Midwest & Plains

PLSS Corner Records — Iowa

Iowa law requires a section-corner certificate documenting the restoration of PLSS corners be filed with the county recorder (and county auditor). A corner certificate describes the monument, accessories, and ties.

Filing Requirements

Where Corner Records Are Filed in Iowa

When a public-land corner is found or restored, a corner certificate describing the monument, accessories, and ties is prepared and filed with the county recorder.

County Recorder / County Auditor

Section Corner Certificate (county-filed)

www.legis.iowa.gov

Corner-Plot Workflow

Pre-Field Review for Iowa Corners

Upload a Iowa Corner Record PDF. Corner-Plot reads the form with OCR — extracting the surveyor name, township-range-section, monument description, and every bearing and distance tie. The corner is geo-located automatically across the PLSS grid, assigning a GCDB-standard 21-character Point ID and a confidence rating of High, Medium, or Low.

When the monument sits at or near a roadway, Corner-Plot brings up Google Street View with its full capture history — up to 20 years. AI analyzes each date and returns a structured monument-condition verdict. A printable field prep report covers the resolved coordinate, aerial tie overlay, monument classification history, and original GLO field notes.

Other PLSS States

Corner Record Requirements in Other States

View all 19 PLSS states →