Iowa, county records
Find the right office in Dubuque County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
Iowa has two federal trial courts, the Northern District at Cedar Rapids and Sioux City and the Southern District at Des Moines; their case files are searched through PACER.
Open official site Iowa Federal CasesState records
Search property and claim status by individual name or business thru the state treasurer.
Open official site Iowa Unclaimed PropertyVital records
Iowa HHS Vital Records issues certified birth, death and marriage records filed since July 1, 1880, by mail, in person or through VitalChek, for a fee per copy.
Open official site Iowa Death and Vital RecordsState records
Find active and inactive corporations by name from the Iowa Secretary of State.
Open official site Iowa Business & Corporation SearchVital records
Request a copy of a marriage certificates from the Iowa Bureau of Health Statistics.
Open official site Iowa Marriage SearchLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Dubuque County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Dubuque County.
Police Departments. Dubuque County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Dubuque County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Dubuque Police Department, Dyersville Police Department, and Asbury Police Department. Each department has jurisdiction over its respective city or area, with the Sheriff's Office covering unincorporated regions.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Dubuque County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 770 Iowa Street, Dubuque, IA 52001 (phone: 563-589-4400), provides law enforcement services throughout unincorporated areas of Dubuque County and operates Dubuque County Jail.
Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 88 mine sites inside the county: 64 past producers, now closed, 1 prospect or occurrence that was never worked, 11 sites producing when the record was made, 1 processing plant, which is not a working, 11 sites with no status in the record; the old survey maps add 85 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are crushed stone; Phosphorus-Phosphates; construction sand and gravel.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. Coal was mined in Iowa from the 1840s to 1994.
Iowa abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Labor Department file
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 121 investigations in Dubuque County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $576,463 in back wages agreed for 699 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.
| Employer | City | Cases | Back wages | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area Residential Care, Inc. | Dubuque | 4 | $203,224 | 174 |
| Fiesta Cancun Authentic Mexican Restaurant of | Dubuque | 1 | $38,062 | 5 |
| Pony Express Mail Service | Dubuque | 1 | $34,973 | 14 |
| HJD Subtenant LLC | Dubuque | 1 | $32,539 | 55 |
| Herbst Auto Service, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $32,370 | 10 |
| Famolo Of IOWA, INC. | Dubuque | 1 | $23,836 | 53 |
| McKesson Corp. | Dubuque | 1 | $22,445 | 4 |
| Rainbo Oil Company | Dubuque | 2 | $17,682 | 28 |
| Foodliner, Inc | Dubuque | 1 | $16,312 | 45 |
| Burt Steve & Son Garage, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $16,065 | 13 |
| PACR, LTD | Dubuque | 2 | $14,529 | 33 |
| North End Auto Wrecking, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $13,574 | 27 |
| James L. Schneider, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $12,178 | 4 |
| CJ Tire & Auto Repair, LLC | New Vienna | 1 | $9,139 | 11 |
| TFM Company | Dubuque | 1 | $7,922 | 2 |
| Mi-T-M Corporation | Peosta | 1 | $7,458 | 4 |
| Platinum Holding, LLC | Dubuque | 1 | $7,101 | 17 |
| Executive Management and& Real Estate Ltd. | Dubuque | 1 | $5,509 | 6 |
| Diamond Jo, LLC | Dubuque | 1 | $4,995 | 1 |
| Eagle Eye Insurance & Financial Services, LLC | Dubuque | 1 | $4,804 | 2 |
| Advance Designs Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $3,997 | 3 |
| Roeder Implement, Incorporated | Dubuque | 1 | $3,742 | 9 |
| Mutual Wheel Company, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $3,168 | 8 |
| Triple T Corporation | Dubuque | 1 | $3,163 | 10 |
| Dubuque Paint Equipment Services, Inc. | Dubuque | 1 | $2,896 | 12 |
The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 101 on the Dubuque County record; 24 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 76 more with smaller records are on the Iowa wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.
Dubuque County Recorder announces that the certified birth, death and marriage record fee increased to $20 per copy on July 1, 2026. Its current certificate instructions use that amount as well. Separate that certificate price from the cost of a marriage-license application, a land-record copy or provider delivery. A price on an older application or saved page should be checked against the current product instructions before payment is sent. Recorder certificate-fee notice.
