Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 572.13A (2026)

Notice of commencement of work — general contractor — owner-builder

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. Either a general contractor, or an owner-builder who has contracted or will contract with a subcontractor to provide labor or furnish material for the property, shall post a notice of commencement of work to the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site no later than ten days after the commencement of work on the property. A notice of commencement of work is effective only as to any labor, service, equipment, or material furnished to the property subsequent to the posting of the notice of commencement of work. A notice of commencement of work shall include all of the following information:

a. The name and address of the owner.

b. The name, address, and telephone number of the general contractor or owner-builder.

c. The address of the property or a description of the location of the property if the property cannot be reasonably identified by an address.

d. The legal description that adequately describes the property to be charged with the lien.

e. The date work commenced.

f. The tax parcel identification number.

g. Any other information prescribed by the administrator pursuant to rule.

2. If a general contractor or owner-builder fails to post the required notice of commencement of work to the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site pursuant to subsection 1, within ten days of commencement of the work on the property, a subcontractor may post the notice in conjunction with the posting of the required preliminary notice pursuant to section 572.13B. A notice of commencement of work must be posted to the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site before preliminary notices pursuant to section 572.13B may be posted.

3. a. At the time a notice of commencement of work is posted on the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site, the administrator shall assign a mechanics’ notice and lien registry number and send a copy of the owner notice described in section 572.13. The owner notice shall contain the following language: Persons or companies furnishing labor or materials for the improvement of real property may enforce a lien upon the improved property if they are not paid for their contributions, even if the parties have no direct contractual relationship with the owner. The mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site provides a listing of all persons or companies furnishing labor or materials who have posted a lien or who may post a lien upon the improved property. If the person or company has posted its notice or lien to the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site, you may be required to pay the person or company even if you have paid the general contractor the full amount due. Therefore, check the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site for information about the property including persons or companies furnishing labor or materials before paying your general contractor. In addition, when making payment to your general contractor, it is important\n\nTue Dec 09 22:00:42 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 572 (38, 0) §572.13A, MECHANIC’S LIEN 6\n\n to obtain lien waivers from your general contractor and from persons or companies registered as furnishing labor or materials to your property. The information in the mechanics’ notice and lien registry is posted on the internet site of the mechanics’ notice and lien registry.

b. Other relevant information may be included with the notice described in subsection 1 as prescribed by the administrator pursuant to rule.

c. The notice described in subsection 1 shall be sent to the owner’s address as posted to the mechanics’ notice and lien registry internet site by the general contractor, owner-builder, or subcontractor. If the owner’s address is different than the property address, a copy of the notice shall also be sent to the property address, addressed to the owner if a mailing address has been assigned to the property by the United States postal service.

d. Notices under this section shall not be sent to owner-builders.

4. A general contractor who fails to provide notice pursuant to this section is not entitled to a lien and remedy provided by this chapter.

5. This section applies only to residential construction properties. 2012 Acts, ch 1105, §9, 27, 28; 2012 Acts, ch 1138, §13, 41, 43; 2013 Acts, ch 90, §257; 2013 Acts, ch 99, §3 – 5; 2014 Acts, ch 1092, §126; 2017 Acts, ch 33, §4 Referred to in §572.8, 572.18, 572.34 \n

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 7 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2016–2026 · leading case: Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc., plaintiff-appellees/counterclaim-defendants v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones, defendants-appellants/counterclaim-plaintiffs., 888 N.W.2d 673 (Iowa Ct. App. 2016).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc., plaintiff-appellees/counterclaim-defendants v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones, defendants-appellants/counterclaim-plaintiffs., 888 N.W.2d 673 (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 10× “13A(1) — a matter of first impression for this court, as section 572.13A was only enacted in 2013.”

Borst Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Fin. of Am. Com., LLC (Iowa 2022). · cites it 89× “FAC first contends that Borst and Kelly don’t have valid liens because notices were not timely posted on the MNLR website as required by Iowa Code sections 572.13A and 572.13B. 1. Iowa Code section 572.”

Borst Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Thomas Dostal Developers, Inc. (Iowa Ct. App. 2021). · cites it 8× “” In its view, “[b]y filing their Notices of Commencement long after the 10-day period, Borst and Kelly failed to comply with section 572.13A, and prohibited any opportunity to perfect mechanic’s liens.”

Stand. Water Control Sys. v. Jones (Iowa Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 4× “This case involves an extensive procedural history, including a matter of first impression concerning the interpretation of Iowa Code section 572.13A(1) (2013). See id. at 675 .”

C&S Lease Serv., LLC v. N. Nat. Gas Co., all unknown lien holders of Prop. locally known as 1215 Yale Avenue, Garner, Iowa, 50438, & All Parties in Possession (Iowa Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 4× “2016) (interpreting section 572.13A and observing “the statute is intended to provide the owner with the identity of subcontractors unknown to the owner who might have potential claims against the property and provide a mechanism to force the subcontractors to ﬁle notice of any…”

Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc. v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones (Iowa Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 2× “2016), we determined: (1) the notice of commencement of work filed by Standard Water was not untimely under section 572.13A; (2) the contract did not contain an improper indemnity clause and was not void on this ground; and (3) the award of trial attorney fees was excessive.”

Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc. v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones (Iowa 2020). · cites it 2× “2 They argued that Standard Water had failed to post a notice of commencement of work to the lien registry within ten days of the commencement of work as required by Iowa Code section 572.13A. They also argued that the contract provision authorizing an award of attorney fees to…”

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(1) — 4 cases

Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc., plaintiff-appellees/counterclaim-defendants v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones, defendants-appellants/counterclaim-plaintiffs., 888 N.W.2d 673 (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). “13A(1) — a matter of first impression for this court, as section 572.13A was only enacted in 2013.”

Borst Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Fin. of Am. Com., LLC (Iowa 2022). “FAC first contends that Borst and Kelly don’t have valid liens because notices were not timely posted on the MNLR website as required by Iowa Code sections 572.13A and 572.13B. 1. Iowa Code section 572.”

Stand. Water Control Sys. v. Jones (Iowa Ct. App. 2018). “This case involves an extensive procedural history, including a matter of first impression concerning the interpretation of Iowa Code section 572.13A(1) (2013). See id. at 675 .”

Borst Bros. Constr., Inc. v. Thomas Dostal Developers, Inc. (Iowa Ct. App. 2021). “” In its view, “[b]y filing their Notices of Commencement long after the 10-day period, Borst and Kelly failed to comply with section 572.13A, and prohibited any opportunity to perfect mechanic’s liens.”

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(1)(a) — 1 case

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(2) — 2 cases

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(3) — 1 case

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(3)(a) — 1 case

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(4) — 2 cases

Stand. Water Control Sys., Inc., plaintiff-appellees/counterclaim-defendants v. Michael D. Jones & Cori Jones, defendants-appellants/counterclaim-plaintiffs., 888 N.W.2d 673 (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). “13A(1) — a matter of first impression for this court, as section 572.13A was only enacted in 2013.”

— Iowa Code § 572.13A(5) — 1 case

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