Iowa Asset Search Services
U.S. Asset Records reads the recorder and clerk of court records in all 99 Iowa counties, adds business, UCC, vehicle and federal court records, and then runs every name in other states.
Order Iowa Asset SearchAll 99 counties · Flat-Fee Pricing · 1-5 days · FCRA/GLBA Compliant
Quick Answer
An Iowa asset search from U.S. Asset Records costs $195 flat-fee for the Asset Profile Report or $295 for the FCRA-compliant Creditor-Status Profile, delivered in 1 to 5 days. It identifies real property, business interests, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, UCC filings and recorded judgments in all 99 counties and nationwide. The subject is never contacted.
What is an Iowa asset search, and why does the homestead acreage matter so much here?
An asset search here is a records investigation that finds the real property, business interests, vehicles, UCC filings and recorded judgments tied to a person or company, in all 99 counties and in other states. Lawyers use it before filing suit, to collect a judgment, in dissolution cases and in estate work.
Two features of state law shape what the report is worth. A judgment of a state district court or a federal court in the state is a lien on the debtor’s real estate for 10 years, starting on entry in the county where it was entered and, elsewhere, only once an attested copy is filed with that county’s clerk of the district court (Iowa Code 624.23, 624.24). And the homestead has no dollar cap at all: it is limited by area, one-half acre inside a city plat or 40 acres outside one (561.2, 561.16). So the useful questions are which parcels the debtor owns, in which counties, and which one is the home.
Key Points of State Law
| Coverage | All 99 counties, the Northern and Southern federal districts, and a nationwide cross-reference |
|---|---|
| Price | $195 Asset Profile Report; $295 Creditor-Status Profile (FCRA, for collection use) |
| Delivery | 1 to 5 days, depending on complexity and county |
| Judgment lien | 10 years from the judgment, county by county through the clerk of court (Iowa Code 624.23, 624.24) |
| Action on a judgment | Within 20 years (614.1(6)); not within 9 years of rendition without leave of court (614.3) |
| Homestead | No dollar cap; one-half acre in a city plat or 40 acres elsewhere (561.2, 561.16) |
| Wage garnishment | Federal limits plus an annual cap per creditor based on expected earnings (642.21) |
| Transfers | Iowa Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, chapter 684 |
Recorders, Clerks and Registries
- County recorders, all 99 counties: Deeds, mortgages, quitclaim deeds from divorce decrees and county-filed fixture filings, searched under the subject, the spouse and every known entity (Iowa Code 331.602).
- Clerks of the district court: The judgment docket and lien index, where a judgment becomes a lien in the county of entry, plus any attested copies filed to extend it to other counties (624.24). Petitions affecting land are indexed by tract number (617.10), so pending suits show up too.
- Secretary of State: Corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships with their officers, managers and registered agents. Most UCC financing statements are filed here; fixture, timber and as-extracted filings go where mortgages are recorded (554.9501).
- Motor vehicle records: Titles and registrations, requested under a DPPA permissible purpose.
- Federal court and bankruptcy: The state has two federal districts, Northern and Southern; Polk County sits in the Southern District’s Central Division at Des Moines (28 U.S.C. 95). PACER shows suits, bankruptcies and federal judgments.
- Coast Guard and FAA registries: Documented vessels and registered aircraft, which no county index lists.
- Nationwide cross-reference: Property, entities and judgments in other states under the same names.
