Iowa Code ch. 562A § 562A.29A
Method of service of notice on tenant
Operative Text
1. A written notice of termination required under section 562A.27, subsection 1, 2, or 5, a notice of termination and notice to quit required under section 562A.27A, a landlord’s written notice of termination to the tenant required under section 562A.34, subsection 1, 2, or 3, or a notice to quit required by section 648.3, shall be served upon the tenant by one or more of the following methods: a. Delivery evidenced by an acknowledgment of delivery that is signed and dated by a resident of the dwelling unit who is at least eighteen years of age. Delivery under this paragraph shall be deemed to provide notice to all tenants of the dwelling unit. b. Personal service pursuant to rule of civil procedure 1.305, Iowa court rules, for the personal service of original notice. c. Posting on the primary entrance door of the dwelling unit and mailing by both regular mail and certified mail, as defined in section 618.15, to the address of the dwelling unit or to the tenant’s last known address, if different from the address of the dwelling unit. A notice posted according to this paragraph shall be posted within the applicable time period for serving notice and shall include the date the notice was posted. 2. Notice served by mail under this section is deemed completed four days after the notice is deposited in the mail and postmarked for delivery, whether or not the recipient signs a receipt for the notice.
Iowa Code § 562A.29A establishes the specific methods by which a landlord must deliver certain written termination and quit notices to a tenant. Valid delivery can occur through a signed acknowledgment from an adult resident of the unit, through formal personal service under Iowa civil procedure rules, or by posting the notice on the primary entrance door combined with sending it by both regular and certified mail. When mailing is used, the notice is legally considered received four days after it is postmarked, regardless of whether the tenant actually signs for it.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 562A.29A, operators serving termination or quit notices must use one of the three prescribed methods — signed acknowledgment by an adult resident, personal service per Iowa Rule 1.305, or door-posting combined with dual mailing — to ensure the notice is legally valid. When choosing the posting-and-mail method, compliant operators include the posting date on the notice itself and send it to the dwelling unit address or the tenant's last known address. Landlords who rely on mailing should account for the four-day deemed-delivery window when calculating notice periods, since that clock starts at postmark rather than actual receipt.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 562A.29A defines the limited ways a landlord may legally serve you with a termination or quit notice in Iowa, and a notice delivered by any other method may not be legally effective. If you receive a notice, checking whether it was delivered by a signed acknowledgment, personal service, or the door-posting-plus-dual-mail combination can be relevant to understanding whether proper procedure was followed. Tenants who believe a notice was improperly served may be able to raise that issue as a defense in a court proceeding, and consulting a tenant-rights organization familiar with Iowa law can help clarify available options under § 562A.29A.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
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References In
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