Register a Business Name in Hardin County, IA

You may not do business under a trade name “unless the person first records with the county recorder of the county in which the business is to be conducted a verified statement” giving each owner's name, post office and residence address, and the business address (§ 547.1). The recorder charges “fees in the amount specified in section 331.604” (§ 547.3) — the same per-page and per-transaction fees as any other recording.

Iowa Code § 547.1 requires a "verified statement". The Johnson and Polk County forms are sworn before a notary, and Johnson's instructions say "Form must be notarized". Iowa Code § 622.1 generally lets a sworn statement be replaced by one certified under penalty of perjury, so ask the recorder whether it will take that before you skip the notary.

Sources: Iowa Code § 547.1 ↗ — “unless the person first records with the county recorder of the county in which the business is to be conducted a verified statement” (read 2026-09-26) · Johnson County form: Trade Name (2022) ↗ — “Form must be notarized” (read 2026-09-26) · Polk County form: Trade Name ↗ — “Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me” (read 2026-09-26) · Iowa Code § 622.1(1) ↗ — “the person may attest the matter by an unsworn written statement if that statement recites that the person certifies the matter to be true under penalty of perjury under the laws of this state” (read 2026-09-26)