Iowa Code ch. 555B § 555B.4
Notice
Operative Text
1. Personal service pursuant to rule of civil procedure 1.305 shall be made upon the mobile home owner not less than ten days before the hearing. If personal service cannot be completed in time to give the mobile home owner the minimum notice required by this section, the court may set a new hearing date. 2. If personal service cannot be made on the mobile home owner because the mobile home owner is avoiding service or cannot be found, service may be made by mailing a copy of the petition and notice of hearing to the mobile home owner’s last known address and publishing the notice in one newspaper of general circulation in the county where the petition is filed. If the mobile home owner’s address is not known to the real property owner, service may be made pursuant to rule of civil procedure 1.313 except that service is complete seven days after the initial publication. The court shall set a new hearing date if necessary to allow the ten-day minimum notice required under subsection 1 of this section. 3. If a tax lien exists on the mobile home or personal property at the time an action for abandonment is initiated, the real property owner shall notify the county treasurer of each county in which a tax lien appears by restricted certified mail sent not less than ten days before the hearing. The notice shall describe the mobile home and shall state the docket, case number, date, and time at which the hearing is scheduled, and the county treasurer’s right to assert a claim to the mobile home at the hearing. The notice shall also state that failure to assert a claim to the mobile home is deemed a waiver of all right, title, claim, and interest in the mobile home and is deemed consent to the sale or disposal of the mobile home. 4. If a lien other than a tax lien exists on the mobile home or personal property at the time an action for abandonment is initiated, the personal service pursuant to the Iowa rules of civil procedure shall be made upon the lienholder no less than twenty days before the hearing. The notice to the lienholder shall describe the mobile home and shall state the docket, case number, date, and time at which the hearing is scheduled, and the lienholder’s right to assert a claim to the mobile home at the hearing. The notice shall state that failure to assert a claim to the mobile home within the judicial proceedings is deemed a waiver of all rights, title, claims, and interest in the mobile home and deemed to be consent to the sale or disposal of the mobile home. If personal service cannot be completed in time to give the lienholder the minimum notice required by this subsection, the court may set a new hearing date. 5. In the event a tenant who was sole owner of a mobile home dies during the term of the rental agreement resulting in the mobile home being abandoned, service shall be made in accordance with section 562B.10, subsection 7.
Iowa Code ch. 555B § 555B.4 establishes the notice requirements that must be satisfied before a court can hold a hearing on whether a mobile home has been abandoned. The mobile home owner must receive personal service at least ten days before the hearing, with alternative methods—such as mailing and newspaper publication—available when personal service cannot be completed. Lienholders and county treasurers with tax liens must also receive timely notice, with lienholders entitled to at least twenty days' advance notice, and failure to assert a claim at the hearing is treated as a waiver of all rights to the mobile home.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Real property owners initiating an abandonment action under Iowa Code ch. 555B § 555B.4 generally ensure that personal service is attempted on the mobile home owner no fewer than ten days before the scheduled hearing. When personal service is not possible, compliant operators document their efforts and follow the alternative service methods—certified mailing and newspaper publication—specified in the statute. Operators with knowledge of existing tax liens or other liens on the mobile home also send timely notice to the county treasurer and any lienholders, meeting the respective ten-day and twenty-day advance-notice minimums, and retain proof of those notifications.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Iowa Code ch. 555B § 555B.4, mobile home owners facing an abandonment proceeding have a right to receive proper legal notice before any hearing takes place, giving them an opportunity to appear and contest the action. If notice was not properly served—whether personally or through the alternative methods the statute allows—that procedural defect may be relevant to the validity of the proceeding. Mobile home owners who believe they did not receive adequate notice can explore their options by contacting a tenant-rights organization, a legal aid office, or an attorney familiar with Iowa mobile home law.
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
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation