Iowa Lien Resource

For subcontractors and suppliers in Iowa, for residential construction, a prelien is required to maintain lien rights and must be sent as soon as possible from the first date of work. For those contracting directly with a homeowner, a prelien must be sent within 10 days from the first date of work. A prelien for a commercial project must be sent within 30 days from the first date of work. A lien must be filed by or before 90 days after the last date of work. A prelien may be sent as soon as day 1 of working on the project. A lien may be sent as early as the 1st day after your last date of work on the project. A satisfaction may be filed with the Secretary of State if a lien had been filed, and the money owed was either paid or some other deal was struck. The state of Iowa does not require a notice of intent to lien.

On residential projects a prelien must be sent as soon as possible from the first date of work on a project, unless the hiring party is the same as the owner. If the hiring party is the same as the owner, the prelien must be sent within 10 days of the first date of work. Commercial projects require a prelien to be sent within 30 days from the first date of work. A lien, whether commercial or residential, must be filed with the Secretary of State within 90 days from the last date of work.

A prelien in Iowa must be sent via certified mail as soon as possible from the first date of work, unless directly contracted with the property owner for a residential project. If directly contracted with the residential property owner, a prelien must be sent out by day 10 of the first date of work. If the property is commercial, a prelien must be sent within 30 days from the first date of work. Residential preliens are to be filed with the Secretary of State.

A lien in Iowa must be filed with the Secretary of State. The lien must be filed by or before day 90 from the last date of work. A lien is filed against a real property and not against the owner; this clouds the title, and often is required to be satisfied before the property can be sold and change hands. A prelien is required to be sent within the statutory timelines prior to a lien for residential projects and commercial projects. Keep in mind, it may take a few days to get a lien filed with the secretary of state once the service has been requested if you are using Perfekt’s services, so waiting until the last day to take action may be too late.

A satisfaction in Iowa is filed with the Secretary of State. A satisfaction satisfies the lien and removes it from the property, creating a clean title (if there are no other liens from others on it). A satisfaction can only be filed if a lien was filed. If there was never a lien filed, there is nothing to satisfy utilizing a satisfaction.

In Iowa, a preliminary bond notice is required and must be sent with 30 days of the first date of work. A bond claim must be sent within 30 days from the completion of the job. A bond claim is for public projects that you wouldn’t foreclose on, such as government buildings, libraries, schools, park buildings (athletics). The bond claim is sent to the surety company and is claimed on the surety payment bond for the project. A copy of the bond is needed for a bond claim. A copy of the payment bond has the project name, bond number, general contractor who took out the bond, property owner and surety company responsible for paying the bond claims.

The first date of work is the first day that labor and/or materials arrive at the job site for the improvement of the property

The last date of work is the last day labor and/or materials are on the job site for the improvement of a property.

A prelien in Iowa needs the property address, property owner and address (found through county research), hiring party name and address, first date of work, last date of work (can be estimate of when work will be complete), the lien amount (amount still owed), and description of the labor and/or materials.

A lien in Iowa needs the property address, the legal description (which may be found through the research at the county), property owner name and address (found through research and pulling deed), hiring party name and address, first date of work, last date of work, the lien amount (amount still owed), and description of the labor and/or materials. Before it can be filed with the Secretary of State, a signature is required from an officer in the construction professional company filing the lien and it must be notarized. Once all this information is compiled in documents according to state statutes, it can then be filed at the Secretary of State. All liens also require itemized invoicing. These must be the invoices and not just statements. The invoices are attached to the lien when it is filed at the SOS.

A satisfaction of lien in Iowa requires a signature from an officer of the construction professional company that filed the lien, as well as the address and legal description of the property, and the lien filing date and document number. If you filed the lien utilizing Perfekt’s services, the address and legal description of the property, and the lien filing date and document number will already be in Perfekt’s system.