Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Clay County, Iowa, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The title to a parcel in Clay County is in the deed records of the County Recorder and its taxable value is set by the County Assessor; what is built on it is a matter for the city or the county. This guide says who keeps each record and where the page for each office is.
This guide covers deeds, assessed values, evictions and court cases, records requests, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County inmate search, Clay County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Deeds, Mortgages and Liens in Clay County
Who owns a parcel in Clay County and what it sold for are in the deed records of the County Recorder, with every lien or mortgage against the land.
Assessed Values and the Tax Roll in Clay County
What a parcel in Clay County is taxed on is the business of the County Assessor, which also keeps the parcel maps. Iowa reassesses property in odd-numbered years and applies a statewide rollback, so the taxable value is a fraction of the assessed value.
SearchSystems opened and checked the County Assessor's page at claytoncountyia.gov/assessor (page title: Assessor's Office | Clayton County Government | Iowa), phone 563-245-2533, 111 High St. NE, Suite 104 Elkader, IA 52043, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Evictions and Court Cases About Land in Clay County
Court cases about land from Clay County, evictions among them, are filed in the Iowa District Court for Clay County.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/SelectFrame.
Asking a County Office for a Record
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) a county office must answer a request without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, and it may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
More Official Property and Land Records Pages for Clay County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Clay County and Iowa. These property pages from its Clay County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Commercial Sales Search (clay.iowaassessors.com)
- Residential Sales Search (clay.iowaassessors.com)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who records deeds in Clay County?
The County Recorder.
Who sets the assessed value of a property in Clay County?
The County Assessor, whose page SearchSystems verified is at claytoncountyia.gov/assessor.
Where are evictions from Clay County filed?
In the Iowa District Court for Clay County. The file is public unless the court seals it.
How is property assessed in Iowa?
Iowa reassesses property in odd-numbered years and applies a statewide rollback, so the taxable value is a fraction of the assessed value.
Is this the official Clay County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.