Iowa · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Howard County, IA
Howard County (population 9,469) records real-property documents through the Howard County Recorder. Below is what it costs and how to submit. Filing a memorandum of contract? We record it with the county for $199, notary included — no trip to the courthouse.
Howard County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Howard County Recorder
- Mailing address
- Howard County Recorder, Howard County Courthouse, 137 North Elm Street, Cresco, IA 52136
- Phone
- 563-547-9210
- Recording hours
- Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
- Electronic recording
- Available via Iowa Land Records
Howard County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $7.00 for the first page
- Additional pages
- $5.00 per page
- Other fees
- Auditor transfer fee $5.00 per township section or city block on conveyances; certified copy $5.00 plus $0.50 per page
- Transfer tax on deeds
- $0.80 per $500 of consideration over $500, paid to the County Recorder at recording
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Howard County Recorder before you mail a check.
What Howard County requires
- Page formatting
- 3" top margin on page 1; 3/4" other margins; white 20-lb paper; 10-point text (8-point preprinted); signatures in black or dark blue ink with names printed below
- Cover sheet
- Not required. Deeds with consideration need a Declaration of Value.
- Submission & return
- Mailed back in the self-addressed stamped envelope you send with the filing
- Turnaround
- Usually mailed back the day after recording
Checked against official Howard County and Iowa sources on October 6, 2026: howardcounty.iowa.gov, legis.iowa.gov. Part of Jurably’s open recording-fee dataset.
Can you e-record in Howard County?
Yes. Howard County accepts electronic recording through Iowa Land Records, so a properly formatted document can be recorded the same or next business day without mailing paper.
How to record a document in Howard County, Iowa
- Prepare the document so it meets Howard County's formatting rules (above): legal description, grantee address, signature block, and the blank space the recorder reserves for its stamp.
- Notarize it if the instrument requires acknowledgment. Most deeds and affidavits do.
- Submit electronically through Iowa Land Records, or by mail to Howard County Recorder.
- Pay the recording fee.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Howard County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Howard County property are searchable at Howard County Assessor (Beacon/Schneider GIS property search). A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
How Jurably helps in Howard County
Jurably isn’t a deed-filing desk. It’s how real-estate investors get the important paperwork done. If you’re under contract on a Howard County property, we file a memorandum of contract to put your equitable interest on the public record, where every title search will find it. The online notary session is included: you sign it alone, and the seller is notified by certified mail. Then we record it (electronically through the county’s approved network) and return the recorded instrument. It’s a self-help filing service, not legal advice.
Guides for investors
Counties bordering Howard
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Under contract in Howard County? Secure it.
Jurably files a memorandum to protect your deal, notarizes what you need, and records it — no courthouse trip.