Iowa, Johnson County
Where Iowa City's records are kept. Iowa City has its own city government, police department, clerk's office and permit and planning office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Iowa City's own offices, along with State of Iowa offices; the Johnson County offices are on our Johnson County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
The City of Iowa City, Iowa, at 410 E. Washington St.: City Council meetings and videos, departments and divisions, bill payment, building permit applications, public records requests and ways to report a concern.
Open official site City of Iowa CityPolice & jail
The Iowa City Police Department, 410 E. Washington St., lists 24/7 dispatch and a Records Section that keeps and copies department records; its pages carry the arrest blotter, daily activity log and crime mapping.
Open official site Iowa City Police DepartmentPolice & jail
Answers from the Iowa City Police Department on getting a copy of a police report from the Records Section in person or by phone, criminal history checks through the state, and arrest questions.
Open official site ICPD FAQsCity records
Iowa City's City Clerk at 410 E. Washington St. keeps ordinances, resolutions, council minutes, deeds and contracts, takes public records requests through an online portal, and issues liquor and taxi licenses and parade permits.
Open official site Iowa City ClerkCity records
Building Inspection Services issues Iowa City permits for new construction, additions, alterations, repairs and signs through its Customer Self Service portal and enforces the building, zoning, sign and nuisance codes.
Open official site Iowa City Building Inspection ServicesPolice & jail
FBI national most wanted criminals, search for Iowa City area subjects.
Open official site FBI Most WantedState records
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, with a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-843-5678, missing child posters, AMBER Alerts, the CyberTipline and a list of state missing person clearinghouses.
Open official site National Center for Missing & Exploited ChildrenVital records
USAGov explains how to get certified copies of birth and death certificates, copies of marriage and divorce records, and replacements for lost or stolen government ID cards.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Copies of Vital Records and IDsCounty court
The federal judiciary's national index of district, bankruptcy and appellate court cases. Searching needs a free PACER account; pages cost $0.10, capped at $3 per document, with quarterly charges of $30 or less waived.
Open official site PACER Case LocatorFederal
USAGov sends you to your state's unclaimed property office, which holds most unclaimed money, and to federal searches for back wages, pensions, IRS refunds, savings bonds and deposits from failed banks.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Unclaimed MoneyVital records
The Social Security Administration explains survivor benefits, monthly payments to eligible relatives of workers who paid Social Security taxes before death, including who qualifies, possible amounts and when to report a death.
Open official site Social Security Survivor BenefitsPolice & jail
U.S. Department of Justice search of public sex offender registries from every state, territory and many tribes by name or ZIP code; address radius searches cover only states that send coordinates.
Open official site Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteFederal
USAGov explains checking your registration through Can I Vote, which opens your state's election website, and advises doing it before the state deadline, which can be up to 30 days before an election.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Confirming Voter RegistrationCounty court
Federal judiciary guide to finding a case in PACER: search the court where it was filed for current data, or the nationwide PACER Case Locator, updated daily. A PACER account is required.
Open official site PACER Find a CaseFederal
Census Bureau profile of Iowa City city, Iowa: 74,828 residents in the 2020 Census, a $60,650 median household income and 32,453 households in 2024 American Community Survey estimates.
Open official site Census Bureau ProfileState records
The State Historical Society of Iowa opens its library, museum, archives and special collections for research, with a catalog of government records, manuscripts, books, newspapers and photographs.
Open official site State Historical Society of Iowa ResearchCounty court
Serves southern Iowa from 111 Locust Street in Des Moines; the court posts 341 meeting and courtroom calendars, decisions and orders, takes copy requests and links PACER case information.
Open official site United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of IowaEverything else, organized
14 more Iowa City sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Iowa City, a place of 74,828 people, is the seat of Johnson County. Court and property records sit with Johnson County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of Iowa. Iowa City's own offices are in the cards above, and our Johnson County page lists each county office.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in Iowa is run by the Iowa Secretary of State and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online voter registration, polling places and the local election office for Iowa City.
Deeds for property in Iowa City are recorded by the Johnson County Recorder, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our Johnson County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in Iowa come from the state vital records office, Iowa HHS Vital Records. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
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.