Instant Access to Civil and
Criminal Court Records

Iowa Court Records

The Iowa Courts website is designed to help explain how public record retrieval and the Iowa State Court System work. All Iowa court cases begin in the District Court, which has general jurisdiction over criminal, civil, juvenile, and probate matters. In some cases, cases may proceed to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, which handle all appeals from the District Courts. The Supreme Court is the highest in the state, and its opinions are binding on all lower courts.

The Iowa Open Records Law and Iowa Court Rules permit public disclosure of court records. However, some records deemed confidential are not available to members of the public. Confidential court records are only released to record holders, their legal representatives, or anyone with a court order or statutory permission. 

While this website provides essential information to help the public access Iowa public records, the information it provides does not constitute legal advice or official records.