Iowa, Shelby County

Panama, Iowa Public Records

Where Panama's records are kept. County and state offices keep Panama's public records. Panama has no police department of its own; law enforcement comes from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

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Most requested Panama records

The cards below include Panama's own offices, along with the Shelby County and State of Iowa offices that keep the rest of its public records. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 8 official sources

Official

Vital records

Iowa Death and Vital 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.

hhs.iowa.gov
Open official site Iowa Death and Vital Records
Official

County court

Iowa Federal Cases

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.

uscourts.gov
Open official site Iowa Federal Cases
Official

Police & jail

Shelby County Sheriff's Office

The Sheriff and the Deputies are the law enforcement for the residents of Shelby County, plus provide contract law enforcement for the Cities of.

Official siteshelbycounty.iowa.gov
Open official site Shelby County Sheriff's Office
Official

Court records

Iowa Courts Online Search

View the public docket of Iowa district court and appellate cases by name or case number, free and without registration, and pay court fines and fees online. Case documents are not shown.

iowacourts.state.ia.us
Open official site Iowa Courts Online Search
Official

Property records

Shelby County Recorder

The Shelby County Recorder offers a property search, land records, Iowa Land Records, historical records, recording information, vital records and marriage licenses.

shelbycounty.iowa.gov
Open official site Shelby County Recorder

Local record guide

About public records in Panama

Local profile

Panama at a glance

County
Shelby County
County seat
Harlan
Population
235
Shelby County population
11,746
Local records
Shelby County offices
ZIP codes
51562

About Panama public records

Panama, a place of 235 people, is in Shelby County, whose county seat is Harlan. Court and property records sit with Shelby County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of Iowa. Panama's own offices are in the cards above, and our Shelby County page lists each county office.

Abandoned mine records

Coal ground under Panama

What the records show here, and the office that holds the mine maps.

Panama sits over the Western Region and the coal there is medium and high volatile bituminous, worked underground in many places. The USGS coal fields map is drawn at a small scale, so it shows the ground, not a parcel.

Nothing at all is on record inside the town limits: no mine, no shaft, no adit and no pit. That is what the files say, and it is not a clearance. Those files record a working only where one was catalogued or drawn on a survey sheet, and on coal ground the sheets are thin: the maps that show the rooms and the pillars are held by Iowa DNR Iowa Coal Mines map and that office is where to ask for them.

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

Wage and hour cases in Panama, Iowa

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 1 investigation with a Panama address since fiscal 2005 and recorded $16,018 in back wages agreed for 12 workers. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment, and the city is the one written on the employer's record.

Investigations closed
1
Back wages agreed
$16,018
Workers due back wages
12
Civil money penalties
$0
Employers on the record
1
EmployerCasesBack wagesWorkers
Panama Transfer INC1$16,01812

Every employer whose address on the record is in Panama, by back wages agreed; 1 employer has a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record in this row. The Iowa wage theft records page ranks the whole state.

Straight answers

Panama public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

How do I register to vote in Panama, Iowa?

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 Panama.

How do I look up property records in Panama, Iowa?

Deeds for property in Panama are recorded by the Shelby County Recorder, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our Shelby County page lists the county offices.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Panama, Iowa?

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.

How do I find business license records in Panama, Iowa?

Businesses that operate in Panama register with the Iowa Secretary of State, which runs the state business entity search. A local business license, where Panama requires one, comes from the town or Shelby County.

Same county

Nearby Shelby County cities

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.