How to Register a Trademark in Iowa (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Iowa · Last updated September 15, 2026
In Iowa, a state trademark or service mark is registered with the Iowa Secretary of State under Iowa Code Chapter 548, the Registration and Protection of Marks. The state filing fee is $10 per class, and an Iowa registration lasts five years and can be renewed for successive five-year periods. A state filing only protects your mark inside Iowa, so businesses selling across state lines or online usually register federally with the USPTO instead. Iowa also protects confidential business information through its Uniform Trade Secrets Act at Iowa Code Chapter 550.
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How much does it cost to register a trademark in Iowa?
An Iowa state trademark or service mark application filed with the Iowa Secretary of State costs $10 per class of goods or services under Iowa Code Chapter 548. Renewal is also $10. This is far cheaper than the USPTO base fee of $350 per class, but an Iowa registration only protects your mark inside Iowa.
How long does an Iowa state trademark last?
An Iowa trademark registration lasts five years from the date of registration. You can renew it for successive five-year periods by filing a renewal application with the Iowa Secretary of State, along with a specimen showing continued use of the mark. Renewals must be filed within the six months before the registration expires.
Should I register my mark with Iowa or with the USPTO?
Register with the Iowa Secretary of State if your business is purely local to Iowa and you want a low-cost record of your mark. Choose federal USPTO registration if you sell across state lines or online, since only a federal registration gives nationwide priority, the presumption of ownership, and the right to use the registered symbol.
Does Iowa protect trade secrets and a person's name or likeness?
Iowa adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at Iowa Code Chapter 550, so misappropriated business secrets can be enjoined and damages recovered within three years. Iowa is unusual in that it does not have a right-of-publicity statute and does not broadly recognize that right, so protecting a name or likeness commercially is difficult here.
Iowa marks, trade secrets, and the missing right of publicity
Iowa registers marks through the Secretary of State's Business Services Division under Iowa Code Chapter 548, the Registration and Protection of Marks, which follows the Model State Trademark Bill structure with a $10-per-class fee under section 548.117 and classification handled under section 548.110. Registrations run five years and renew in successive five-year periods, a shorter cycle than the USPTO's ten-year term. Iowa also enacted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at Iowa Code Chapter 550, giving businesses injunctive relief and damages for misappropriation, with a three-year limitations period. What genuinely sets Iowa apart is the right of publicity: Iowa has no publicity statute and is often counted among the small group of states that do not expressly recognize the right in any form, a gap that Iowa Law Review authors have repeatedly urged the legislature to fill. That means an Iowa business trading on a personal brand cannot rely on a statutory publicity right and should lean on trademark and trade-secret protection instead.
Relevant Laws
Iowa Code Chapter 548, Registration and Protection of Marks
The Iowa state trademark statute governing registration of trademarks and service marks with the Secretary of State, including classification under section 548.110 and the $10-per-class fee under section 548.117.
Iowa Secretary of State, Trademarks and Service Marks
The official Iowa Secretary of State page for registering, searching, and renewing state trademarks and service marks, with the Application for Registration of Mark and fee information.
Iowa Code Chapter 550, Trade Secrets (Uniform Trade Secrets Act)
Iowa's adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, providing injunctive relief and damages for misappropriation of trade secrets, with a three-year statute of limitations.
Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), 15 U.S.C. §1051 et seq.
The federal trademark statute administered by the USPTO. Iowa businesses selling across state lines register federally for nationwide protection in addition to, or instead of, an Iowa state registration.
Regional Variances
Iowa Chapter 548 registration vs. federal USPTO registration
Iowa Secretary of State (Iowa Code Ch. 548)
$10 per class. Registration lasts five years and renews in successive five-year periods. Protection is limited to Iowa and requires actual use of the mark in the state.
Federal (USPTO, Lanham Act)
$350 per class. Registration lasts ten years, renewable indefinitely. Gives nationwide priority, a presumption of ownership, and the right to use the registered symbol.
Common law (use in Iowa)
Rights arise from use alone, limited to the actual Iowa trading area. Free, but no certificate, no registered symbol, and the hardest to enforce.
How Iowa treats related brand and identity protections
Trade secrets in Iowa
Iowa adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at Iowa Code Chapter 550, allowing injunctions and damages for misappropriation, with a three-year limitations period.
Right of publicity in Iowa
Iowa has no right-of-publicity statute and is among the states that do not expressly recognize the right, so a name or likeness is hard to protect commercially here.
Renewal cycle vs. federal
Iowa's five-year term and five-year renewal cycle is shorter than the USPTO's ten-year term, so Iowa registrants must docket renewals more often.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm use of the mark in Iowa
Before filing days after startingIowa Code Chapter 548 registers marks in use. Record the date of first use anywhere and the date of first use in Iowa, which the Application for Registration of Mark requires.
Search Iowa and USPTO marks
Before filing days after startingRun the Iowa Secretary of State trademark search and the USPTO Trademark Search for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before you commit to the mark.
Classify goods or services and count classes
Before filing days after startingAssign your goods or services to international classes under Iowa Code section 548.110. The $10 fee is charged per class, so confirm how many classes your mark needs.
File the Iowa Application for Registration of Mark
When ready to register days after startingSubmit the signed application to the Iowa Secretary of State Business Services Division with a specimen and the $10-per-class fee to receive a five-year certificate of registration.
Docket the five-year Iowa renewal
Within 6 months before the 5-year expiration days after startingFile the Iowa renewal application with a current specimen and the $10 renewal fee to extend the registration for another five-year period. Missing the window ends protection.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm use of the mark in Iowa | Iowa Code Chapter 548 registers marks in use. Record the date of first use anywhere and the date of first use in Iowa, which the Application for Registration of Mark requires. | - | Before filing |
| Search Iowa and USPTO marks | Run the Iowa Secretary of State trademark search and the USPTO Trademark Search for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before you commit to the mark. | - | Before filing |
| Classify goods or services and count classes | Assign your goods or services to international classes under Iowa Code section 548.110. The $10 fee is charged per class, so confirm how many classes your mark needs. | - | Before filing |
| File the Iowa Application for Registration of Mark | Submit the signed application to the Iowa Secretary of State Business Services Division with a specimen and the $10-per-class fee to receive a five-year certificate of registration. | trademark-application | When ready to register |
| Docket the five-year Iowa renewal | File the Iowa renewal application with a current specimen and the $10 renewal fee to extend the registration for another five-year period. Missing the window ends protection. | - | Within 6 months before the 5-year expiration |
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Iowa guides
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