars

34

shall

be

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

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system

fund.

The

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

1

must

be

used

for

the

purposes

outlined

in

section

331.605B,

2

subsection

1.

3

b.

By

the

first

day

of

each

month,

the

treasurer

shall

4

transfer

the

moneys

deposited

into

the

recorder’s

electronic

5

services

system

fund

to

an

account

in

a

financial

institution

6

designated

by

the

electronic

services

system.

7

6.

The

recorder

or

the

electronic

services

system

shall

8

make

available

any

information

required

by

the

county

auditor

9

or

auditor

of

state

concerning

the

moneys

collected

from

10

fees

under

this

section

and

the

uses

for

which

such

fees

are

11

expended.

12

Sec.

5.

Section

331.605B,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

13

the

section

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

following:

14

331.605B

Electronic

services

system

——

fees

collected

——

15

liability.

16

1.

The

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

system

17

shall

create

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

18

record

management

system

for

the

following

purposes:

19

a.

Enable

electronic

filing

to

record

documents.

20

b.

Provide

electronic

access

to

recorded

documents

to

the

21

public.

22

c.

Receive

electronic

payments

to

process

electronic

23

documents

for

recording.

24

d.

Implement

security

and

redaction

systems

to

protect

25

personally

identifiable

information.

26

e.

Integrate

with

other

appropriate

real

property

filing

or

27

management

systems.

28

f.

Establish

standards

for

processing,

recording,

indexing,

29

accessing,

and

archiving

documents

for

electronic

county

land

30

record

management

systems

and

the

electronic

services

system.

31

g.

Develop

a

notification

system

to

inform

a

user

when

32

electronic

filings

or

records

are

associated

with

the

user’s

33

name,

identified

property,

or

other

recorded

filing

information

34

when

applicable.

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2.

The

electronic

services

system

may

collect

a

fee

of

not

1

more

than

three

dollars

per

recorded

document

to

receive

and

2

process

electronic

documents

for

recording.

An

additional

3

service

charge

may

be

added

for

credit

or

debit

card

payments.

4

The

moneys

collected

from

fees

to

receive

and

process

5

electronic

documents

for

recording

shall

be

used

for

the

6

purposes

specified

in

subsection

1.

The

electronic

services

7

system

shall

collect

only

statutorily

authorized

fees

for

land

8

records

management

and

shall

not

collect

a

fee

for

viewing,

9

accessing,

or

printing

documents

in

the

statewide

electronic

10

county

land

record

management

system

unless

specifically

11

authorized

by

statute.

The

electronic

services

system

shall

12

not

provide

access

to

electronic

filings

or

records

on

a

batch

13

basis.

14

3.

Each

county

shall

participate

in

the

electronic

services

15

system

and

shall

comply

with

the

policies

and

procedures

16

established

by

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

17

system.

The

board

of

supervisors

of

each

county,

on

behalf

18

of

each

county

recorder,

may

vote

to

amend

the

chapter

28E

19

agreement

with

other

counties

to

provide

for

the

ongoing

20

implementation

of

the

electronic

services

system

as

required

21

by

2005

Iowa

Acts,

ch.

179,

§101,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

22

ch.

126,

§2,

and

this

Act.

23

4.

The

electronic

services

system

is

a

unit

of

local

24

government

for

purposes

of

chapter

670.

However,

a

person

25

who

has

contracted

with

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

26

services

system

to

carry

out

the

duties

of

the

board

is

not

an

27

employee

for

purposes

of

chapter

670.

28

Sec.

6.

Section

331.606,

subsections

1

and

2,

Code

2025,

are

29

amended

to

read

as

follows:

30

1.

a.

In

addition

to

the

information

required

in

section

31

331.606B,

subsection

2,

section

558.49,

and

other

requirements

32

specified

by

law,

the

recorder

shall

note

in

the

electronic

33

county

land

record

management

system

the

date

of

filing

34

recording

of

each

instrument,

the

number

and

character

,

type,

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or

title

of

the

instrument,

and

the

name

of

each

grantor

1

and

grantee

named

in

the

instrument.

In

numbering

the

When

2

assigning

reference

numbers

to

documents

or

instruments,

the

3

recorder

may

start

with

the

number

one

immediately

following

4

the

date

of

annual

settlement

with

the

board

and

continue

to

5

number

them

consecutively

until

the

next

annual

settlement

6

with

the

board

or

the

recorder

may

shall

start

with

number

one

7

on

the

first

working

day

of

the

calendar

year

and

continue

to

8

number

the

instruments

consecutively

until

the

last

working

9

day

of

the

calendar

year.

