MECHANICS LIEN CLAIM

State of Iowa

County of [________________________________]

IMPORTANT FILING NOTICE

Iowa mechanics liens are filed through the Iowa Secretary of State's Mechanic's Notice and Lien Registry (MNLR) — NOT with the county recorder. Under Iowa Code § 572.8, the lien statement must be filed within 90 days of the date the last labor was performed or materials were furnished. Residential projects require a Notice of Commencement under § 572.13A. Sub-subcontractors must file a preliminary notice under § 572.13B.

I. CLAIMANT INFORMATION

Full Legal Name of Claimant: [________________________________]

Claimant Entity Type:

☐ Individual / Sole Proprietor
☐ Corporation
☐ Limited Liability Company (LLC)
☐ Partnership
☐ Joint Venture
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Claimant Mailing Address:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
City: [________________________________] State: IA ZIP: [____]

Claimant Phone: [________________________________]

Claimant Email: [________________________________]

Iowa Contractor Registration No. (if applicable): [________________________________]

Claimant's Role in the Project:

☐ General / Prime Contractor (direct contract with Owner)
☐ Subcontractor
☐ Sub-subcontractor
☐ Material Supplier
☐ Equipment Supplier / Lessor
☐ Laborer
☐ Architect / Engineer
☐ Other: [________________________________]

II. PROPERTY OWNER INFORMATION

Full Legal Name of Property Owner: [________________________________]

Owner Mailing Address:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
City: [________________________________] State: [____] ZIP: [____]

Owner Phone (if known): [________________________________]

Owner Email (if known): [________________________________]

III. GENERAL CONTRACTOR INFORMATION

(If Claimant is not the General Contractor)

General Contractor Name: [________________________________]

General Contractor Address:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
City: [________________________________] State: [____] ZIP: [____]

General Contractor Registration No.: [________________________________]

IV. HIRING PARTY INFORMATION

(Complete if the Claimant was not hired directly by the Owner or General Contractor)

Name of Party Who Hired Claimant: [________________________________]

Hiring Party's Relationship to Project:

☐ General Contractor
☐ Subcontractor
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Hiring Party Address:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
City: [________________________________] State: [____] ZIP: [____]

V. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Property Street Address:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
City: [________________________________], Iowa [____]

County: [________________________________], Iowa

Property Type:

☐ Residential (single-family, 1–2 units)
☐ Multi-family residential (3+ units)
☐ Commercial
☐ Industrial
☐ Agricultural
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Legal Description of Property:

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

(Attach Exhibit A for full legal description if additional space is needed)

☐ Exhibit A — Legal Description is attached hereto and incorporated by reference.

Tax Parcel ID Number: [________________________________]

VI. STATEMENT OF LIEN CLAIM

A. Basis for Lien

Pursuant to Iowa Code § 572.2, the undersigned Claimant hereby claims a mechanics lien upon the above-described real property and upon the improvements thereon for labor, services, materials, and/or equipment furnished for the construction, alteration, or repair of improvements on said property.

B. Nature of Work Performed / Materials Furnished

Type of Improvement:

☐ New Construction
☐ Alteration / Renovation
☐ Repair
☐ Demolition
☐ Site Work
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Itemized Statement of the Demand Due:

Under Iowa Code § 572.8, the claim must include a statement of account of the demand due after allowing all credits.

C. Contract Information

Type of Contract:

☐ Written Contract
☐ Oral Contract
☐ Implied Contract
☐ Purchase Order(s)

Original Contract Price: $[________________________________]

Approved Change Orders: $[________________________________]

Total Adjusted Contract Price: $[________________________________]

VII. DATES OF WORK / FURNISHING

Date Claimant First Furnished Labor or Materials: [__/__/____]

Date Claimant Last Furnished Labor or Materials: [__/__/____]

VIII. PRE-LIEN NOTICE COMPLIANCE

A. Notice of Commencement — Residential Projects (Iowa Code § 572.13A)

For residential construction projects where the general contractor has hired or plans to hire subcontractors, a Notice of Commencement (NOC) must be posted on the MNLR within 10 days of the start of the project. Failure to post the NOC within the deadline is fatal to mechanics lien rights.

☐ This is a residential project — NOC was posted on MNLR within 10 days
- Date Posted: [__/__/____]
- MNLR Posting Confirmation: [________________________________]

☐ This is a residential project — NOC was NOT posted (WARNING: This is fatal to lien rights on residential projects)

☐ This is NOT a residential project — NOC not required

B. Subcontractor Preliminary Notice (Iowa Code § 572.13B)

Sub-subcontractors must send a one-time notice to the general contractor within 30 days of commencing work to protect their mechanics lien rights.

☐ Claimant is a sub-subcontractor — Preliminary Notice was sent to General Contractor
- Date Sent: [__/__/____]
- Method: ☐ Certified mail ☐ Personal delivery ☐ Other: [________________________________]

☐ Claimant is NOT a sub-subcontractor — this notice does not apply

☐ Sub-subcontractor notice was NOT sent (Consult attorney — this may affect lien rights)

IX. FILING DEADLINE COMPLIANCE

Under Iowa Code § 572.8, the lien statement must be filed within 90 days after the date on which the last labor was performed or the last materials were furnished.

