Frequently Asked Questions

No. Abstracts are not filed in our office.

No. The Jackson County Clerk of Court can help you with divorce records. You may contact them at 563-652-4946.

Individuals would need to contact an attorney to have the appropriate paperwork drawn up. Then that paperwork would be filed in the Recorder’s office.

Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Passport appointment times are from 8:30 am to 3:45 pm You must call for a passport appointment at (563) 652-2504.

Real estate recordings presented after 4:00 pm will be recorded the next business day.

Cash, Checks, Credit Cards (additional 3% transaction fee) and Money Orders.

New Passport Applications require a check or money order that will be sent in with the application. 

Jackson County Courthouse
201 W. Platt St.
Maquoketa, IA 52060

Birth records of persons born in foreign countries who are citizens at birth may write to:

Passport Services Correspondence Branch
US Department of State
1111 19th St. N.W. Suite 510
Washington DC 20522-1705

Veterans and individuals with entitlement. For more information, please contact our office at 563-652-2504.

To obtain a copy of your birth certificate, you can make an appointment to come in person or apply by mail. We should have your record if you were born in Jackson County, your parents were married at the time of your birth and you were not adopted. We also have single-parent births after July of 1995 through the present day. We may not have your birth certificate if you were born in the years 1921 through 1941, but we can forward your request to the state.

If you apply in person, you will need to fill out an application, bring your photo I.D., and $15.00 cash/check.

If you apply by mail, complete and sign* the Vital Record Application. Please enclose the $15.00 fee in the form of cash or money order. The applicant must sign in front of a Notary Public and include a clear photocopy of the applicant's current government-issued photo identification.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has birth certificates for all Iowa births.

Birth in Iowa

• If born in 1985 or later, you can go to any county recorder’s office to apply and receive.
•  If born in 1984 or earlier, you can contact the Recorder’s office in the county in which your birth occurred.

Birth outside of Iowa

• Contact the vital records department in the state of your birth or go to the CDC website.

If you have any questions, please call the Jackson County Recorder’s office at 563-652-2504.

A certified copy has what most refer to as a “raised seal” and states that the copy is a true and correct reproduction of the original record from the state or county. An uncertified copy or a “plain” copy has no seal or verbiage indicating authenticity. An uncertified copy also has a stamp noting “not for legal purposes.”

Yes, the license is valid in any county in the state of Iowa. It is not valid outside of Iowa.

Yes. A marriage provides the opportunity to legally change your name. Because of this, it is important to complete the application correctly and in full. Do not use initials or nicknames unless you wish them to become your legal name.

No.

None. A marriage can take place at any time once a divorce is final. However, you may not apply for the marriage license until the divorce is final.

A leader of a religious institution or an Associate District or District Judge. The fees and availability for each Judge may vary.

Officiant Information

Passport processing times can vary depending on workload and occasional unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters.

For more information on passports and/or processing times please go to Travel.State.gov or call the Jackson County Recorder's Office at 563-652-2504.

The Recorder’s Office processes transactions for the Department of Natural Resources. This includes boat, snowmobile, ATV & ORV titles/registrations. Also included are hunting and fishing licenses and deer and turkey tags.

For more information, go to IowaDNR.gov.