The Ten-Year Lien and Execution
Collection here runs through the clerk of court, not the recorder, and every step depends on knowing which county holds which asset.
| Step | Iowa Code | What the search supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Judgment lien (624.23, 624.24) | A lien on real estate owned at judgment and acquired later, for 10 years from the judgment; immediate in the county of entry, and in another county from the filing of an attested copy with its clerk | The counties where the debtor holds land, so a copy can be filed in each |
| Homestead demand (624.23(2)) | No lien attaches to a homestead within the statutory limits; a lien claimed against one is barred unless execution is levied within 30 days after written demand | Which parcel is the residence and which parcels are not |
| Time limits (614.1(6), 614.3, 626.2) | Execution may issue until the judgment is time-barred; an action on the judgment lies within 20 years, but not within 9 years of rendition without leave of court | Whether property worth pursuing remains before the lien runs out |
| Execution sale (626.74, 626.75, 628.3) | Four weeks’ notice for real property, posted and published twice; the debtor may redeem within one year of the sale, exclusively for the first six months | Legal descriptions, recorded mortgages and the equity above them |
| Garnishment (ch. 642; 642.21) | Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act limits apply, and each creditor’s yearly take is capped by expected earnings, reaching 10% of earnings only at $50,000 or more | Employers and other holders of the debtor’s money |
| Debtor examination (630.1, 630.4, 630.7) | After an execution is returned unsatisfied, an order for the debtor to appear and answer under oath; the court may appoint a receiver or enjoin transfers | Specific holdings to ask about |
| Foreign judgments (ch. 626A) | File the authenticated judgment with a district court clerk; no execution for 20 days, and no real estate lien until the challenge period has run (626A.3) | Whether assets in the state justify filing |
Dividing Property Under 598.21
This is an equitable-division state, not a community property state. On dissolution the court divides all property of the parties, including what each brought to the marriage, equitably after weighing statutory factors such as the length of the marriage, homemaking contributions, earning capacity and pensions (Iowa Code 598.21(5)). Inherited and gifted property stays with the recipient unless leaving it out would be inequitable (598.21(6)).
The court can order quitclaim deeds delivered to the recorder in each county where real estate lies (598.21(1)), and a property division cannot be modified later (598.21(7)). The report runs the spouse’s name and every entity either spouse controls and dates each acquisition from the record; classification and division are for counsel and the court.
Acreage Homestead and Exemptions
| Protection | Rule | Effect on recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Homestead (561.1, 561.2, 561.16) | The house used as a home with contiguous land, limited to one-half acre in a city plat or 40 acres elsewhere, exempt from judicial sale with no dollar limit; one per household | Land beyond the acreage and every non-homestead parcel remain reachable |
| Debts that reach the homestead (561.21) | Debts contracted before it was acquired (deficiency only), contracts that expressly make it liable, and mechanic’s liens or improvement debts | The acquisition date of the home matters |
| Motor vehicle (627.6(9)) | One vehicle up to $7,000; the figure is statutory and not indexed | Further vehicles and value above the cap are outside it |
| Household goods and cash (627.6(5), 627.6(14)) | Household goods and apparel up to $7,000; cash and deposits up to $1,000 | Each category has its own cap, with no combined ceiling |
| Tools and farm assets (627.6(11), 627.6(12)) | Tools of a non-farm trade up to $10,000; farm implements, equipment and livestock up to $10,000 | Equipment beyond the cap is outside it |
| Retirement (627.6(8); 627.6A) | Pensions, ERISA plans, IRAs and Roth IRAs exempt, with yearly contribution limits for IRA-type plans; not exempt from child, spousal or medical support | Excess contributions can fall outside it |
| LLC interests (489.503) | Charging order is the exclusive remedy, but the court may foreclose and order the interest sold; against a sole member the buyer takes the entire interest and becomes a member | Single-member LLC property can be reached through foreclosure |
| Limited partnership interests (488.703) | Charging order is the exclusive remedy, and the court may order foreclosure at any time | The same entity tracing applies |
| Self-settled trusts (633A.2303, 633A.2304) | No shield: a spendthrift term is invalid against the settlor’s creditors, who may reach the most the trustee could pay to the settlor | Trusts the debtor created are worth finding |
Chapter 684 Transfers
The state’s law is the Iowa Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, Iowa Code chapter 684 (684.15). A transfer is voidable if made with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud any creditor, or without reasonably equivalent value while the debtor was left with unreasonably small assets or expected debts beyond its ability to pay (684.4(1)), or, as to an existing creditor, without reasonably equivalent value while insolvent (684.5(1)).
