Birth Records

Available Information

• Birth Records from 1880 - present
• 1921 - 1941 records may not be accurate/complete; verification of record required before issue

Request A Vital Record

In-Person Certified Copy of Birth Certificate

• Applications are taken 8:00am to 4:10pm, Monday through Friday except for legal holidays
• Certified Copies are $15.00 each, payable by cash, check, money order or credit/debit card (extra fee applies)                    
• Must have a current, government-issued picture ID in order to obtain a certified copy
• Must have tangible* interest in the record in order to obtain a certified copy

In-Person Uncertified Copy of Birth Certificate

• Record Search is available Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. except for legal holdays
• Uncertified copies are 50 cents each, payable by cash, check, money order or credit/debit card (extra fee applies)
• Uncertified copies cannot be mailed

Mail Requests for Certified Copy of Birth Certificate

• Certified Copies are $15.00 each, payable to Woodbury County Recorder by money order only
• All mail requests must have the requestor's signature notarized
• All mail requests must have a copy of the requestor's current, government-issued picture ID with it
• All mail requests must state the tangible* interest in the record in order to obtain a certified copy

*Tangible Interest: the requested record is your own record OR you are the mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, grandmother, grandfather, or child of the person whose record you are requesting.

Woodbury County has limited records from 1921 to 1941. The application may be brought into the Woodbury County Recorder's office for ordering or mailed to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) address in Des Moines, Iowa:

Iowa Department of Public Health
Bureau of Health Statistics
Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor
321 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075

Request a Record

Nationwide Vital Record Offices