Brownfield Redevelopment Program

The Brownfield Redevelopment Program of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), funded by the federal Brownfield Revitalization Act, gives communities technical and financial resources to answer environmental questions at brownfield sites, and helps with cleanup planning and implementation to prepare sites for reuse. DNR describes brownfields as sites where environmental contamination concerns, real or perceived, have hindered resale, redevelopment and reuse.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 lists state brownfield site records among its standard sources; the general reading of a brownfield listing is on the Brownfields page. This handbook pairs no Iowa list with that type, because DNR says it does not designate a property as a brownfield: the term is only descriptive. DNR adds that sites where state or federal grants and technical assistance were used may be referred to as a brownfield within a database or regulatory reference for where assistance was provided. Read a brownfield label in a database report with that in mind.

What DNR says about the Phase I

• DNR says that a buyer who seeks federal environmental liability exemptions or brownfield grant program resources needs a timely Phase I ESA before purchasing the property, conducted using ASTM Standard E1527-21.
• For a community to be eligible for brownfield cleanup funding, DNR says the Phase I must come before a voluntary purchase, including acquisition through a quit claim deed. A community that acquires a property by back tax foreclosure, by court ordered transfer through abandonment proceedings under Iowa Code Chapter 657A, or by eminent domain may be eligible without a Phase I before purchase.
• DNR says Iowa law does not require Phase II ESAs, but that if results indicate a potentially hazardous condition, such findings must be provided to DNR for further review. It adds that current owners may have an obligation under Iowa law to conduct further assessment.

Who can get help

Cities, counties, area development corporations and nonprofit organizations that wish to acquire and redevelop brownfield sites are eligible. DNR says financial assistance cannot be provided to parties that obtained sites without first conducting environmental due diligence, at petroleum sites where there is a liable and viable party, to private parties for their own due diligence, to local governments or nonprofits for repair or renovation of their own facilities, or directly to any entity that would have caused, or be responsible for, any potential contamination to be addressed.

The assistance DNR lists:

• full cost reimbursement for an all appropriate inquiries report, the Phase I ESA, before purchase;
• full cost reimbursement, up to $25,000 per site, for Phase II pre-purchase assessments, certified asbestos inspections and lead-based paint inspections;
• a 75% cost share, up to $25,000 per site, for asbestos removal before demolition or renovation, lead-based paint removal before renovation, and cleanup of soil or groundwater contaminants, which requires enrollment in the Land Recycling Program.

All financial assistance requires a contract with DNR before assessment or inspection activities begin. The page also describes DNR's Derelict Building Grant Program for cities of less than 5,000 people, and points to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for more information on the Iowa Redevelopment Tax Credit Program for Grayfields and Brownfields.

Where to look a site up

The pages read link no list of brownfield sites. DNR's brownfield page names two databases as brownfield resources: the Petroleum Storage Tank Database and the Contaminated Sites Database. See Underground storage tank registrations and Contaminated Sites Database.

Getting the file

DNR's Records Center, at 6200 Park Ave, Suite 200, Des Moines, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except state holidays. DNR's Open Records Request page says requests to inspect public records go to the Office of the Chief Information Officer through the Iowa Information and Public Records Request Portal, and may also be made in person at a record center, by email to dnr.records.request@dnr.iowa.gov, or by mail.

Sources

Iowa Department of Natural Resources pages, read October 12, 2026:

• Brownfield Redevelopment, last modified February 12, 2025.
• Open Records Request, last modified March 13, 2026.