- Deadlines (684.9): Actual intent: 4 years from the transfer or, if later, 1 year after it was or could reasonably have been discovered. Constructive fraud: 4 years. An insider preference under 684.5(2): 1 year.
- Intent factors (684.4(2)): Among others, a transfer to an insider, retained possession or control, concealment, a pending or threatened suit, and a transfer of substantially all assets. Each is a factor for the court, not a presumption.
- Insiders (684.1): For an individual debtor, relatives (a spouse included) and a corporation the debtor directs or controls, among others.
- Remedies and transferees (684.7, 684.8): Avoidance, injunction or a receiver, and levy on the transferred asset after judgment. Liability can run to later transferees, but not to a good-faith transferee that took for value.
- In bankruptcy: A trustee can avoid transfers made within 2 years before the petition under 11 U.S.C. 548, and can use the state act’s longer periods through 11 U.S.C. 544(b).
- What the search adds: The recording date of each deed, mortgage and entity change, so counsel can see which transfers fall inside those periods.
Search Sequence
Every county recorder index and every clerk’s judgment docket is searched under the subject’s name, aliases, the spouse and each entity tied to them in Secretary of State records; the same names are then run in other states, with federal court, Coast Guard and FAA records added.
An analyst reviews the matches and writes the report, citing the record behind each finding, such as the recorder’s document number, the entity number, the title record or the PACER case number, so any item can be ordered and certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an Iowa asset search cost?
$195 flat-fee for the Asset Profile Report, or $295 for the FCRA-compliant Creditor-Status Profile used when collecting a debt. Both prices are published.
How long does it take?
1 to 5 days, depending on complexity and county. Subjects with many entities or land in several states take the longer end.
Do you search all 99 counties?
Yes. Every county recorder and clerk of the district court is searched, not just Polk, Linn, Scott and Johnson, and the same names are run nationwide.
Can you find a debtor’s bank accounts?
No. Account numbers and balances are never provided. Under 15 U.S.C. 6821, part of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, obtaining someone’s bank information from a bank by false pretenses is a federal violation, and so is knowingly asking someone to do it. After judgment, creditors reach accounts through court process aimed at banks named in the public record. Real property, business interests, vehicles, and judgments are identified in every Asset Profile Report.
How long does a judgment lien on land last?
Ten years from the date of the judgment (Iowa Code 624.23). It attaches in the county of entry when the judgment is docketed, and in any other county only after an attested copy is filed with that county’s clerk of the district court (624.24).
How much of a home is protected from creditors?
The homestead has no dollar cap. It is limited by area to one-half acre within a city plat or 40 acres elsewhere, and is exempt from judicial sale (561.2, 561.16), though debts contracted before the home was bought can still reach it for a deficiency (561.21).
How much of a paycheck can be garnished?
Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act limits apply, and each judgment creditor is also held to a yearly cap set by expected earnings, rising to 10% of earnings for those expecting $50,000 or more (Iowa Code 642.21). Support debts follow different rules.
Is the subject told about the search?
No. The search uses public records and licensed databases only, and the subject is never contacted.
Is this a community property state?
No. The court divides all property except gifts and inheritances equitably on dissolution (Iowa Code 598.21(5)). The report shows how and when each asset was titled; characterization is for counsel.
Can a creditor reach an LLC interest?
Through a charging order, which is the exclusive remedy, but the court may foreclose and order the interest sold if distributions will not pay the judgment in a reasonable time. Against a sole member, the buyer takes the whole interest and becomes a member (489.503).
Do self-settled trusts protect a debtor here?
No. A spendthrift clause is invalid against the settlor’s own creditors, who may reach the most the trustee could pay to the settlor (633A.2303, 633A.2304). The search finds trusts named in deeds and entity filings.
How is an out-of-state judgment enforced?
Under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, chapter 626A, the authenticated judgment is filed with a district court clerk; execution waits 20 days, and a real estate lien waits until the challenge period has run (626A.3).
