586.1 Specific defects legalized.

The following acts and instruments are hereby legalized and declared to be as valid as though all defects and irregularities therein as set forth below had never existed; nothing in this section, however, shall affect pending litigation:

1. Official acts performed more than ten years earlier by notaries public during the time that they held over in office without qualifying after the expiration of the preceding term, if such notaries public subsequently qualified.

2. Acknowledgments taken more than ten years earlier by notaries public outside their jurisdiction.

3. Acknowledgments taken and oaths administered by mayors under section 691, Code 1897, or section 1216 of subsequent Codes to and including Code 1939 and section 78.2, Code 1966 and earlier editions, in proceedings not connected with their offices.

4. Acknowledgments of deeds, mortgages, permanent school fund mortgages and contracts taken and certified before 1970 by any county auditor, deputy county auditor, or deputy clerk of the district court although such officer was not authorized to take the acknowledgments at the time they were taken.

5. Acknowledgments taken and certified as provided by the Code of 1873, which were taken and certified after September 29, 1897, and prior to April 14, 1898, by officers having authority under the Code of 1873 to take and certify acknowledgments, as though such acknowledgments were taken and certified according to the provisions of the Code of 1897, and as though the officers were authorized to take and certify acknowledgments.

6. Acknowledgments taken, certified, and recorded before 1970 in the proper counties, and which are defective only in the form of the certificate of the officer taking the acknowledgment or because made before an official not qualified to take such acknowledgment but who was qualified to take acknowledgments generally.

7. Acknowledgments taken outside the United States before 1970 by officers authorized by section 10092, Codes 1924 to 1939 and section 558.28, Code 1946 to and including the Code of 1966, to take such acknowledgments, whether or not a certificate of authenticity as provided by section 10093, Codes of 1924 to 1939 and section 558.29, Code 1946 to and including the Code of 1966, is attached to such instrument; and the certificate of acknowledgment of such officer is hereby made conclusive evidence that such officer was duly qualified to make such certificate of acknowledgment.

8. Any instrument affecting real estate executed before 1970 by an attorney in fact for the grantor where a duly executed and sufficient power of attorney was on file in the county where the land was situated, although the instrument was executed and acknowledged in the form of “A, attorney in fact for B”, instead of “B, by A, the attorney in fact for B”; or if such instrument is duly recorded and there is no record in the county where the land is situated of a power of attorney authorizing the attorney in fact to so act.

9. Any written instrument and the recording thereof, recorded prior to 1970 in the office of the recorder of the proper county, although there is attached to the instrument a defective certificate of acknowledgment.

[S13, §2942-c, -e, -k, -l; SS15, §2963-v, -x; C24, 27, §10363 – 10374; C31, 35, §10363 – 10374-b1; C39, §10363 – 10374.1; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §586.1; 82 Acts, ch 1020, §1]

83 Acts, ch 185, §53, 62; 96 Acts, ch 1060, §2; 2005 Acts, ch 3, §98