Reference

numbers

shall

include

10

only

numbers,

contain

no

more

than

six

digits,

and

the

county

11

two-digit

number

and

four-digit

year

must

precede

each

12

reference

number.

The

recorder

may

also

assign

a

book

and

page

13

number

to

documents

and

instruments.

14

b.

Associated

and

antecedent

recording

references

shall

be

15

indexed

with

the

recorded

document.

16

c.

A

parcel

identification

number

shall

be

referenced

if

17

known

and

shall

not

be

modified

unless

the

modification

is

18

necessary

to

correct

an

error.

19

d.

A

legal

description

and

parsed

location

information

20

shall

be

indexed

if

known.

For

platted

land,

the

indexed

21

information

shall

include

the

lot,

block,

subdivision

name,

22

city

or

township,

and

county.

For

unplatted

land,

the

indexed

23

information

shall

include

the

section,

township,

range,

and

24

quarter

section.

Indexing

quarters

of

a

quarter

section

is

25

recommended

but

not

required.

26

e.

Any

additional

parcel

identifier

shall

be

indexed

as

an

27

additional

parcel

identifier

in

the

electronic

services

system.

28

2.

The

recorder

shall

also

note

in

the

index

the

exact

29

time

hour,

minute,

and

second

of

the

filing

recording

of

each

30

document

or

instrument.

31

Sec.

7.

Section

331.606A,

subsections

3

and

4,

Code

2025,

32

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

33

3.

Redaction

from

electronic

documents.

Personally

34

identifiable

information

that

is

contained

in

electronic

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documents

that

are

displayed

for

public

access

on

an

internet

1

site,

or

which

that

are

transferred

to

any

person,

shall

be

2

redacted

prior

to

displaying

or

transferring

the

documents.

3

Each

recorder

that

displays

electronic

documents

and

the

4

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

that

5

displays

electronic

documents

on

behalf

of

a

county

shall

6

implement

a

system

for

redacting

personally

identifiable

7

information.

The

recorder

and

the

governing

board

of

the

8

county

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

shall

9

establish

a

procedure

by

which

individuals

may

request

that

10

personally

identifiable

information

contained

in

an

electronic

11

document

displayed

on

an

internet

site

be

redacted,

at

no

12

fee

to

the

requesting

individual.

The

requirements

of

this

13

subsection

shall

be

fully

implemented

not

later

than

December

14

31,

2011.

15

4.

Dissemination

of

documents.

Persons

who

have

contracted

16

with

a

county

recorder

or

the

governing

board

of

the

county

17

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

to

redact

18

personally

identifiable

information

from

electronic

documents

19

pursuant

to

subsection

3

shall

not

sell,

transfer,

or

otherwise

20

disseminate

the

electronic

documents

in

an

unaltered

or

21

redacted

form,

except

as

provided

for

in

the

contract.

22

Sec.

8.

Section

331.606A,

subsection

7,

Code

2025,

is

23

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

24

thereof

the

following:

25

7.

Redaction

of

names.

Upon

request

by

a

peace

officer,

26

as

defined

in

section

801.4,

civilian

employee

of

a

law

27

enforcement

agency,

or

state

or

federal

judicial

officer

28

or

state

or

federal

prosecutor,

the

county

assessor

or

the

29

county

assessor’s

staff,

or

the

county

recorder

or

the

county

30

recorder’s

staff,

shall

redact

the

requestor’s

name

contained

31

in

electronic

documents

that

are

displayed

for

public

access

32

through

an

internet

site.

Upon

request

by

a

former

peace

33

officer,

as

defined

in

section

801.4,

or

a

former

civilian

34

employee

of

a

law

enforcement

agency,

the

county

assessor

or

35

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the

county

assessor’s

staff,

or

the

county

recorder

or

the

1

county

recorder’s

staff,

may

redact,

upon

the

presentation

of

2

evidence

that

a

compelling

safety

interest

is

served

by

doing

3

so,

the

requestor’s

name

contained

in

electronic

documents

that

4

are

displayed

for

public

access

through

an

internet

site.

This

5

subsection

does

not

apply

to

a

requestor

holding

or

seeking

6

public

office.

