Iowa Secretary of State office — contact, fees & licensing
Updated August 2026
Quick Answer
The Iowa Secretary of State's Business Services Division registers entities, processes annual/biennial filings, and maintains public records for all entity types in Iowa. The division's public counter is at the Lucas Building in Des Moines. Online filings are accepted through the Fast Track Filing system at filings.sos.iowa.gov.
Open Official Iowa Secretary of State Portal ↗Office contact
- Address
- First Floor, Lucas Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319
- Phone
- (515) 281-5204
- Fax
- (515) 242-5953
- Office hours
- Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Online filing portal
- filings.sos.iowa.gov — Fast Track Filing
- Business forms and fees
- sos.iowa.gov — Forms and Fees
Expedited and preclearance services
Iowa offers paid expedited processing on most business filings: 2 business days for $50, or 5 business days for $15, charged per document (not per submission, and not charged if the filing is rejected). It is not available for apostilles, athlete agent filings, credit service organizations, mechanics liens, notary applications, records/copy requests, trademark applications, or UCC filings. Separately, preclearance review — checking a document for errors before official submission — costs $250 for same-day review (must be received by 10:00 a.m.), 2x the filing fee for two-day review, or 1x the filing fee for three-day review; preclearance fees are nonrefundable and are charged in addition to the eventual filing fee.
Entity formation and filing fees
Fees below are from the Iowa SOS live forms and fees page, confirmed August 2026. Iowa uses biennial reports rather than annual reports for some entity types — the schedule varies by entity type as noted. Verify all current amounts at sos.iowa.gov — Forms and Fees before filing.
LLC — Certificate of Organization
- Fee
- $50
LLC — Biennial Report (due April 1, odd years; $30 online / $45 paper)
- Fee
- $30 online
Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation
- Fee
- $50
Profit Corporation — Biennial Report (due April 1, even years)
- Fee
- $60
Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation
- Fee
- $20
Nonprofit Corporation — Biennial Report (due April 1, odd years)
- Fee
- No fee
Name Reservation
- Fee
- $10
Foreign LLC Registration
- Fee
- $100
Foreign Corporation Registration
- Fee
- $100
Certificate of Existence (original, by mail request)
- Fee
- $5
Iowa nonprofits pay no biennial report fee — a notable exception to Iowa's otherwise flat-rate structure. The biennial report schedule differs by entity type: profit corporations file in even years; LLCs, LLPs, and nonprofits file in odd years. All reports are due April 1 of the filing year. A Certificate of Existence can also be printed on demand through the online business search at no cost beyond the standard online payment process; the $5 fee applies to an original certificate requested by mail.
UCC filing, notary, and apostille services
The Secretary of State also handles UCC filings, notary commissions, and document authentication:
- UCC search and filing — search is available online through Fast Track Filing; filing costs $5 online or $10–$20 by paper.
- Notary public commissions — a $30 application fee for a 3-year term.
- Apostilles and authentications — $5 per document.
Source: Iowa Secretary of State UCC, notary, and apostille pages (sos.iowa.gov).
Key Iowa state licensing agencies
Iowa Department of Revenue
- What it covers
- State tax registration, sales and use tax, income tax withholding, business tax accounts
- Website
- tax.iowa.gov
Iowa Workforce Development
- What it covers
- Unemployment insurance registration (via myIowaUI.org), workers' compensation, labor law compliance, contractor licensing
- Website
- workforce.iowa.gov
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
- What it covers
- Food business regulation, animal-related businesses, commercial grain storage, weights and measures
- Website
- iowaagriculture.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Iowa charge nonprofits a fee for their biennial report?
No — nonprofit corporations pay no fee for their biennial report, a notable exception to Iowa's otherwise flat-rate structure. Profit corporations pay $60 and LLCs pay $30 online for the same filing.
How much does expedited processing cost with the Iowa Secretary of State?
Iowa offers 2-business-day expedited processing for $50, or 5-business-day for $15, charged per document. It isn't available for apostilles, notary applications, trademark applications, UCC filings, mechanics liens, or a few other filing types.
How much is a Certificate of Existence in Iowa?
An original Certificate of Existence requested by mail costs $5. It can also be printed on demand at no extra cost through Iowa's online business search beyond the standard online payment process.