Iowa Eviction Notice

Iowa notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the Iowa statute says

Unpaid rent: 3 calendar days

• Rent unpaid when due; tenant fails to pay within three days after written notice of nonpayment AND of the landlord's intention to terminate if not paid within that period (Iowa Code 562A.27(2)).
• Must be served by a 562A.29A method (signed acknowledgment by adult resident; personal service under Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.305; or posting on primary entrance door PLUS regular and certified mail).
• After this notice no separate 648.3 three-day notice to quit is needed (648.3 exception).

Lease violation: 7 calendar days

• Material noncompliance with the rental agreement, or noncompliance with 562A.17 materially affecting health and safety: written notice specifying the acts/omissions; agreement terminates on a date not less than seven days after RECEIPT if the breach is not remedied in seven days (562A.27(1)).
• After termination, a separate three-day written notice to quit under Iowa Code 648.3 is required before filing forcible entry and detainer (only the 562A.27(2) nonpayment notice is exempt).

Exceptions

• Municipal housing agency may terminate on 30 days' notice for federal-regulation violations without cure (562A.27(5)).

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: 3 calendar days

• Clear and present danger to the health or safety of other tenants, the landlord, landlord's employees/agents, or persons within 1,000 feet (physical assault or threat; illegal use/threat/possession of a firearm or weapon; possession of a controlled substance without prescription): single three days' written notice of termination and notice to quit stating the specific activity (562A.27A(1)).
• Repeat of substantially the same noncompliance within six months of a prior 562A.27(1) notice: termination on at least seven days' written notice specifying the breach and termination date, with no cure language (562A.27(1)).

Exceptions

• 562A.27A(3): tenant avoids termination if the danger was caused by someone other than the tenant and the tenant provides written proof before suit of a protective order, police report, or written warning to the offender (copy to police).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 calendar days

• Written notice given at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice (562A.34(2)); same for tenant.
• Landlord's notice must be served by a 562A.29A method.
• Tenancies with a term longer than month-to-month: at least thirty days before the end of the term specified in the notice (562A.34(3)).

Tenant staying after the lease ends: 3 calendar days

• Tenant remaining after expiration or termination without consent: landlord may bring an action for possession (562A.34(4)); before filing, a three days' written notice to quit is required under 648.3 (except after a 562A.27(2) nonpayment notice).

Delivery, form and other Iowa rules

How the notice may be delivered

Iowa Code 562A.29A(1): notices under 562A.27(1),(2),(5), 562A.27A, 562A.34(1)-(3) and 648.3 SHALL be served by one or more of: (a) delivery evidenced by a signed, dated acknowledgment of a resident of the unit aged 18+; (b) personal service per Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.305; (c) posting on the primary entrance door AND mailing by both regular and certified mail to the unit or last known address. Mail service is deemed completed four days after deposit/postmark whether or not a receipt is signed (562A.29A(2)). Mail alone is not permitted.

Iowa Code § 562A.29A; § 648.3 · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

none found — no statutory form; mandatory contents: the nonpayment notice must state the nonpayment and the landlord's intention to terminate if unpaid within the period (562A.27(2)); the cure notice must specify the acts and omissions constituting the breach and the termination date (562A.27(1)); the clear-and-present-danger notice must state the specific activity (562A.27A(1)); a posted notice must include the date it was posted (648.3).

Iowa Code § 562A.27; § 562A.27A; § 648.3 · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No statewide good-cause requirement in ch. 562A; month-to-month terminable on 30 days' notice without cause (562A.34(2)).

Iowa Code § 562A.34 · read 2026-09-27

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a Iowa checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the Iowa period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a Iowa eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

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