The

county

assessor

and

the

county

recorder

7

shall

implement

a

process

without

charging

a

fee

to

facilitate

8

requests

pursuant

to

this

subsection.

9

Sec.

9.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

10

amended

to

read

as

follows:

11

1.

Except

as

otherwise

provided

in

subsection

7

,

the

county

12

recorder

shall

refuse

any

document

or

instrument

presented

13

for

recording

To

ensure

that

recorded

documents

are

legible

14

and

contain

all

required

information

in

order

to

facilitate

a

15

permanent

record

that

can

be

properly

archived

and

indexed,

a

16

recorder

may

decline

to

record

a

document

or

instrument

that

17

does

not

meet

the

following

requirements:

18

a.

Each

document

or

instrument

shall

consist

of

one

or

19

more

individual

pages

not

permanently

bound

or

in

a

continuous

20

form.

The

For

purposes

of

this

paragraph,

“continuous

form”

21

means

individual

one-sided

pages.

A

physical

document

or

22

instrument

presented

for

filing

shall

not

have

any

attachment

23

be

permanently

bound,

stapled

,

taped,

or

otherwise

affixed

24

to

any

page

except

as

necessary

to

comply

with

statutory

25

requirements

and

must

contain

text

or

graphics

on

only

one

26

side

.

However,

the

The

individual

pages

of

a

physical

document

27

or

instrument

may

be

stapled

clipped

together

for

presentation

28

for

recording.

A

physical

document

or

instrument

containing

a

29

label

that

is

firmly

attached

with

a

bar

code

or

return

address

30

may

be

accepted

for

recording.

31

b.

All

preprinted

text

shall

must

be

legible

and

the

font

32

at

least

eight

ten

point

in

size

and

no

more

than

twenty

33

characters

and

spaces

per

inch

,

except

that

the

font

may

be

34

eight

point

in

size

if

the

document

is

a

plat

or

survey

.

All

35

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other

text

typed

or

computer

generated,

including

but

not

1

limited

to

all

names

of

parties

to

an

agreement,

shall

be

at

2

least

ten

point

in

size

and

no

more

than

sixteen

characters

3

and

spaces

per

inch.

If

a

document

or

instrument,

other

than

4

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

5

presented

for

recording

contains

type

smaller

than

eight

point

6

type

for

the

preprinted

text

and

ten

point

type

for

all

other

7

text,

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

accompanied

by

an

8

exact

typewritten

or

printed

copy

that

meets

the

requirements

9

of

this

section

.

10

c.

Each

document

shall

be

of

sufficient

legibility

to

11

produce

a

clear

reproduction.

If

a

A

document

or

instrument,

12

other

than

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

13

survey,

that

is

not

fully

or

partially

sufficiently

legible

14

to

produce

a

clear

reproduction

,

the

document

or

instrument

15

shall

be

accompanied

by

an

exact

typewritten

or

printed

copy

16

that

meets

the

type

size

requirements

of

paragraph

“b”

and

17

shall

a

legible

copy

of

the

full

or

partial

page,

which

will

be

18

recorded

contemporaneously

as

additional

pages

of

the

document

19

or

instrument.

20

d.

Each

A

physical

document

or

instrument

,

other

than

a

plat

21

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

shall

must

22

be

on

standard

white

paper

of

not

less

than

twenty-pound

weight

23

without

watermarks

or

other

visible

inclusions

markings

.

All

24

text

within

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

of

sufficient

25

color

and

clarity

to

ensure

that

the

text

is

readable

when

26

reproduced

from

the

record.

27

e.

All

signatures

on

a

document

or

instrument

shall

be

in

28

black

or

dark

blue

ink

and

of

sufficient

color

and

clarity

to

29

ensure

that

the

signatures

are

readable

discernible

when

the

30

document

or

instrument

is

reproduced

from

the

record.

The

31

corresponding

name

shall

must

be

typed,

printed

,

or

stamped

32

beneath

the

original

signature.

The

typing

or

printing

of

a

33

name

or

the

application

of

an

embossed

or

inked

stamp

shall

34

not

cover

or

otherwise

materially

interfere

with

any

part

35

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of

the

document

or

instrument

except

where

when

provided

by

1

law.

Failure

to

print

or

type

signatures

as

provided

in

this

2

paragraph

does

not

invalidate

the

document

or

instrument.

3

f.

