Vital Records

Birth, Death, & Marriage

All applications for certified copies of vital record events must be in writing and completely identify the record, as well as satisfactorily establish entitlement to the record being requested.  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.  A current government issued photo ID including the signature must be provided. Legal guardians, legal representatives, and siblings may be required to provide additional proof of entitlement.

Application for a certified copy requires a fee of $15.00 for the record search and includes one certified copy.  Each additional copy of the same record is also $15.00.  Fees are payable by cash, money order or certified cashiers check - no personal checks.  Money orders and certified cashier's checks must be made payable to "Webster County Recorder".  You may pay with a credit/debit card (VISA or Mastercard) if you physically come into the office.  There is an additional processing fee to use a credit/debit card.  If applying through the mail you must include a copy of your current government issued photo ID, and the application must be notarized - signed in front of a Notary Public.

For additional information, please contact the Webster County Recorder's Office at 515-576-2401.

Follow this link to download the Application for Certified Copy of an Iowa Vital Record - Birth, Death, Marriage

For events that occurred in Webster County:

          Birth Records:  1876 - 1920; July 1st, 1941 - present

          Death Records:  1880 - 1918; July 1st, 1941 - present

          Marriage Records:  1877 - present

For events that occurred in another Iowa county:

          Birth Records:  1985 - present

          Death Records:  1954 - present

          Marriage Records:  1954 - present

For information regarding records not available in the Webster County Recorder's Office, including records between 1921 and 1941, contact the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Statistics at 515-281-4944.

Customers can now use a new VitalChek Will Call Service and pick up their Iowa Vital Record at Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Health Statistics in Des Moines on the next business day. For more information:

Health Statistics Request Record Information
VitalChek Will Call

Genealogy Resources
Webster County Genealogical Society
424 Central Avenue
Room 134
Fort Dodge, IA  50501
website: http://wcgsiowa.org/ 
email:  webcoiagenies@gmail.com
phone:  515-302-9854 

Iowa Genealogical Society
628 E Grand Ave
Des Moines, IA  50309
website: http://iowagenealogy.org/ 
phone:  515-276-0287

State Historical Society of Iowa
website:  https://iowaculture.gov/history