Registry of Hazardous Waste or Hazardous Substance Disposal Sites

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) keeps the Registry of Hazardous Waste or Hazardous Substance Disposal Sites (Registry), a list of sites classified by their relative priority for remedial action. DNR says the Registry and the Hazardous Substance Remedial Fund fulfill obligations under sections 455B.424, 455B.426 and 455B.427 of the Code of Iowa, which require, each January, a full accounting to the Legislature and the Governor of the fund and a report on the sites listed on the Registry.

In a Phase I ESA

The Registry is a state list of hazardous waste and hazardous substance disposal sites, kept under the Code of Iowa and classified by priority for remedial action, which is why the handbook pairs it with the state Superfund equivalent record type that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. DNR does not describe it that way; that pairing is the handbook's reading. The general reading of such a listing is on the state Superfund equivalent page. Three Iowa details shape how to read it.

• Not every site is listed. DNR says not all the known hazardous waste or contaminated sites that exist in the state are listed on the Registry. Search the Contaminated Sites Database as well.
• Each site has a class. DNR says every listed site is classified according to its relative priority for remedial action. On first listing, a site must be placed in one of four alphabetical priority classifications, "a", "b", "c" or "d", and its classification can change because of cleanup activities or new information. DNR says the five classification categories are specified in section 455B.427.3 of the Code of Iowa, and the page links a Classification Categories document.
• A listing reaches the title. When a site is listed, a notice of listing is recorded in the county recorder's office and becomes part of the property's chain of title. DNR says Iowa Code section 455B.430 prohibits any "substantial change" in the use of a listed property without the prior written approval of DNR's Director, and any sale, conveyance or transfer of title without the Director's prior approval. The Director must respond to an owner's written request within thirty days. If the Director has reason to believe there has been a substantial change in use or a sale without prior approval, an action may be filed in Iowa District Court to enjoin the activity and assess a penalty of up to $1,000 per day of violation. For a listed property, ask whether the Director's approval was sought.

What the record shows

DNR's Site Registry page carries a table of the counties that contain registered sites, giving each site's name, priority class, the year it was added and its primary contaminants, in alphabetical order by county and then by site name. Each site name links a site document, and the page links a Primary Contaminant Legend. DNR says the website is updated annually and as new information becomes available throughout the year. It says reports for prior years are available on request, and names a staff contact for them.

DNR keeps an assessment file for each listed site. It says that for most sites the file contains a summary of comprehensive site investigations, and that the site information package holds a detailed review of the site and is the basis for listing and classifying it.

Where to look a site up

• The table on DNR's Site Registry page.
• DNR says individual site records may also be reached through its Contaminated Sites Database.

Getting the file

DNR says the assessment file for each listed site is available through the Iowa DNR Records Center in Des Moines. The Records Center, at 6200 Park Ave, Suite 200, 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:

• Site Registry, last modified December 23, 2025.
• Open Records Request, last modified March 13, 2026.