The

first

page

of

each

document

or

instrument,

other

than

4

a

plat

or

survey

or

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

shall

5

have

a

top

margin

of

at

least

three

inches

of

vertical

space

6

from

left

to

right

which

shall

be

reserved

one-half

of

one

7

inch.

If

the

document

or

instrument

does

not

include

a

cover

8

page,

then

there

must

be

a

blank

rectangular

space

with

the

9

dimensions

of

three

and

three-fourths

inches

in

width

and

two

10

and

one-half

inches

in

height

adjacent

to

the

top

margin

on

the

11

first

page

and

designated

for

the

recorder’s

use.

All

other

12

margins

on

the

document

or

instrument

shall

be

a

minimum

of

13

three-fourths

of

one

inch.

Nonessential

information

including

14

but

not

limited

to

form

numbers,

page

numbers,

or

customer

15

notations

may

be

placed

in

a

margin

except

the

top

margin.

The

16

recorder

shall

not

incur

any

liability

for

not

showing

a

seal

17

or

information

that

extends

beyond

the

margin

of

the

permanent

18

archival

record.

19

g.

Each

A

document

or

instrument

presented

for

recording

20

shall

meet

the

requirements

of

section

331.606A,

subsection

2

21

not

include

personally

identifiable

information

unless

redacted

22

in

accordance

with

section

331.606A,

subsection

3

.

23

Sec.

10.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

2,

unnumbered

24

paragraph

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

25

Each

document

or

instrument,

other

than

a

plat

or

survey

or

26

a

drawing

related

to

a

plat

or

survey,

that

is

presented

for

27

recording

shall

contain

the

following

information

on

the

first

28

page

below

the

three-inch

margin

or

on

a

cover

page

:

29

Sec.

11.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

2,

paragraphs

a,

d,

30

and

i,

Code

2025,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

31

a.

The

name,

address,

and

either

the

telephone

number

or

32

email

address

of

the

individual

who

prepared

the

document

,

or

33

the

contact

information

for

an

individual

familiar

with

the

34

document

or

instrument

who

is

able

to

address

questions

from

35

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the

recorder

.

1

d.

The

title

or

type

of

the

document

or

instrument.

2

i.

A

document

or

instrument

number

for

statutory

3

requirements

Associated

and

antecedent

recording

references

,

4

if

applicable.

5

Sec.

12.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

6

amended

to

read

as

follows:

7

3.

A

cover

page

meeting

the

requirements

of

section

8

331.606B,

subsection

1,

may

be

included

with

the

document

9

or

instrument

and

will

be

recorded

contemporaneously

as

an

10

additional

page

of

the

document

or

instrument.

If

insufficient

11

space

exists

on

the

first

page

or

the

cover

page

for

all

of

the

12

information

described

in

subsection

2

,

the

person

presenting

13

the

document

for

recording

must

identify

on

the

first

page

14

or

the

cover

page

a

page

reference

of

for

the

document

or

15

instrument

where

the

required

information

is

located

shall

be

16

noted

on

the

first

page

can

be

located

.

17

Sec.

13.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

4,

Code

2025,

is

18

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

19

thereof

the

following:

20

4.

A

recording

of

a

document

or

instrument

evidencing

a

21

transaction

for

the

conveyance

or

assignment

of

property,

22

transactions

related

to

the

property’s

financing,

or

a

release

23

of

a

legal

or

financial

obligation

on

the

property

applies

24

solely

to

the

parties

identified

and

participating

in

the

25

recorded

transaction

and

not

any

other

party

concerning

any

26

other

transaction.

27

Sec.

14.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

6,

Code

2025,

is

28

amended

to

read

as

follows:

29

6.

A

physical

document

or

instrument

rejected

declined

30

for

recording

by

a

recorder

shall

be

returned

to

the

preparer

31

or

presenter

accompanied

by

an

explanation

of

the

reason

32

for

rejection

declining

the

document

or

instrument

and

any

33

information

necessary

to

correct

the

defect

.

A

person

who

34

files

an

electronic

document

or

instrument

declined

for

35

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recording

by

a

recorder

shall

be

notified

by

the

recorder

that

1

the

document

or

instrument

has

been

declined,

the

reason

the

2

document

or

instrument

has

been

declined,

and

any

information

3

necessary

to

correct

the

defect.