The local certificate process limits certified copies to eligible immediate family members and requires a notarized signature and photo-identification copy for mailed requests. Payment can be made by the methods listed by the Recorder, with additional card-company charges when a card is used. State the relationship to the person named on the record and supply the event details requested on the application so the office can determine whether it can issue the copy. Certified-copy application requirements.
The Recorder describes local birth and death holdings from 1880 forward, with statewide county access for births from 1983 and deaths and marriages from 1954. It also lists exceptions: some births from 1921 to 1941, deaths from 1904 to 1907 and 1917 to 1941, and certain earlier birth records involving legal actions or single parents. For an event within an exception, use the linked Iowa Health and Human Services route or ask the Recorder to confirm the correct custodian. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
The marriage description gives different early start years in its overview and detailed range, so confirm the relevant book for an early marriage instead of treating the date list as a complete index. Tell the office where the license was obtained and provide both names and the event date. A research inquiry may need an old local register even when recent certificates can be issued through a broader county network. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
For a marriage-license application, the Recorder instructs both parties and a witness to complete the application and sign before a notary. The listed $35 application fee includes a certified marriage certificate. The county describes a 3-day waiting period before the license becomes valid and gives a filing-day example in its instructions. Check the ceremony date against that process before booking an appointment or assuming an application can be used immediately. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
After the completed marriage certificate is returned and placed on record, the Recorder mails the certified copy to the couple. Courthouse ceremonies are scheduled separately through Court Administration and are described as available on Fridays. The application transaction and ceremony appointment are therefore different services. Ask the Recorder about license paperwork and Court Administration about its available ceremony arrangements. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
The Recorder's legal-document schedule starts with $7 for the first page and $5 for each additional page. A deed or contract conveying land adds the specified Auditor transfer fee; additional mortgage references and nonconforming documents can have other charges. Identify the document type, page count, transfer details and references before asking for a recording total. This schedule applies to filing an instrument and should not be used as the price for retrieving an existing deed. Recording fee components.
Existing document copies cost $1 per page, including faxed or emailed copies. Certification adds $2 per document, and the copy to be certified must be made in the office. A certified deed total therefore depends on its page count plus the certification charge. Keep a plain copy, a certified copy and a separately priced federal-tax-lien copy as different products when requesting an estimate or recording an expense. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
The Recorder supplies an official real-estate index link, along with real-estate information, recording requirements and related services. Search the index to identify the instrument and preserve the reference with the parties' names and recording date. For a property history, keep successive conveyances and related releases in order. The index can lead to the document, but the instrument itself is the source to inspect when the legal description or operative wording matters. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
The Recorder also accepts military discharge records for permanent recording. Its military-service instructions explain that the original must be presented to obtain a recorded certified copy and give a separate federal retrieval route if a discharge was lost before recording. Ask about that collection specifically; military paperwork should not be requested as if it were an ordinary deed image simply because the same Recorder maintains it. Military-service record instructions.
The City Assessor explicitly handles property within Dubuque city limits and directs property outside the city to the County Assessor. Both offices provide an official property-record search route, but their contact locations differ. Begin with the parcel and whether it lies inside the city, then ask about the particular assessed characteristic or value. A mailing address that says Dubuque is not by itself a substitute for checking the assessment jurisdiction. City Assessor jurisdiction.
The County Assessor is at the West Campus, 1225 Seippel Road, Dubuque, with telephone 563-589-4432 and weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The City Assessor is separately located on Elm Street. Use the appropriate office for an assessment question and retrieve a recorded deed through the Recorder when the question concerns a transfer instrument. The county office describes its work as assessment of real property in its jurisdiction. County Assessor contact and duties.
The Auditor calculates tax rates using levies and property valuations, prepares the tax list and certifies figures to the Treasurer, which mails the statements. The Auditor also maintains real-estate transfer books and plat maps; transfer books are organized by legal description. A request about the tax calculation or transfer entry should identify the parcel and tax period or legal description rather than asking only for a generic property record. Auditor tax and transfer records.
