In Iowa, official registrations of births, deaths and marriages began in 1880.  Copies of birth, death and marriage records from 1880 to the present are available for viewing during regular business hours.  County recorders do not have code authority to have on record single-parent births prior to July 1, 1995, adoptions, and record ordered sealed by a court of law, or vital records between the years 1921 to 1941.  There records may be obtained by contacting:

Iowa Department of Public Health
(515) 281-4944

If you would like a certified copy of a county record, you must make a written application (with appropriate fee) and notarized signed form to:

Plymouth County Recorder
215 4th Ave SE

Le Mars, Iowa 51031

Certified copies are available at $15 each to those persons with entitlement.  Entitled persons include the person named on the record or that person’s spouse, children, legal parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, or legal representative or guardian. Legal guardians and representatives must also provide additional proof of guardianship or representation. Applicants must be 18 or older. Requests must include the applicant’s current government-issued photo identification, except if by mail, a clear photocopy of the I.D., and the applicant’s signature signed in front of a notary public or in the presence of an Iowa Registrar of Vital Records.