If

the

recording

fee

for

an

4

electronic

document

or

instrument

was

calculated

and

processed

5

incorrectly,

the

person

who

filed

the

document

or

instrument

6

shall

be

notified

of

the

error

and

the

reason

for

the

fee

7

adjustment

by

the

recorder.

8

Sec.

15.

Section

331.606B,

subsection

7,

Code

2025,

is

9

amended

by

striking

the

subsection.

10

Sec.

16.

NEW

SECTION

.

331.612

Recording

of

surveys.

11

1.

Notwithstanding

section

331.606B,

the

following

12

document

or

document

formatting

standards

shall

apply

to

13

surveys

submitted

by

licensed

professional

land

surveyors

for

14

recording:

15

a.

All

text

must

be

legible

and

the

font

at

least

eight

16

point

in

size.

17

b.

All

text

font,

signatures,

and

drawings

must

have

18

sufficient

weight,

contrast,

and

darkness

to

produce

a

clear

19

reproduction.

20

c.

Physical

documents

submitted

to

a

county

for

recording

21

shall

be

on

standard

white

paper

without

watermarks

or

other

22

visible

markings

and

shall

have

dimensions

no

greater

than

23

eleven

by

seventeen

inches.

Notwithstanding

the

dimensions

24

specified

for

physical

documents

in

this

section,

a

physical

25

document

with

dimensions

no

greater

than

twenty-four

inches

by

26

thirty-six

inches

may

be

submitted

to

the

county

if

the

county

27

is

able

to

scan

or

digitize

the

document

while

maintaining

28

the

original

scale

and

quality

of

the

document

as

specified

29

in

paragraphs

“a”

and

“b”

.

Electronic

documents

submitted

to

30

a

county

for

recording

through

the

electronic

services

system

31

shall

have

dimensions

no

greater

than

twenty-four

inches

by

32

thirty-six

inches.

33

d.

The

survey

must

contain

an

index

legend

as

outlined

in

34

subsection

2.

35

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e.

A

survey

must

provide

a

cover

page

or

a

blank

rectangular

1

space

on

the

first

page

with

the

dimensions

of

three

and

2

three-fourths

inches

in

width

and

two

and

one-half

inches

in

3

height

designated

for

the

recorder’s

use.

4

2.

A

survey

must

contain

an

index

legend

consisting

of

a

5

compact

table

or

a

grid

with

lines

that

provides

the

following

6

information:

7

a.

County

name.

8

b.

For

platted

land,

the

index

information

shall

include

9

the

additional

parcel

identifier,

if

applicable;

lot

or

unit;

10

block;

unabbreviated

subdivision

name;

town,

city,

or

county;

11

section;

township;

and

range.

For

unplatted

land,

the

indexed

12

information

shall

include

the

additional

parcel

identifier,

13

if

applicable,

section,

township,

range,

and

quarter

section.

14

Indexing

quarters

of

a

quarter

section

is

recommended

but

15

not

required.

Subdivision

plats,

acquisition

plats,

and

16

retracement

plats

of

survey

shall

reference

the

existing

17

auditor’s

parcel

designation

in

accordance

with

section

354.4,

18

subsection

1,

paragraph

“a”

.

A

plat

of

survey

shall

reference

19

the

approved

auditor’s

parcel

designation

in

accordance

with

20

section

354.4,

subsection

1,

paragraph

“a”

.

21

c.

The

parcel

identification

number

and

additional

parcel

22

identifier,

if

applicable.

23

d.

Proprietor’s

name.

24

e.

Requester’s

name.

25

f.

Associated

reference

numbers

for

previously

recorded

26

surveys.

27

g.

The

surveyor’s

name,

address,

and

phone

number

or

email

28

address.

29

h.

Information

necessary

for

the

county

recorder

to

return

30

the

survey

document.

31

i.

If

the

survey

document

is

a

monument

preservation

32

certificate,

the

name

of

the

government

entity

requesting

the

33

certification

in

accordance

with

section

355.6A.

34

Sec.

17.

Section

354.18,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

35

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to

read

as

follows:

1

2.

The

recorder

shall

examine

each

plat

of

survey

and

2

subdivision

plat

to

determine

whether

the

plat

is

clearly

3

legible

and

whether

the

approval

by

the

applicable

governing

4

body

and

the

other

attachments

required

by

this

chapter

are

5

presented

with

the

plat.

The

recorder

shall

also

keep

a

6

reproducible

physical

or

electronic

copy

of

the

plat

from

7

which

legible

copies

can

be

made.

