Iowa Declaration of Value & Groundwater Hazard Statement: Which Filings Does Your Closing Need?

Why this trips people up

Being exempt from Iowa's transfer tax does not mean you are exempt from filing a Declaration of Value. Four of the twenty-two tax exemptions in Iowa Code §428A.2 still require one. And since 2022, a clean property does not get a Groundwater Hazard Statement at all. The exemption language goes on the first page of the deed instead. Get either wrong and the recorder refuses the document.

1. The instrument

Pick the closest description of the document being recorded.

Type of document being recorded

2. The money

Consideration is the full actual sale price, including any encumbrance or lien the buyer assumes.

Consideration paid or to be paid ($) Personal property included, only if its dollar value is stated on the instrument ($)

The instrument is tendered as corrective of title, and says so §428A.1(1)(a)(1), no tax
This is a deed given in fulfillment of a recorded real estate contract, and carries that notation §428A.4(2), no Declaration of Value required
The instrument covers parcels in more than one county §428A.1(2), a separate Declaration of Value per county

3. The property

Tick anything known to be on the property. Leave all six unticked for a clean parcel.

Known private burial site§558.69(1)(a), state its approximate location
Known well§558.69(1)(b), location and status under §455B.190 or §460.302
Known solid waste disposal site the DNR has deemed potentially hazardous§558.69(1)(c)
Known underground storage tank§558.69(1)(d), type, size and any known substance
Known hazardous waste§558.69(1)(e), and whether it is managed under DNR rules
Known private sewage disposal system§558.69(1)(f), inspection under §455B.172(11), or excluded from a regulated transfer

What this closing needs

Answers update as you go.

This tool is a practical planning aid for real estate professionals and their clients. It is not legal, tax or title advice. It reads the Iowa Code as published in the 2026 edition: the real estate transfer tax and Declaration of Value at Iowa Code chapter 428A, and the groundwater hazard statement at Iowa Code section 558.69. County recorders apply their own submission procedures, some transactions raise facts this tool does not ask about, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources prescribes the form of the groundwater hazard statement under §558.69(5). Confirm every filing with the closing attorney, title company and county recorder handling your transaction. © 2026 Real Deal Pro. Built in Iowa for Iowa agents and their clients.