Mechanics Lien Filing Package — Iowa
IOWA MECHANIC'S LIEN FILING PACKAGE
Part 1 — Matter Intake
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Claimant legal name, address, contact | [____________________________________________] |
| Claimant role and contracting tier | [____________________________________________] |
| Contracting party | [____________________________________________] |
| Owner / owner-builder | [____________________________________________] |
| General contractor | [____________________________________________] |
| Property address and county | [____________________________________________] |
| Legal description and parcel number | [____________________________________________] |
| Residential / commercial / special project | [____________________________________________] |
| First furnishing | [__/__/____] |
| Last furnishing | [__/__/____] |
| Contract price | $[________] |
| Payments and credits | $[________] |
| Demand due | $[________] |
Part 2 — Statutory Route Map
| Stage | Current Iowa rule |
|---|---|
| Residential GC owner notice | A general contractor using subcontractors must give § 572.13's boldface owner notice; failure defeats the GC's Chapter 572 lien and remedy. |
| Residential notice of commencement | GC or qualifying owner-builder posts to MNLR no later than ten days after work commences; a subcontractor may cure the missing posting as stated in § 572.13A(2). |
| Residential subcontractor preliminary notice | Must be posted under § 572.13B; effectiveness and amount depend on posting and, when applicable, owner receipt and unpaid balances. No universal 30-day period appears in § 572.13B. |
| Commercial lower-tier notice | A person furnishing to a subcontractor gives the one-time § 572.33 notice within thirty days after first furnishing and supports the lien with the required certified statement. |
| Verified lien statement | Post § 572.8's statement of account and property information to MNLR, not a county recorder. |
| Posting period | Section 572.9's outer period is two years and ninety days after last furnishing. Posting after ninety days triggers §§ 572.10 and 572.11 notice and amount limits and affects priority under § 572.18. |
| Enforcement | Section 572.27 runs two years from expiration of ninety days after last furnishing; an owner demand under § 572.28 shortens the period to thirty days after service. |
| Satisfaction | Section 572.23 governs acknowledgment after payment and the consequences of failing for thirty days after personally served written demand. |
Part 3 — Notice Compliance Record
Residential
| Item | Completed | Date / proof |
|---|---|---|
| § 572.13 owner notice | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| § 572.13A notice of commencement | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| MNLR number | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| § 572.13B preliminary notice | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| Proof of owner receipt, when required | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| Balances at posting and receipt documented | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
Commercial
| Item | Completed | Date / proof |
|---|---|---|
| Claimant furnished to a subcontractor | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| § 572.33 notice within thirty days | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
| Certified supporting statement prepared | ☐ | [____________________________________________] |
Part 4 — Verified Lien Statement Worksheet
Prepare the lien from the following § 572.8 data and the current MNLR fields:
| Required item | Information |
|---|---|
| First and last furnishing dates | [____________________________________________] |
| Legal description | [____________________________________________] |
| Owner name and last known mailing address | [____________________________________________] |
| Property address or location | [____________________________________________] |
| Tax parcel identification number | [____________________________________________] |
| County or counties identified in prior residential postings | [____________________________________________] |
| Statement of account after all credits | [ATTACHED / __________________________________] |
Verification signer, authority, and method: [____________________________________________]
Part 5 — Timing and Priority Analysis
| Question | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Date ninety days expires | [__/__/____] |
| Date § 572.9 outer posting period expires | [__/__/____] |
| Proposed posting within ninety days | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
| If late, § 572.10 owner-service plan | [____________________________________________] |
| If late, § 572.11 unpaid-balance calculation | [____________________________________________] |
| Construction mortgage or earlier lien | [____________________________________________] |
| § 572.18 good-faith purchaser/encumbrancer issue | [____________________________________________] |
| Bond submitted under § 572.15 | [____________________________________________] |
Section 572.15 requires a bond in twice the posted lien amount, with surety approved by the administrator, to discharge the lien from the property.
Part 6 — MNLR Posting Checklist
☐ Current MNLR account and filing method confirmed.
☐ Verified statement and attachments reviewed for accuracy.
☐ Owner, property, county, legal description, parcel, and dates cross-checked.
☐ Current posting fee confirmed; § 572.34 caps the mechanic's-lien posting fee at $40 but current procedures still must be checked.
☐ Posting receipt and complete copy saved.
☐ Administrator's owner mailing monitored.
☐ Any additional § 572.10 service completed and proof retained.
Part 7 — Enforcement and Closing Calendar
| Event | Date / response |
|---|---|
| Ordinary § 572.27 enforcement deadline | [__/__/____] |
| Owner § 572.28 demand received | [__/__/____ / NONE] |
| Thirty-day demand deadline | [__/__/____ / N/A] |
| Enforcement venue under § 572.25 | [____________________________________________] |
| Claim decrease through MNLR under § 572.26 | [____________________________________________] |
| Payment received | [__/__/____] |
| Satisfaction posted | [__/__/____] |
Section 572.26 permits a claimant to decrease the demanded amount through MNLR without court leave, does not permit an increase, and otherwise requires court leave in furtherance of justice.
Section 572.32 permits, but does not guarantee, specified attorney-fee and damage awards. A prevailing enforcement plaintiff may be awarded reasonable fees; residential lien challenges have separate prevailing-challenger and bad-faith/materially-false-posting rules.
Official Sources
- Iowa Code ch. 572 — https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ico/chapter/572.pdf
- Iowa Secretary of State MNLR — https://sos.iowa.gov/mnlr/
About this template
- Last updated
- August 8, 2026
- Citations checked
- August 8, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Iowa
- Category
- Real Estate
Legal authority
- Iowa Code ch. 572, especially §§ 572.2 and 572.8 through 572.11 (lien right, perfection, posting time, and late-posting consequences)
- Iowa Code §§ 572.13 through 572.13B and 572.33 (residential and commercial notice requirements)
- Iowa Code §§ 572.15, 572.18, and 572.23 through 572.28 (bond, priority, satisfaction, actions, amendment, and deadlines)
- Iowa Code §§ 572.32 and 572.34 (fees, remedies, and MNLR)
Real estate documents transfer ownership, define who can use a property, and record agreements between buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants. Deeds, purchase agreements, leases, and easements have to be drafted to meet state recording requirements, and mistakes show up at closing or years later in title disputes. Good real estate paperwork moves transactions forward quickly and avoids the kind of problems that only surface when it is time to sell or refinance.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on August 8, 2026.
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