The

When

a

physical

plat

is

8

presented

for

recording,

the

recorder

may

specify

the

material

9

and

the

size

of

the

plat

,

accepted

for

recording

as

long

as

the

10

document

is

not

less

than

eight

and

one-half

inches

in

width

by

11

eleven

inches

,

that

will

be

accepted

for

recording

in

order

to

12

comply

with

this

section

in

height

.

The

recorder

must

accept

a

13

plat

or

subdivision

plat

meeting

the

requirements

of

section

14

355.7,

355.7A,

or

355.8,

respectively,

submitted

electronically

15

through

the

electronic

services

system.

The

recorder

shall

not

16

record

a

subdivision

plat

that

violates

this

chapter

.

17

Sec.

18.

Section

355.6A,

subsection

4,

paragraphs

a

and

b,

18

Code

2025,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

19

a.

The

monument

preservation

certificate

shall

be

filed

with

20

the

county

recorder

pursuant

to

section

331.606B,

subsection

21

5

section

331.612,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“i”

,

no

later

than

22

thirty

days

after

the

certificate

is

signed

by

the

surveyor.

23

b.

The

county

recorder

shall

index

the

monument

preservation

24

certificate

according

to

the

township,

range,

section

number,

25

and

quarter

section

on

in

which

the

monument

is

located

within

.

26

If

the

monument

is

located

within

an

official

plat,

the

county

27

recorder

shall

also

index

the

certificate

alphabetically

by

the

28

official

plat

name.

29

Sec.

19.

Section

355.6A,

subsection

4,

paragraph

c,

Code

30

2025,

is

amended

by

striking

the

paragraph.

31

Sec.

20.

Section

355.12,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

32

follows:

33

355.12

Indexing

of

survey

documents

by

recorder.

34

The

recorder

shall

index

survey

documents

and

United

States

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public

land

corner

certificates

submitted

in

accordance

with

1

section

331.612,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“b”

,

by

township,

2

range,

and

section

number.

If

the

survey

is

in

a

recorded

3

subdivision,

the

recorder

shall

also

index

the

document

4

alphabetically

by

subdivision

name.

5

Sec.

21.

Section

670.2,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

6

to

read

as

follows:

7

2.

For

the

purposes

of

this

chapter

,

“employee”

includes

a

8

person

who

performs

services

for

a

municipality

whether

or

not

9

the

person

is

compensated

for

the

services,

unless

the

services

10

are

performed

only

as

an

incident

to

the

person’s

attendance

11

at

a

municipality

function.

“Employee”

does

not

include

12

contractors

employed

by

the

governing

board

of

the

electronic

13

services

system

to

provide

services

in

accordance

with

section

14

331.605B.

15

Sec.

22.

2005

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

179,

section

101,

16

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

2021

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

126,

17

section

2,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

18

1.

The

board

of

supervisors

of

each

county,

on

behalf

of

19

each

county

recorder,

shall

execute

a

chapter

28E

agreement

20

with

the

other

counties

for

the

implementation

of

the

county

21

land

record

information

electronic

services

system

to

create

22

and

implement

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

23

information

system

.

24

Sec.

23.

TRANSITION.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

each

county’s

25

county

recorder’s

records

management

fund,

as

described

in

26

section

331.604,

subsection

2,

paragraph

“a”,

Code

2025,

as

27

of

the

effective

date

of

this

Act

shall

be

transferred

to

the

28

respective

county’s

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund,

as

29

described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

2,

as

amended

by

this

30

Act.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

each

county’s

county

recorder’s

31

electronic

transaction

fund,

as

described

in

section

331.604,

32

subsection

3,

paragraph

“c”,

Code

2025,

as

of

the

effective

33

date

of

this

Act

shall

be

transferred

to

the

respective

34

county’s

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund,

as

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described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

4,

as

amended

by

this

1

Act.

Any

moneys

remaining

in

the

local

government

electronic

2

transaction

fund,

as

described

in

section

331.604,

subsection

3

3,

paragraph

“d”,

Code

2025,

after

the

effective

date

of

this

4

Act

are

appropriated

to

the

treasurer

of

state

to

be

used

by

5

the

treasurer

of

state

to

assist

the

governing

board

of

the

6

electronic

services

system

in

accomplishing

the

purposes

stated

7

in

section

331.605B,

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

this

Act.

8

Sec.

