Iowa Mechanics Lien
Perfect an Iowa mechanic's lien by posting to the MNLR within 90 days of your last work. Learn the registry rules, notices, and the two-year enforcement window.
Introduction
An Iowa mechanic's lien is a legal claim against real property by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who improved the property and was not paid. Once perfected, the lien attaches to the property, clouds the title, and can be enforced by a court-ordered sale to collect the debt. That security is what gives the lien its leverage, and Iowa grants the right to it under Chapter 572 of the Iowa Code. Iowa is different: you do not record a lien with the county. You perfect it by posting a verified statement of account to the Mechanics' Notice and Lien Registry, the state's online MNLR. Posting within 90 days after your last labor or materials preserves full rights against the owner. Any action to enforce the lien must be brought within two years from the end of that 90-day period. DocDraft prepares an Iowa mechanic's lien and its registry notices from your project details, and attorney review is available before you post.
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Key Things to Know
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An Iowa mechanic's lien secures payment against the improved property. Under Chapter 572 of the Iowa Code, a general contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who furnished labor or materials to improve real property and was not paid can perfect one.
- 2
Residential construction triggers registry notices. Under Iowa Code 572.13A the general contractor or owner-builder must post a notice of commencement to the MNLR within 10 days of starting work, and under 572.13B a subcontractor must post a preliminary notice to preserve full lien rights.
- 3
You perfect by posting, not recording. Under Iowa Code 572.8 the claimant posts a verified statement of account to the MNLR; posting within 90 days of last furnishing preserves full rights, and the outer deadline is two years and ninety days under 572.9.
- 4
You must sue within a fixed window. Iowa Code 572.27 requires any action to enforce the lien to be brought within two years from the expiration of the 90-day period that runs after the last labor or materials were furnished.
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Iowa's registry rules are exacting. A lien posted after the 90-day window is enforceable only to the extent of the balance the owner still owes the general contractor, under Iowa Code 572.11, and missing the two-year enforcement deadline forfeits it entirely.
- 6
No fill-in statutory form is prescribed. Iowa Code 572.8 lists the required contents of the verified statement of account posted to the MNLR, and the registry itself is an online system administered by the secretary of state under 572.34.
- 7
On owner-occupied one- or two-family homes, the general contractor must give the owner a written lien-warning notice or forfeits its lien under Iowa Code 572.13. A subcontractor's full rights depend on posting a preliminary notice to the MNLR under 572.13B.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Mechanics Lien in Iowa, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Mechanics Lien guide walks through them.
Open the Mechanics Lien guideCustomize your Mechanics Lien Template with DocDraft
Iowa Requirements for Mechanics Lien
Iowa Filing Deadline and Office
File the Iowa mechanics lien in the correct office, a county recorder or court as Iowa requires, within the state's deadline after you last furnish labor or materials. Iowa applies the deadline strictly, so filing late or in the wrong office can void the lien.