I signed over custody of my daughter when I went to prison. I (and her) would now like to be again but I'm told that there's no law in Iowa. She's 16 how old does she need to be for her to leagaly decide where she wants to live?

Did you just sign over custody? Or did you sign away all your parental rights?

If it is just custody... you will have to go back to court and try and get the judge to give you custody back... it will ultimately be up to the judge to determine what is in the best interest of the child.

She can never decide for herself as long as she is a minor. That is a bit of a myth. The way it goes is that each state and judge will take into consideration the age and maturity of the child and decide whether the child's wishes will be taken into consideration in court, but they can not decide for themselves at any age less than 18 at the least.

If you signed over custody then you can go back to the court to modify the custody arrangement. If you signed over rights, then they are gone. Bu8t a minor child can't decide anything. They can only express their preference to a judge who will take that into account when making a decision.