24.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following

takes

effect

January

9

1,

2026:

10

The

portion

of

the

section

of

this

Act

amending

section

11

331.606,

subsection

1.

12

EXPLANATION

13

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

14

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

15

This

bill

relates

to

certain

required

document

criteria

to

16

file

documents

and

instruments

with

county

recorders,

fees

17

paid

for

recording

documents,

funds

created

for

recorders

and

18

the

electronic

services

system

and

associated

authorization

19

for

spending

moneys

in

those

funds

for

certain

purposes,

the

20

creation

of

the

electronic

services

system,

organized

by

21

an

agreement

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

28E

(28E

agreement),

22

and

the

electronic

filing

system

used

to

accept,

manage,

23

and

make

available

county

recorder

filings

electronically.

24

Under

current

law,

county

recorders

are

required

to

execute

25

a

28E

agreement

with

other

counties

to

implement

a

county

26

land

record

information

system

in

accordance

with

2005

Iowa

27

Acts,

chapter

179,

section

101,

subsection

1,

as

amended

by

28

2021

Iowa

Acts,

chapter

126,

section

2.

The

bill

amends

this

29

provision

to

require

county

recorders

to

enter

into

a

28E

30

agreement

to

create

and

implement

the

electronic

services

31

system,

a

statewide

electronic

county

land

record

information

32

system.

The

bill

defines

“electronic

services

system”

as

the

33

organization

formed

under

the

28E

agreement.

The

electronic

34

services

system

is

also

the

name

of

the

actual

electronic

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system

implemented

to

accept,

manage,

and

make

available

1

records

filed

with

a

county

recorder.

2

Several

sections

of

Code

chapter

331,

subchapter

V,

3

part

3,

pertaining

to

the

county

recorder

are

amended

to

4

specify

certain

requirements

for

documents

or

instruments

5

submitted

to

a

county

recorder

for

filing

either

in

person

6

or

electronically.

Many

of

these

requirements

pertain

to

7

required

recording

references,

indexing,

formatting,

text,

8

margin

sizes,

and

document

size

limitations

with

an

emphasis

on

9

legibility.

References

to

the

county

land

record

information

10

system

are

removed

throughout

Code

chapter

331

and

replaced

11

with

“electronic

services

system”.

12

Under

current

law,

in

addition

to

the

$5

county

recorders

13

collect

for

each

page

of

a

document

or

instrument

filed

in

14

the

county

recorder’s

office,

$1

is

collected

for

the

county

15

recorder’s

records

management

fund,

and

$1

is

collected

for

16

the

county

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

fund.

The

bill

17

changes

the

fees

to

a

flat

fee

of

$10

for

each

page

filed

or

18

recorded

in

the

recorder’s

office,

with

a

maximum

recording

fee

19

of

$500

for

50

or

more

pages

filed.

From

the

total

fee

of

$10

20

per

page

of

a

document

or

instrument

filed

with

a

recorder,

$2

21

is

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

technology

advancement

fund

22

and

$3

is

transferred

to

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

23

system

fund.

24

The

bill

eliminates

the

county

recorder’s

records

management

25

funds

and

creates

recorder’s

technology

advancement

funds

to

26

be

used

for

the

following

purposes:

maintaining

and

improving

27

equipment,

software,

and

systems;

preserving

and

maintaining

28

archived

physical

and

electronic

documents

or

instruments;

29

converting

physical

documents

to

electronic

documents;

and

30

education

and

training

for

advancing

technology.

The

bill

31

eliminates

the

county

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

funds

32

and

creates

recorder’s

electronic

services

funds.

By

the

first

33

day

of

each

month,

the

treasurer

shall

transfer

the

moneys

34

deposited

into

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

system

fund

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to

an

account

in

a

financial

institution

designated

by

the

1

governing

board

of

the

electronic

services

system

to

be

used

2

as

outlined

in

new

Code

section

331.605B

for

the

following

3

purposes:

to

enable

electronic

filing

for

recording

documents;

4

to

provide

electronic

access

to

recorded

public

documents;

to

5

receive

electronic

payments

to

process

electronic

documents

6

for

recording;

to

implement

security

and

redaction

systems

to

7

protect

personally

identifiable

information;

to

integrate

with

8

other

appropriate

real

property

filing

or

management

systems;

9

to

establish

standards

for

processing,

recording,

indexing,

10

accessing,

and

archiving

documents

for

electronic

county

land

11

record

management

systems;

and

to

develop

a

notification

system

12

for

users

when

electronic

filings

or

records

are

associated

13

with

the

user’s

name,

property,

or

other

recorded

filing

14

information.