Where These Cases Go Next
judgment collection asset searchlocate a subject firstmore on professional asset searchOregon asset searchKansas City asset searchstart your flat-fee orderLast reviewed and updated: October 21, 2026 · U.S. Asset Records editorial team
What does U.S. Asset Records provide for a search in this state?
Price, delivery and scope are published, and every finding cites a record you can order.
- Price: $195 Asset Profile Report and $295 Creditor-Status Profile, flat-fee and published
- Coverage: All 99 counties, both federal districts, and a nationwide cross-reference in every report
- No-hit refund: Full refund if no assets found
The 99 Counties
The state has 99 counties and 3,241,488 residents (Census Bureau, July 2024 estimate). Polk County has 15.9% of them, and Polk, Linn, Scott and Johnson together hold 33.4%, which leaves two-thirds of residents in the other counties.
Deeds sit with each county recorder and judgments with each county’s clerk of court, so a debtor who lives in Des Moines and owns land three counties away only appears if that county is searched. All 99 are.
Related Asset Search Resources
Other state asset searches: Maryland asset search Missouri asset search Wisconsin asset search Minnesota asset search
Asset search services: judgment collection asset search divorce asset search probate estate asset search asset search for attorneys
Pricing & comparison: asset search cost best asset search company
Sources for This Page
Every legal statement on this page is cited to one of these primary sources.
- ▸ Iowa Code 624.23, judgment liens on real estate
- ▸ Iowa Code 624.24, when the judgment lien attaches
- ▸ Iowa Code 614.1 and 614.3, actions on judgments
- ▸ Iowa Code 626.2, time and place of execution
- ▸ Iowa Code 626.74 and 626.75, notice of execution sale
- ▸ Iowa Code 628.3, redemption by debtor
- ▸ Iowa Code 642.21, garnishment exemption for earnings
- ▸ Iowa Code 630.1, debtor examination
- ▸ Iowa Code 561.2, homestead extent
- ▸ Iowa Code 561.16, homestead exemption
- ▸ Iowa Code 561.21, debts for which the homestead is liable
- ▸ Iowa Code 627.6, general exemptions
- ▸ Iowa Code 627.6A, exemptions and support
- ▸ Iowa Code 489.503, LLC charging order
- ▸ Iowa Code 488.703, limited partnership charging order
- ▸ Iowa Code chapter 684, Iowa Uniform Voidable Transactions Act
- ▸ Iowa Code 598.21, division of property
- ▸ Iowa Code 633A.2303, spendthrift trusts for the settlor
- ▸ Iowa Code 633A.2304, amounts reachable by the settlor’s creditors
- ▸ Iowa Code chapter 626A, foreign judgments
- ▸ Iowa Code 554.9501, UCC filing office
- ▸ Iowa Code 617.10, petitions affecting real estate
- ▸ Iowa Code 331.602, county recorder duties
- ▸ 28 U.S.C. 95, Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa
- ▸ 11 U.S.C. 544, trustee avoiding powers
- ▸ IRS Publication 555, community property states
- ▸ 15 U.S.C. 6821, pretexting for financial information
- ▸ 11 U.S.C. 548, fraudulent transfers in bankruptcy
- ▸ U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates
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What the Report Contains
Every report is written by an analyst and lists the record behind each finding.
- Real property schedule: every parcel found, with county, assessed value and recording detail
- Business interests: entities where the subject appears as owner, officer, manager or registered agent
- Vehicles, vessels and aircraft: with title and registration detail
- Judgments and liens: the subject’s existing creditor exposure
- UCC filings: secured-creditor relationships and the collateral described
- Nationwide cross-reference: holdings in other states under the same names
Reference This Page
Researchers, journalists, and legal professionals are welcome to cite this resource. Suggested citation:
U.S. Asset Records. (2026). Iowa Asset Search Guide. Retrieved from https://usassetrecords.com/iowa-asset-search/