Howard County Court Officer Deed Form

Last validated May 6, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Howard County Court Officer Deed Form

Howard County Court Officer Deed Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 5/6/2026
Howard County Court Officer Deed Guide

Howard County Court Officer Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 4/20/2026
Howard County Completed Example of the Court Officer Deed Document

Howard County Completed Example of the Court Officer Deed Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 4/28/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Howard County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Howard County Recorder

Address:
Howard County Courthouse 137 N. Elm ST.
Cresco, Iowa 52136

Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm.Monday through Friday

Phone: 563-547-9210

Recording Tips for Howard County:
  • Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
  • Double-check legal descriptions match your existing deed
  • Ask about their eRecording option for future transactions
  • Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned
  • Some documents require witnesses in addition to notarization

Cities and Jurisdictions in Howard County

Properties in any of these areas use Howard County forms:

  • Chester
  • Cresco
  • Elma
  • Lime Springs
  • Protivin
  • Riceville

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Howard County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Howard County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Howard County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Howard County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Howard County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Howard County?

Recording fees in Howard County vary. Contact the recorder's office at 563-547-9210 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

When a property owner dies in Iowa, title to his or her real property passes by means of the decedent's will, or, in the absence of a will, via the laws of intestate succession established in the probate code, codified at chapter 633 of the Iowa Code.

Probate is the court procedure through which a decedent's will is proved and his or her estate is settled. The probate process takes place in the county in which the decedent was domiciled at the time of his or her death.
Pursuant to designation in the decedent's will or priority to administer the decedent's estate, as established by Iowa Code 633.227, the court appoints a personal representative (PR) who will oversee the estate's administration. The PR is either called an executor, when named by a decedent's will, or an administrator, in the absence of a will or lack of designation in a will. Regardless, the fiduciary duties of the personal representative remain the same, including marshalling the decedent's assets, paying debts and valid claims on the estate, and distributing the remainder of the estate to beneficiaries.

Title to real property that does not transfer outside of the probate process by means of a survivorship interest or trust must pass by means of a deed. Depending on the situation, a PR may be directed by the terms of a will to sell real property, or might need to consolidate the estate by selling property. The PR will need to petition the court for an order of sale if a power of sale is not set forth in a will. In Iowa, PRs use a court officer deed to transfer property from a decedent's estate to a distributee or purchaser.

A court officer's deed must meet all state and local standards, and might also require additional supporting documentation. The completed deed is executed and signed by the PR of the decedent's estate and recorded in the office of the recorder of land records in the county where the subject real property is situated. Iowa requires additional documentation when recording land records, including a Ground Water Hazard Statement (GWHS) and a Declaration of Value (DOV), unless a revenue tax exemption is claimed on the face of the conveyancing document.

As always, consult a lawyer with any questions regarding estate administration and court officer deeds in Iowa.

(Iowa Court Officer Deed Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Important: Your property must be located in Howard County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Court Officer Deed meets all recording requirements specific to Howard County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Howard County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

Save Time and Money

Get your Howard County Court Officer Deed form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4725 Reviews )

John D.

September 1st, 2021

Very helpful and easy to use.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Robert L.

February 24th, 2021

Very easy to use and I had no issues submitting my deed.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Sara S.

January 8th, 2021

Deed.com was very user friendly, made recording convenient and fast responses. I do recommend.

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Mary G.

March 7th, 2021

Deeds.com was a fast and easy site to use the staff answered my questions online efficiently

Reply from Staff

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Matthew G.

February 19th, 2019

Second time using Deeds.com. Easy and professional

Reply from Staff

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Angelique A.

December 27th, 2018

Very helpful and quick customer service. Highly recommended

Reply from Staff

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George D.

August 23rd, 2020

The TODD form has been notarized and registered with my county Register of Deeds office, so it works just fine. My only quibble is that when I printed it out, it missed part of the last line of the notary's info and the fine print in the bottom corners. When I printed it at 90% scale, it included those things.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Constance R.

July 13th, 2020

It was very easy to e-file. I liked it.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Christopher B.

November 26th, 2019

Record retrieval by staff is very prompt!!! Great customer service for sure!

Reply from Staff

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Tom B.

December 18th, 2020

I ended up loading the same file twice and was unable to delete one of them. I did send e request in to have one deleted and I did get a response back that only one file was processed. This was done in a timely manner but required more additional time. It would have been nice to be able to delete the file myself and finish the process at the same time. Other than this every thing did go very well. Thank you

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Gretchen B.

June 22nd, 2021

I wanna give more stars because the required information is there, but the character spacing is disjointed on the first page, rendering a gap-filled, awkward-looking document. Also, the opening parenthesis for the first field on the first page is on the wrong line and is backwards, which sets the wrong tone especially since it's the first thing you have to fill out.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Gary B.

September 16th, 2022

Great service. Comprehensive. Reasonably priced.

Reply from Staff

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Marlin M.

March 10th, 2025

all round GREAT!

Reply from Staff

Always great to hear kind words from such a long time customer Marlin, thank you.

Robert S.

January 23rd, 2019

The cost was well worth it. It was very easy to download, fill in the necessary information and then print the deed. I filed my need deed today and everything was complete and accurate because of the example you provided.

Reply from Staff

Thanks Robert, we appreciate your feedback!

John S.

June 4th, 2019

It was very user friendly site. I was able to complete the package and mail out all within a few hours. I definitely recommend to any and all.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!