Story County Gift Deed Form (Iowa)

All Story County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Gift Deed Form

Story County Gift Deed Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Story County compliant document last validated/updated 5/9/2025

Gift Deed Guide

Story County Gift Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Story County compliant document last validated/updated 6/24/2025

Completed Example of the Gift Deed Document

Story County Completed Example of the Gift Deed Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Story County compliant document last validated/updated 5/16/2025

When using these Gift Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Story County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Story County Recorder

900 Sixth St / PO Box 55, Nevada, Iowa 50201

Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday / Recording until 3:30pm

Phone: (515) 382-7230

Local jurisdictions located in Story County include:

  • Ames
  • Cambridge
  • Collins
  • Colo
  • Gilbert
  • Huxley
  • Kelley
  • Maxwell
  • Mc Callsburg
  • Nevada
  • Roland
  • Slater
  • Story City
  • Zearing

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Story County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Story County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Story County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Story County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Gift Deed forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Story County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Story County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Iowa or Story County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Story County Gift Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Gifts of Real Property in Iowa

Gift deeds convey title to real property from one party to another with no exchange of consideration, monetary or otherwise. Often used to transfer property between family members or to gift property as a charitable act or donation, these conveyances occur during the grantor's lifetime. Gift deeds must contain language that explicitly states that no consideration is expected or required. Ambiguous language, or references to any type of consideration, can make the gift deed contestable in court.

A lawful gift deed includes the grantor's full name and marital status, as well as the grantee's full name, marital status, vesting information, and mailing address. Vesting describes how the grantee holds title to the property. Generally, real property is owned in either sole ownership or co-ownership. For Iowa residential property, the primary methods for holding title are tenancy in common and joint tenancy. An estate conveyed to two or more people who are not married to each other is considered a tenancy in common unless otherwise specified. A conveyance to a married couple vests as joint tenancy with rights of survivorship unless otherwise stated (Iowa Code 557.15).

As with any conveyance of realty, a gift deed requires a complete legal description of the parcel. Recite the source of title to maintain a clear chain of title, and detail any restrictions associated with the property. The deed must be signed by the grantor and acknowledged by an individual authorized to take acknowledgements. All signatures must be original.

In Iowa, most conveyances of real property require a Declaration of Value. Because a gift deed transfers real property from one party to another with no exchange of consideration, however, it is exempt from this requirement (Iowa Code 428A.2(21)). Record the completed gift deed in the recorder's office of the county where the subject property is located. Contact the same office to confirm recording fees and accepted forms of payment.

With gifts of real property, the recipient of the gift (grantee or donee) is not required to declare the amount of the gift as income, but if the property accrues income after the transaction, the grantee is responsible for paying the requisite state and federal income tax [1].

In Iowa, there is no state gift tax, but gifts of real property are subject to the federal gift tax. The person or entity making the gift (grantor or donor) is responsible for paying the federal gift tax; however, if the donor does not pay the gift tax, the donee (grantee) will be held liable [1]. For questions regarding state and federal tax laws, consult a tax specialist.

In accordance with federal law, individuals are permitted an annual exclusion of $15,000 on gifts. This means that gifts valued below $15,000 do not require a federal gift tax return (Form 709). However, if the gift's value could possibly be disputed by the IRS, a donor may benefit from filing a Form 709 [2].

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Contact an Iowa lawyer with any questions about gift deeds or other issues related to the transfer of real property.

[1] http://msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/MT199105HR.pdf

[2] https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/frequently-asked-questions-on-gift-taxes

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

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Story County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Story County Gift 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.

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MARY LACEY M.

June 30th, 2025

Great service! Recording was smooth and swiftly performed. Deeds.com is an excellent service.rn

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Robert F.

June 30th, 2025

Breeze.... It feels silly to hire an attorney to do this for just one beneficiary. Thanks.

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Pauline C.

June 29th, 2025

Everything that was stated to be included in my order was complete. Very satisfied

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your positive words! We’re thrilled to hear about your experience.

Jearsel W.

January 5th, 2019

I was surprised how helpful the completed example was. It was nice to see what the form should look like when it is filled out. Great job!

Reply from Staff

That's wonderful to hear Jearsel, thanks for your feedback. Have an awesome day.

Sam A.

September 26th, 2022

User friendly website and deeds are very easy to maneuver. I'm very happy with everything Deeds.com has to offer. It truly helped me with the business that I had to take care of.

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Austin S.

August 13th, 2020

Everything is done in a timely manner which is very much appreciated.

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Evelyn R.

July 16th, 2020

Filing my deed through your service was great. All directions were clear and specific; it was very easy to upload the documents and most of all feedback from your office was professional and very timely. You service was excellent. Thank you!! Thank you so very much!!

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Chris H.

December 8th, 2020

Fast and Easy. Did not have to leave my office to get this done.

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Robert H.

August 30th, 2019

I found the site to be easy to use and the information very helpful.

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Alan M.

December 3rd, 2021

The packet I downloaded was complete and useful, and process was not unduly opaque. However, I would have liked to download the whole packet, about 6 files, all at one go. Still, the forms provided the complete solution to my situation.

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Larry P.

October 14th, 2020

Very nice, they include a guide download that tells you all the lawyer speak!! I'll be using them again.

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William L.

May 10th, 2023

This is an initial review of Deeds.Com and the ordering process for their Quit Claim package for Virginia. The ordering process was very easy and the price seems reasonable for what you get. I have reviewed and downloaded all my forms, but have not used them yet. Thus far I am pleased with the product and the process. E-Recording service is also offered, but I have not used that yet either. At this writing, I can whole-heartedly recommend Deeds.Com.

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Courtney V.

February 9th, 2021

I didn't have a chance to judge your services because I received a message saying that my requested title could not be searched. I will say, the website is easy to navigate. I'm not sure how many who use these services are laymen, but I would suggest adding a detailed explanation of each service. I had to Google the difference between each type of title search, but I might just be more uninformed than the average person, or I just didn't see it on your website

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Andrew D.

August 12th, 2019

I was very pleased with the entire package we received. It will certainly make my job easier.

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Helen H.

August 31st, 2022

I had a notary to read over my quitclaim deed and she said it looked good. So I am pleased.

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