Iowa Quitclaim Deed
Transfer your interest in a Iowa property — between family, into a trust or LLC, or after a divorce — and download a print-ready PDF with Iowa’s signing rules built in. Free, no signup.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.
Iowa deed rules · as of 2026
- Witnesses (besides notary)
- None — notary only
- Where to record
- County Recorder (Iowa Code § 558.11 — 'recorder of deeds of the county in which the real estate is situated')
- Transfer tax
- Yes — see below
Source: Iowa Code §§ 558.19, 558.42 · verify ↗. A deed moves real property — have someone qualified review it before you sign, and record it promptly.
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Iowa signing & recording
No — in Iowa the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (Iowa Code §§ 558.19, 558.42 (chapter 558 imposes no witness requirement; only acknowledgment under ch. 9B), as of 2026). Iowa Code § 558.42 — 'A document shall not be deemed lawfully recorded, unless it has been previously acknowledged or proved in the manner prescribed in chapter 9B' (acknowledgment form per § 558.20 / ch. 9B RULONA) Record the signed deed with the County Recorder (Iowa Code § 558.11 — 'recorder of deeds of the county in which the real estate is situated'). Transfer tax: Iowa Real Estate Transfer Tax: $0.80 per $500 (or fraction) of consideration in excess of $500 (Iowa Code § 428A.1(1)(a)(2)); NO tax when there is no consideration or for corrective instruments (§ 428A.1(1)(a)(1)); spouse and parent-child deeds without actual consideration exempt (§ 428A.2(11)) Check the current Iowa deed rules before recording.
Married? If the property is (or may be) your homestead, your spouse may need to sign the deed even if they are not on title — several states require it, and a deed missing that signature can be rejected for recording or invalid. Use the “Co-grantor / spouse” field above to add their signature line, and check your state’s rule before recording.
Existing mortgage? Transferring mortgaged property can trigger the loan’s “due-on-sale” clause. Federal law (12 U.S.C. §1701j-3(d), the Garn–St Germain Act) bars lenders from enforcing it for several transfers of residential property with fewer than five dwelling units — including a transfer to the borrower’s spouse or children, a transfer resulting from a divorce decree, and a transfer into an inter vivos (living) trust in which the borrower is and remains a beneficiary. The loan itself stays in place either way — nobody is released until it is refinanced. Read the statute ↗
Frequently asked questions
Does Iowa require witnesses on a quitclaim deed?
No — in Iowa the grantor's notarized signature is enough; no separate witnesses are required (Iowa Code §§ 558.19, 558.42 (chapter 558 imposes no witness requirement; only acknowledgment under ch. 9B), as of 2026). Iowa Code § 558.42 — 'A document shall not be deemed lawfully recorded, unless it has been previously acknowledged or proved in the manner prescribed in chapter 9B' (acknowledgment form per § 558.20 / ch. 9B RULONA)
Where do I record the deed in Iowa?
With the County Recorder (Iowa Code § 558.11 — 'recorder of deeds of the county in which the real estate is situated') where the property is located. Recording is what makes the transfer visible to the world — an unrecorded deed can be valid between the parties but lose to a later buyer or lender who records first. Take the original signed deed, pay the recording fee, and keep the returned stamped copy.
Is there a transfer tax in Iowa?
Iowa Real Estate Transfer Tax: $0.80 per $500 (or fraction) of consideration in excess of $500 (Iowa Code § 428A.1(1)(a)(2)); NO tax when there is no consideration or for corrective instruments (§ 428A.1(1)(a)(1)); spouse and parent-child deeds without actual consideration exempt (§ 428A.2(11)) Check the current rate and exemptions before recording — the recorder will not accept the deed without the required tax forms or stamps.
How does Iowa compare? See the deed witness requirements in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Iowa compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Iowa: Iowa Code §§ 558.19, 558.42 ↗.
- Iowa is one of 38 of 51 jurisdictions that charge a transfer or documentary tax when a deed is recorded (13 charge no state transfer tax on deeds).
- Witnesses required (beyond the notary)
Witnesses required (beyond the notary): 0, exactly the national median.
This is the most common figure nationally — shared by 45 other states.
Witnesses required (beyond the notary) in neighboring states — Illinois (0), Minnesota (0), Missouri (0), Nebraska (0), South Dakota (0), Wisconsin (0). Every neighboring state with a rule matches Iowa.
The rest of what Iowa requires
The figures below are Iowa's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Iowa page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 2 months' rent Iowa Code §562A.12 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 30 days after move-out Iowa Code §562A.12 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 30 days Iowa Code §562A.12 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 3 days to pay or quit Iowa Code § 562A.27; § 562A.34(2) ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 7 days Iowa Code § 562A.27; § 562A.34(2) ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $6,500 Iowa Code § 631.1; § 631.6 (fees) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Small claims docket of the Iowa District Court (heard by magistrates and district associate judges) · filing fee $95 flat statewide (Iowa Code 631.6 / 602.8105), plus service costs. Iowa Code § 631.1; § 631.6 (fees) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Iowa Legislature ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Iowa DOT / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required Iowa Code §633B.105 (form §633B.301) ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules Iowa Code § 489.102(19) (definition); Iowa Code § 489.105 (scope/function) ↗
Quitclaim deed in other states
More Iowa legal forms
Different state? See quitclaim deeds by state →