Iowa Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing
Official Resource
Iowa Official SOS WebsiteThe 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.
Updated August 2026
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.
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| LLC — Certificate of Organization | $50 |
| LLC — Biennial Report (due April 1, odd years; $30 online / $45 paper) | $30 online |
| Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $50 |
| Profit Corporation — Biennial Report (due April 1, even years) | $60 |
| Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $20 |
| Nonprofit Corporation — Biennial Report (due April 1, odd years) | No fee |
| Name Reservation | $10 |
| Foreign LLC Registration | $100 |
| Foreign Corporation Registration | $100 |
| Certificate of Existence (original, by mail request) | $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.
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
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the Iowa Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official Iowa Secretary of State sources, August 2026. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.