Easily the most unique state in the nation when it comes to the regulation of title insurance, Iowa is the only state to provide a title guarantee.  

Iowa Title Guarantee

That guarantee protects lenders up to the amount of the outstanding loan on the property. The lender receives a Lender’s Certificate to guarantee both that their title is legal and that their mortgage on the property is valid. The Title Guaranty also protects buyers up to the amount of the purchase price and provides assurance that the owner has the rights to the property. 

If the purchase price is $750,000 or less, the buyer may receive an Owner’s Certificate at no additional cost when issued concurrently with a paid Lender’s Certificate. 

Recording fees and transfer taxes

In Iowa, recording fees are uniform statewide, although they do scale upward by page count.

There is also a statewide transfer tax.