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SF 2191IOWASession 2025-2026State BillSigned into law

Enacted

Iowa Senate File 2191 exempts certain business mergers, corporate dissolutions, and trust distributions from real estate transfer tax declaration of value requirements

Original title: A bill for an act relating to real estate transfer tax, including declarations of value.(Formerly SSB 3019 .)

Last action · May 15, 2026: Signed by Governor . H.J. 1168 .

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What This Bill Does

Senate File 2191 expands the types of real estate property transfers exempt from submitting a to county recorders. The new law applies to corporate mergers, certain property transfers involving family businesses or partnerships without actual , and trust asset distributions to beneficiaries.

Why it matters

Property buyers, sellers, corporations, and trustees involved in corporate restructuring or estate distributions will no longer need to file a with the county recorder for qualifying transactions, reducing administrative filing requirements during property conveyance.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Property buyers and sellers

Buyers and sellers engaging in qualifying corporate reorganizations, entity formations, or trust distributions are no longer required to submit a declaration of value to the county recorder.

Directly affected

County recorders

County recorders will no longer receive or process declarations of value for the newly exempted categories of real estate transfers.

Directly affected

Trust beneficiaries

Beneficiaries receiving real estate distributions from trusts without consideration are relieved of the declaration of value filing requirement.

Key Facts

Senate File 2191 expands the categories of instruments exempt from the real estate transfer tax declaration of value requirement.
Exemptions are added for instruments of transfer resulting from corporate or limited liability company mergers, consolidations, or reorganizations.
Exemptions are added for deeds between family corporations, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, or limited liability companies and their members given for no actual consideration other than shares or debt securities.
Exemptions are added for deeds transferring distributions of trust assets to beneficiaries when conveyed without consideration.

Show all 6 facts

When a deed contains multiple parcels located in more than one county, separate declarations of value must still be submitted on the parcels located in each county.
Declarations of value remain required for federal agencies or instrumentalities, or for transfers resulting from the exercise of eminent domain for public purposes, even if otherwise exempt under section 428A.2 subsection 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a declaration of value?

A is a document signed by at least one seller, buyer, or their agent that must be submitted to the county recorder when real property is granted, assigned, transferred, or otherwise conveyed.

Are trust distributions now exempt from the declaration of value requirement?

Yes, deeds transferring distributions of trust assets to beneficiaries when conveyed without are exempt under the bill.

Does this bill eliminate the real estate transfer tax entirely for corporate mergers?

The bill exempts qualifying corporate mergers and reorganizations from the requirement, which is tied to recording the conveyance under real estate transfer tax rules.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

39 actions

May 15, 2026HouseEnrolled
Signed by Governor . H.J. 1168 .
May 6, 2026House
Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor. H.J. 1164 .
Apr 22, 2026House
Message from Senate. H.J. 977 .
Apr 22, 2026Senate
Immediate message. S.J. 875 .
Apr 22, 2026SenateFloor
Passed Senate , yeas 44, nays 0. S.J. 875 .
Apr 15, 2026Iowa Legislature
Placed on calendar.

Show 33 earlier actions

Apr 15, 2026Senate
Committee report, recommending passage. S.J. 810 .
Apr 13, 2026Senate
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Petersen, and Reichman. S.J. 775 .
Apr 9, 2026House
Withdrawn. H.J. 870 .
Apr 7, 2026SenateIntroduced
Read first time, referred to Ways and Means. S.J. 732 .
Apr 7, 2026House
Message from House. S.J. 732 .
Apr 6, 2026House
Immediate message. H.J. 819 .
Apr 6, 2026HouseFloor
Passed House , yeas 91, nays 0. H.J. 818 .
Mar 30, 2026HouseIntroduced
Introduced, placed on Ways and Means calendar. H.J. 765 .
Mar 30, 2026Iowa Legislature
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 2749 .
Mar 25, 2026House
Committee vote: Yeas, 22. Nays, 0. Excused, 3. H.J. 762 .
Mar 25, 2026House
Committee report, recommending passage. H.J. 762 .
Mar 4, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Mar 3, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Mar 3, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/04/2026 2:00PM Room 315.
Feb 24, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 03/03/2026 8:30AM RM 102.
Feb 10, 2026Senate
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Petersen, and Reichman. S.J. 243 .
Feb 9, 2026SenateCommittee
Referred to Ways and Means. S.J. 221 .
Feb 5, 2026House
Subcommittee: Holt, Gustoff and Wessel-Kroeschell. H.J. 216 .
Feb 4, 2026Senate
Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 202 .
Feb 4, 2026SenateIntroduced
Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 196 .
Feb 3, 2026Iowa Legislature
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2191 .
Jan 28, 2026HouseIntroduced
Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 164 .
Jan 28, 2026Iowa Legislature
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 2188 .
Jan 26, 2026House
Committee vote: Yeas, 19. Nays, 0. Excused, 2. H.J. 161 .
Jan 26, 2026House
Committee report, recommending passage. H.J. 161 .
Jan 22, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Jan 21, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Jan 21, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 01/22/2026 11:00AM Room 315.
Jan 20, 2026House
Subcommittee Meeting: 01/21/2026 12:30PM House Lounge 2.
Jan 15, 2026House
Subcommittee: Gustoff, Watkins and Wichtendahl. H.J. 117 .
Jan 15, 2026HouseIntroduced
Introduced, referred to Judiciary. H.J. 116 .
Jan 14, 2026Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee: Bousselot, Blake, and Rowley.
Jan 14, 2026Iowa LegislatureIntroduced
Introduced, referred to Judiciary.

Version history

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Lobbying Activity

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Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

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