Sources checked:
Quick answer. Iowa: deposit capped at 2 months of rent; deposit returned within 30 days; 30-day notice to end month-to-month; 3-day notice for unpaid rent; 24-hour entry notice; $115 eviction filing fee; $6,500 small claims limit. 18 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 5 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 2 months' rent
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 3 days
- Entry notice
- 24 hours
- Filing fee
- $115
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- Up to 3 days
- Small claims limit
- $6,500
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Iowa Code 562A.12.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than two months' rent (562A.12(1)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days from the end of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions: the deposit, or a written statement of the specific reasons for withholding (562A.12(3)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written statement showing the specific reason for withholding (562A.12(3)). Missing it forfeits the right to withhold (562A.12(4)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
Interest earned during the first five years of a tenancy belongs to the landlord (562A.12(2)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
In a federally insured bank, savings and loan or credit union; may be a trust account; not commingled with the landlord's own money (562A.12(2)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Bad-faith retention: actual damages plus punitive damages of up to twice the monthly rent (562A.12(7)).
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 562A.12, Rental deposits, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.34(2)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.34(2)) |
| Rent increase notice | Written notice at least 30 days before the increase takes effect. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.13(5)) |
| Unpaid rent notice | 3 days after written notice of nonpayment. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.27(2)) |
| Entry notice | At least 24 hours' notice and reasonable times, except emergencies or where impracticable. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.19(3)) |
| Late fee limits | Rent of $700 a month or less: no more than $12 a day or $60 a month. Over $700: $20 a day or $100 a month. | Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), checked November 2026 (Iowa Code 562A.9(4)) |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (5 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: 3 days after written notice of nonpayment.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
Filed as a small claims action in the county where the rental is.
The forms you must use in Iowa Small Claims Court are available in fillable format
Source: Iowa Judicial Branch: Instructions for Filing a Petition for Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedFiling fee
$115, collected when you file electronically.
A filing fee of $115.00 will be collected when you electronically file.
Source: Iowa Judicial Branch: Instructions for Filing a Petition for Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
The tenant gets at least three days' notice and answers by attending the hearing; missing it can mean a judgment.
If you do not attend the hearing, the court may enter a judgment against you.
Source: Iowa Judicial Branch: Instructions for Defendant Responding to a Small Claims Action, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
-
ConfirmedHearing after filing
The hearing is set no later than 8 days after filing (up to 15 if the landlord asks for or agrees to a later date), and personal service must be at least 3 days before.
no later than eight days from the filing date
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026), checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
If the landlord wins, the execution (removal order) issues within three days of the judgment.
an execution for the defendant's removal within three days from the judgment shall issue accordingly
Source: Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026), checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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Not confirmedWrit to lockout
Not confirmed — check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedWho carries out the lockout
Not confirmed — check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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The removal order can be carried out only in the daytime (Code section 648.20).
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Judgment | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
More: Iowa eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$6,500: the most a small claims case can ask for.
The total claim can't be more than $6,500, not counting interest and court costs.
Filing fee to start a case: $115.
Source: Iowa Judicial Branch: Instructions for Filing a Small Claims Action for Money Judgment, checked November 2026
More: Iowa small claims court
Still to confirm
- Writ to lockout: check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026)
- Who carries out the lockout: check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026)
- Paying to stop the case: check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026)
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026)
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Iowa Legislature: Iowa Code Chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (2026)
Iowa kit
Iowa Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Iowa return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
Kits for any state: Security Deposit Kit for Landlords and Tenants ($15) · Landlord-Tenant Notice Organizer ($15) · Eviction Case File Organizer ($15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Iowa?
No more than two months' rent (562A.12(1)).
How long does a Iowa landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days from the end of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions: the deposit, or a written statement of the specific reasons for withholding (562A.12(3)). What goes with it: A written statement showing the specific reason for withholding (562A.12(3)). Missing it forfeits the right to withhold (562A.12(4)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Iowa?
From the landlord: Written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. From the tenant: Written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Iowa?
3 days after written notice of nonpayment.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Iowa?
At least 24 hours' notice and reasonable times, except emergencies or where impracticable.
How long does an eviction case take in Iowa?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: 3 to 8 days. Judgment to writ: Up to 3 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
What does it cost to file an eviction case in Iowa?
$115, collected when you file electronically.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords