Iowa · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Pottawattamie County, IA
Pottawattamie County (population 93,667) records real-property documents through the Pottawattamie 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.
Pottawattamie County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Pottawattamie County Recorder
- Mailing address
- Pottawattamie County Recorder's Office, 227 South 6th Street, Suite 130, Council Bluffs, IA 51501
- Phone
- 712-328-5612
- Website
- pottcounty-ia.gov/recorder
- Checks payable to
- Pottawattamie County Recorder
- Electronic recording
- Available via Simplifile
Pottawattamie County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- $7 first page
- Additional pages
- $5 per additional page
- Other fees
- $5 auditor's transfer fee per section/block being transferred; non-conforming documents may incur additional $10 fee (except exempt docs)
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Pottawattamie County Recorder before you mail a check.
What Pottawattamie County requires
- Page formatting
- Standard Iowa Code 331.606A/558.55 formatting: 3-inch top margin, 3/4-inch other margins, white 20 lb paper, max 8.5x14, min 8/10-point fonts, black/dark blue ink
- Cover sheet
- No mandated separate cover sheet, but statutory Iowa first-page/margin formatting required
- Submission & return
- Mail return to submitter address on document; e-recorded documents returned electronically
- Hours & turnaround
- E-recording ~1 business day; mail-in varies
Can you e-record in Pottawattamie County?
Yes. Pottawattamie County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, so a properly formatted document can be recorded the same or next business day without mailing paper.
How to record a document in Pottawattamie County, Iowa
- Prepare the document so it meets Pottawattamie 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 Simplifile, or by mail to Pottawattamie County Recorder.
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Pottawattamie County Recorder.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Pottawattamie County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Pottawattamie County property are searchable at Pottawattamie County Assessor. A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
How Jurably helps in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie
More Iowa counties
Jurably in Pottawattamie
Under contract in Pottawattamie County? Secure it.
Jurably files a memorandum to protect your deal, notarizes what you need, and records it — no courthouse trip.