How to Get an Iowa Death Certificate (2026)

An Iowa death certificate is issued by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines or by the county recorder where the death occurred. Each certified copy costs $20.00. Only people with a direct and tangible interest, such as the spouse, parent, child, or sibling, may obtain a certified copy.

How Do You Get a Death Certificate in Iowa?

You get an Iowa death certificate from the HHS Bureau of Health Statistics or from the county recorder in the county where the death occurred. The state office is in the Lucas State Office Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines. Local registrars sit in county recorders' offices and keep the records of deaths that occurred in that county. Official registration of births, deaths, and marriages in Iowa began July 1, 1880.

There are four main ways to request a certified copy.

Order Online or by Phone

Iowa contracts with VitalChek as its only authorized online and telephone vendor. You can order online through the VitalChek link on the HHS Vital Records site, or by phone at (866) 809-0290, Monday through Friday. VitalChek charges an additional processing fee on top of the $20.00 record fee.

Order by Mail

Mail a completed, notarized application with a legible photocopy of your government-issued photo ID and the $20.00 fee to the Bureau of Health Statistics. Make payment payable to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

Apply in Person

Visit the Lucas State Office Building, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring valid, current government-issued photo identification and the fee. You can also apply in person at the county recorder's office for deaths in that county.

Who Is Eligible to Request an Iowa Death Certificate?

You may request a certified Iowa death certificate only if you have a direct and tangible interest in the record. Iowa limits certified copies to immediate family and authorized representatives to protect the record.

Eligible applicants generally include:

• The decedent's spouse
• A parent or grandparent
• A child, grandchild, or sibling
• A legal guardian
• A legal representative or attorney acting for an entitled party

Every applicant must show valid, current government-issued photo identification. Mail requests must include a clear photocopy of that ID, and the mail application must be notarized.

That restriction governs certified copies, which Iowa Code 144.45(1) limits to an applicant entitled to the record. Access to the underlying record is not identical. Iowa Code 144.43(3)(a)(4) makes a record of death that was not a fetal death, while it is in the custody of a county registrar, open to inspection and copying as of right under the public records law in chapter 22. A copy obtained that way is a plain public copy, not a sealed certified copy, so it will not be accepted where an agency, insurer, or court requires a certified certificate.

Iowa Death Certificate Cost and Processing Time

Each certified copy of an Iowa death certificate costs $20.00, and each additional copy costs another $20.00. Iowa HHS states that at both the county and state level a fee of $20.00 is required for each record search conducted, with a copy issued if one is found. The department sets this amount by rule based on average administrative cost under Iowa Code 144.46(1) rather than by statute, so confirm the current figure with the office before you pay. The fee is non-refundable, so you pay it even if the office issues a no-record letter because the record cannot be located.

Processing time depends on how you order. In-person requests submitted by 2 p.m. are often ready within about 2 hours. Mailed requests returned by UPS overnight typically take 2 to 5 business days, while requests returned by regular mail can take 4 to 6 weeks. VitalChek orders add the vendor's own handling and shipping time.

Certified vs Informational Copy in Iowa

Iowa issues certified copies of death certificates, which carry the state or county seal and are accepted for legal matters such as estate settlement, insurance claims, and closing accounts. HHS does not offer a separate reduced-price informational copy the way some states do, so a copy you order from the state or a county registrar is a certified record.

Older records are handled differently. Under Iowa Code 144.43(3)(b)(4), a record of death or fetal death in the custody of the state archivist may be inspected and copied as of right once the record is at least fifty years old, or sooner on proof of entitlement to the record. For family history that does not need a legal document, that aged-record pathway and the county public-record route under 144.43(3)(a)(4) are usually the better starting points than a certified copy. HHS also refers genealogical researchers to the Iowa Genealogical Society.

How to Get Additional or Replacement Copies

To get extra or replacement Iowa death certificates, submit another request through the same office and pay $20.00 for each copy. There is no discounted rate for additional copies, so order all the copies you expect to need in one request to save time.

If a certificate is lost or damaged, you order a fresh certified copy the same way you ordered the first one. The Bureau of Health Statistics and county recorders keep the permanent record, so a replacement reflects the current certified information on file.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information, not legal advice. Fees, eligibility rules, and processing times change. Always confirm current requirements with the Iowa HHS Bureau of Health Statistics or the county recorder before you apply.

Sources

This page is based on official guidance from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Health Statistics and Iowa vital statistics law.

For the parent overview, see Iowa Death Records, and for other states see Death Records by State.