deedplatState guides / Iowa / Polk County
Polk County property data
Where Polk County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Des Moines.
- 20Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Polk County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Polk County Recorder. Real estate records from 1992 to the present can be searched, viewed and printed free online, and all 99 Iowa counties can also be searched through the statewide Iowa Land Records portal; documents before 1992 must be requested from the Recorder's imaging department.
Owners and values
Polk County Assessor. Property, sales and inventory searches, assessment history, appeals and tax estimates are free on the Assessor's website.
Tax sales
Polk County Treasurer. Terms for each year's tax sale are posted free, bidding is online through GovEase, and buyers can look up active certificates and redemption funds in the free Tax Sale Buyer database.
Foreclosure sales
Polk County Sheriff's Office, Court Services Division. The Sheriff's free Sale Viewer lists open, sold and cancelled foreclosure sales and can be searched by sheriff number, address, sale date, plaintiff or defendant.
Parcel maps
Polk County Assessor maps. The Assessor's website has free area, drill-down and soil maps for finding parcels.
How property is sold here
Polk County follows Iowa's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the Iowa guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
Iowa sells tax sale certificates, which are liens on the property, not the property itself. The Polk County Treasurer holds the annual tax sale online through GovEase in June, with bidders bidding down the percentage interest in the parcel; the 2026 sale was June 15, with adjourned online sales through April 2027. Redeemed certificates earn 2% interest a month, and on a regular tax sale the buyer can start the tax deed process after one year and nine months.
Foreclosure sales
Polk County sheriff sales of foreclosed property are held weekly at 10:00 a.m. at the Justice Center, 222 5th Avenue in Des Moines, and the lender's bid is the opening bid. Pending, sold and cancelled sales are listed on the Sheriff's online Sale Viewer.
Assessed values
Iowa assessors revalue property every odd-numbered year, and the Polk County Assessor's most recent revaluation was in 2025, with values effective January 1.
Transfer tax
Iowa's real estate transfer tax is $1.60 per $1,000 of the sale price, with the first $500 exempt, paid to the Polk County Recorder when the deed is recorded.
Worth knowing
The City of Des Moines pulls vacant lots and vacant houses from the annual tax sale each year and takes or assigns the certificates to housing groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Invest DSM; in 2026 it asked to remove 39 lots and 13 structures.
Worth knowing
Most Polk County recordings are filed electronically through Iowa Land Records, and the Recorder is moving its free search to a login-only version.
Worth knowing
A sheriff sale may be the foreclosure of a second mortgage, which leaves the first mortgage in place, so check the decree before bidding.
Every town in Polk County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Alleman city
- Altoona city
- Ankeny city
- Bondurant city
- Carlisle city
- Clive city
- Des Moines city
- Elkhart city
- Granger city
- Grimes city
- Johnston city
- Mitchellville city
- Norwalk city
- Pleasant Hill city
- Polk City city
- Runnells city
- Sheldahl city
- Urbandale city
- West Des Moines city
- Windsor Heights city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Polk County?
Deeds are recorded by the Polk County Recorder at 111 Court Avenue, Suite 250, in Des Moines, or filed electronically through Iowa Land Records. Transfer tax is paid to the Recorder at recording.
When is the Polk County tax sale?
The Polk County Treasurer holds the annual tax sale online through GovEase in June. The 2026 sale was June 15, and adjourned sales are held every couple of months after that.
How do I find who owns a property in Polk County?
Search the Polk County Assessor's free property search at assess.co.polk.ia.us, or search deeds by name in the Recorder's free online index from 1992 on.
Are Polk County property records online?
Yes. Recorded documents from 1992 on, assessments, sales, maps, tax sale certificates and sheriff sale listings are all online free.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-recorder/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-recorder/real-estate-department/search-index/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-recorder/real-estate-department/tax-calculator/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-recorder/news/new-real-estate-search-site/
- transferindexsearch.polkcountyiowa.gov
- polkcountyiowa.gov/treasurer/information-for-tax-sale-buyers/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/media/hldayqk0/2026-tax-sale-terms-conditions.pdf
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-sheriff/court-services-division/sheriffs-sales/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-sheriff/court-services-division/civil-process/
- sheriffsaleviewer.polkcountyiowa.gov/
- polkcountyiowa.gov/county-assessor/about-us/
- assess.co.polk.ia.us/
Every parcel in Polk County, on one map
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