The same office maintains official voter-registration records, certifies election results and serves as clerk to the Board of Supervisors. Its records include board agendas, minutes and official papers, along with county financial records. Specify whether the request concerns election administration, a board action, a contract or an expenditure. That description helps connect the requested document with the function that produced it. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
The Iowa judiciary lists the Clerk of Court at 720 Central Avenue, Dubuque, telephone 563-589-4418. Case scheduling has a separate number, 563-589-4582, and the county court directory links the statewide court-record search. Use the case number and document title for a copy inquiry; a calendar or payment lookup is not the same request as obtaining a filed order or judgment. Official Dubuque court directory.
The Sheriff site provides Police to Citizen access for recent arrests and other information, and its Jail section links the separate inmate-mail, money, phone and visitation instructions. For a current custody question, preserve when the result was viewed and ask the holding agency about the status. For the judicial result of the charge, use the court file. The service directions should also be kept separate from the Sheriff's public office hours. Sheriff jail contact and service links. Sheriff public-information route.
The county's published Public Records Request Policy names the Auditor as lawful custodian and directs county requests there for coordination. It allows requests in person, in writing, by telephone or electronically; its form is a convenience rather than a compulsory format. Define the requested record, relevant period and delivery preference, and provide a way to clarify the scope. The policy distinguishes county business records from material requiring confidentiality review. County request policy.
The policy provides for a cost estimate and advance payment of allowable expenses, with a final reconciliation when appropriate. Its ordinary-copy schedule lists $0.25 per black-and-white page and $0.30 per color page, while electronic media, postage and applicable labor are separate components. These general request charges are distinct from the Recorder's statutory land-copy and certificate products. Ask which schedule applies to the particular record before authorizing reproduction. Source: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
Where to go
Each office below was read on its own site. A field the office does not publish is left out rather than filled in from a directory.
Land recording, document copies, vital certificates and marriage-license applications.
Office page: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
Assessment records for property within Dubuque city limits.
Office page: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
Assessment records for county property outside Dubuque city limits.
Office page: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
County records requests, elections, financial records and real-estate transfer books.
Office page: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
State trial-court records and case-file inquiries.
Office page: iowacourts.gov
Sheriff inquiries, jail contact and custody service referrals.
Office page: dubuquecountyiowa.gov
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Dubuque County Sheriff or a city police department in Dubuque County. Ask that agency for its record.
The Iowa criminal history record comes from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation. Name based request by mail, fax, email or in person with first name, last name and exact date of birth; the online request site is down for an upgrade and phone requests are not taken. Fee: $15 per last name.
Search the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county auditor or through the Iowa Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Pre registration closes 15 days before the election; you may also register and vote on election day at the polling place for your address with proof of identity and residence.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Dubuque County are kept by the Dubuque County recorder. Property values are set by the local assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for Iowa come from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Statistics. County Recorders can issue certified copies of all Iowa births from 1986 to the present and of deaths and marriages from 1954 to the present; earlier records come from the county where the event occurred. By mail or in person at Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Statistics, Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075, at a County Recorder, or online through VitalChek, the only authorized third party vendor. Fee: $20.00 for each certified copy.
Business entity filings are searched with the Iowa Secretary of State. Iowa does not have a general business license; licensing depends on the nature of the business or occupation.
The Recorder states that certified birth, death and marriage copies cost $20 each effective July 1, 2026. Card or provider charges may be separate. Official instructions.
The Recorder requires a notarized signature and a copy of the applicant's photo ID, along with the completed request and payment. Confirm eligibility for the record. Official instructions.
The local instructions list a $35 marriage-license application fee that includes a certified marriage certificate after the completed certificate is returned and recorded. Official instructions.
No. The schedule lists copies at $1 per page and certification at $2 per document. The certified copy must be made in the office. Official instructions.
The City Assessor states that it covers all property inside the city limits and directs property outside the city to the County Assessor. Official instructions.
The Auditor maintains transfer books and plat maps and states that the transfer books are kept by legal description. Official instructions.
The county policy says requests may be made in person, in writing, by telephone or electronically, and describes the form as a convenience only. Official instructions.
The Iowa judiciary lists 563-589-4418 for the Dubuque Clerk of Court at 720 Central Avenue. Case scheduling is a separate service. Official instructions.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.