The

recorder

or

the

electronic

services

system

15

shall

make

available

any

information

required

by

the

county

16

auditor

or

auditor

of

state

concerning

the

moneys

collected

17

from

fees

and

the

uses

for

which

such

fees

are

expended.

18

The

county

treasurer

must

transfer

moneys

remaining

in

the

19

county

recorder’s

records

management

fund

to

the

recorder’s

20

technology

advancement

fund

and

moneys

remaining

in

the

county

21

recorder’s

electronic

transaction

fund

to

the

recorder’s

22

electronic

services

fund

on

the

effective

date

of

the

bill.

23

The

bill

provides

that

any

moneys

remaining

in

the

local

24

government

electronic

transaction

fund

after

the

effective

date

25

of

the

bill

are

appropriated

to

the

treasurer

of

state

to

be

26

used

by

the

treasurer

of

state

to

assist

the

governing

board

of

27

the

electronic

services

system

in

accomplishing

the

purposes

28

stated

in

Code

section

331.605B(1).

29

The

electronic

services

system

may

collect

a

fee

of

not

more

30

than

$3

per

recorded

document,

along

with

any

service

charges

31

associated

with

a

credit

or

debit

card

payment,

to

receive

and

32

process

a

document

or

instrument.

Moneys

collected

from

these

33

fees

by

the

electronic

services

system

must

be

used

for

the

34

same

purposes

as

the

recorder’s

electronic

services

fund.

The

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electronic

services

system

cannot

charge

a

fee

for

viewing,

1

accessing,

or

printing

records

and

cannot

provide

access

to

2

records

on

a

batch

basis.

3

The

bill

limits

tort

liability

of

government

subdivisions

4

by

excluding

contractors

hired

by

the

governing

board

of

the

5

electronic

services

systems

from

government

employees.

6

The

bill

creates

a

process

for

a

county

recorder

to

decline

7

acceptance

of

a

physical

or

electronic

document

and

to

provide

8

information

to

the

filer

to

correct

the

defect.

A

recorder’s

9

ability

to

collect

an

additional

recording

fee

of

$10

per

10

document

to

accept

nonconforming

documents

is

eliminated.

11

The

information

required

to

be

included

by

a

recorder

12

who

is

filing

and

indexing

documents

or

instruments

into

the

13

electronic

county

land

record

management

system

is

outlined

14

and

includes

how

reference

numbers

must

be

determined

and

15

applied

to

filings

each

calendar

year,

the

use

of

only

numeric

16

references

containing

no

more

than

six

digits

preceded

by

17

a

county

two-digit

code

and

four-digit

year,

and

indexing

18

requirements

for

certain

recorded

documents

associated

with

19

the

recording.

Additionally,

the

following

shall

be

indexed

20

if

known:

a

parcel

identification

number;

a

legal

description

21

and

parsed

location

information

including

platted

and

22

unplatted

information;

and

any

additional

parcel

identifiers

23

used

by

a

county

auditor.

The

indexing

and

recording

24

requirements

outlined

in

the

bill

take

effect

January

1,

2026.

25

Additionally,

a

recorder

must

note

in

the

index

the

exact

hour,

26

minute,

and

second

a

document

or

instrument

is

recorded.

27

The

bill

provides

for

the

recording

of

surveys

in

new

Code

28

section

331.612.

Specific

text

sizing

and

formatting

along

29

with

page

sizing,

index

legend

requirements,

and

other

required

30

information

for

surveys,

plats,

subdivision

plats,

and

monument

31

preservation

certificates,

with

an

emphasis

on

legibility,

32

are

provided.

The

recorder

must

accept

a

plat

or

subdivision

33

plat

that

meets

the

requirements

outlined

in

Code

section

34

355.7,

355.7A,

or

355.8

submitted

electronically

through

the

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electronic

services

system.

The

bill

also

provides

for

the

use

1

of

cover

pages

when

submitting

the

information

required

in

Code

2

section

331.606B(2)

and

outlines

the

location

on

the

first

page

3

where

the

information

must

be

provided

when

filing

a

document

4

with

the

county

recorder

along

with

providing

guidelines

for

5

including

designated

space

for

a

county

recorder’s

use.

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