Note: Under § 572.10, a lien filed after 90 days may still be enforced against the owner, but may lose priority against other interests.

Date of Last Furnishing: [__/__/____]

90-Day Filing Deadline: [__/__/____]

Date of This Filing: [__/__/____]

☐ Claimant confirms this lien statement is being filed within the 90-day statutory deadline.
☐ Claimant is filing after the 90-day period under the provisions of § 572.10.

X. VERIFICATION

I, [________________________________], being duly sworn, state that I am the Claimant named above (or the [________________________________] of the Claimant entity), that I have read the foregoing Mechanics Lien Claim, that the statement of account contained herein is a just and true statement of the amount due and owing after allowing all just credits and offsets, and that the facts stated herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signature: ________________________________

Printed Name: [________________________________]

Title (if entity): [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

XI. NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

State of Iowa
County of [________________________________]

Subscribed and sworn to before me this [____] day of [________________], 20[____], by [________________________________], who is personally known to me or who has produced [________________________________] as identification.

Notary Public Signature: ________________________________

Printed Name: [________________________________]

My Commission Expires: [__/__/____]

[NOTARY SEAL]

XII. ENFORCEMENT DEADLINES

CRITICAL: Under Iowa Code § 572.27, an action to enforce the mechanics lien must be brought within TWO (2) YEARS from the expiration of ninety days after the date on which the last material was furnished or labor performed (effectively about 2 years and 90 days from the last furnishing date).

DEMAND FOR SUIT: Under Iowa Code § 572.28, if the property owner serves a written demand on the lien claimant requiring commencement of an enforcement action, the claimant must file suit within THIRTY (30) DAYS or the lien is forfeited.

XIII. LIEN RELEASE AND BONDING PROVISIONS

A. Release of Lien (Iowa Code § 572.32)

Upon full payment of the amount claimed plus any accrued interest, costs, and attorney's fees, Claimant shall file a release or satisfaction of lien on the MNLR. Under § 572.32, failure to release the lien within 30 days after full payment may subject the claimant to liability for damages.

B. Discharge by Bond

The property owner or any interested party may petition the court to discharge the lien upon posting a surety bond in an amount sufficient to secure the claim, as determined by the court.

C. Partial Release

If partial payment is received, Claimant may file a partial release on the MNLR reducing the amount claimed.

XIV. PRIORITY OF LIEN

Under Iowa Code § 572.18, the mechanics lien has priority over all other liens or encumbrances that may attach to the building or land subsequent to the commencement of the work of improvement. Liens filed within the 90-day period relate back to the date of commencement of the improvement.

XV. ADDITIONAL NOTICES AND DISCLOSURES

1. MNLR Filing Required: Iowa requires filing through the Secretary of State's Mechanic's Notice and Lien Registry (MNLR) at https://sos.iowa.gov/mnlr/. Do NOT file with the county recorder.
2. Residential Notice of Commencement: The failure to post a Notice of Commencement within 10 days on residential projects is fatal to lien rights (§ 572.13A).
3. Owner's Defenses: The owner may defend against subcontractor/supplier claims to the extent amounts have been properly paid to the general contractor.
4. Demand for Suit: The owner may force the lien claimant to file suit within 30 days by serving a written demand (§ 572.28). This is a powerful tool for property owners.
5. Licensed Contractors: Iowa requires contractor registration for certain work. Performing unregistered work may affect lien rights.

FILING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Ensure all required preliminary notices are filed (NOC for residential; sub-sub notice if applicable)
2. Complete all sections of this Mechanics Lien Claim
3. Have the Claimant sign under oath before a Notary Public
4. File the lien statement through the Iowa Secretary of State's MNLR (https://sos.iowa.gov/mnlr/)
5. Serve notice on the property Owner as required
6. Retain copies for your records
7. Calendar the enforcement deadline (approximately 2 years and 90 days from last furnishing, or 30 days if owner serves demand)
8. Consult with an attorney regarding enforcement well in advance of the deadline

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Iowa Code Chapter 572 — Mechanic's Lien
• Iowa Code § 572.2 — Lien for Labor and Materials
• Iowa Code § 572.8 — Filing of Claim (90-day deadline)
• Iowa Code § 572.10 — Perfecting Lien After 90 Days
• Iowa Code § 572.13A — Notice of Commencement (Residential)
• Iowa Code § 572.13B — Subcontractor Preliminary Notice
• Iowa Code § 572.18 — Priority of Lien
• Iowa Code § 572.27 — Limitation of Actions
• Iowa Code § 572.28 — Demand for Bringing Suit
• Iowa Code § 572.32 — Release of Lien
• Iowa Legislature: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ico/chapter/572.pdf
• Iowa MNLR: https://sos.iowa.gov/mnlr/