Iowa Admin. Code r. 161—9 § 161—9.10
Requests for admission.
Operative Text
9.10(1) Availability; procedures for requests. The commission may serve upon any party a written request for the admission, for purposes of all proceedings relating to the pending complaint only, of the truth of any matters within the scope of rule 161--9.7(216) set forth in the request that relate to statements or opinions of fact or of the application of law to fact, including the genuineness of any documents described in the request. Copies of documents shall be served with the request unless they have been or are otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying. Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth. Notice of the effect of an admission shall be given to the person from whom the admission is sought. The commission shall not serve more than 30 requests for admission on any party except upon agreement of the party from whom admissions are sought or leave of the presiding officer for discovery granted upon a showing of good cause. A motion for leave of the presiding officer for discovery to serve more than 30 requests for admission must be in writing and shall set forth the proposed requests and the reasons establishing good cause for their use. 9.10(2) Time for and content of responses. The matter is admitted unless, within 30 days after service of the request, or within such shorter or longer time as the presiding officer for discovery may on motion allow, the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the commission a written answer or objection addressed to the matter, signed by the party or by the party’s attorney. If objection is made, the reasons therefor shall be stated. The answer shall specifically deny the matter or set forth in detail the reasons why the answering party cannot truthfully admit or deny the matter. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission, and when good faith requires that a party qualify the party’s answer or deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, the party shall specify so much of it as is true and qualify or deny the remainder. An answering party may not give lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless the party states that the party has made reasonable inquiry and that the information known or readily obtainable by the party is insufficient to enable the party to admit or deny. A party who considers that a matter of which an admission has been requested presents a genuine issue for trial may not, on that ground alone, object to the request; the party may, subject to the provisions of subrule 9.16(3), deny the matter or set forth reasons why the party cannot admit or deny it. 9.10(3) Determining sufficiency of responses. The commission may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers or objections. Unless the presiding officer for discovery determines that an objection is justified, the presiding officer for discovery shall order that an answer be served. If the presiding officer for discovery determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this rule, the presiding officer for discovery may order either that the matter be admitted or that an amended answer be served. The presiding officer for discovery may, in lieu of these orders, determine that final disposition of the request be made at a designated time prior to completion of the investigation. The provisions of paragraph 9.16(1)“d” apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
Iowa Admin. Code r. 161—9 § 161—9.10 establishes a formal discovery mechanism called requests for admission, which allows the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to ask any party in a pending complaint proceeding to officially admit or deny specific facts, legal applications, or the authenticity of documents. Each requested admission must be listed separately, and the party receiving the request generally has 30 days to respond in writing; silence or failure to respond within that window results in the matter being automatically admitted. The commission is ordinarily limited to 30 such requests per party, though that cap can be exceeded by mutual agreement or a showing of good cause to the presiding officer for discovery.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners or managers who are parties to a complaint proceeding before the Iowa Civil Rights Commission should be aware that, under Iowa Admin. Code r. 161—9 § 161—9.10, the commission may send written requests asking them to admit or deny specific facts or document authenticity. A compliant respondent typically responds within the 30-day window with a written answer or formal objection that specifically admits, denies, or explains why a truthful response cannot be given—claiming ignorance is only acceptable after demonstrating that a reasonable inquiry was made. Operators generally track the number of requests received, since the rule caps admissions requests at 30 absent special authorization from the presiding officer for discovery.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Complainants and other tenant-side parties in proceedings before the Iowa Civil Rights Commission should know that Iowa Admin. Code r. 161—9 § 161—9.10 gives the commission authority to use requests for admission as a discovery tool, and that any party—including a complainant—may receive such requests. Failing to respond within 30 days can result in a matter being deemed automatically admitted, which can affect the outcome of the proceeding, so parties who receive these requests may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider familiar with Iowa Civil Rights Commission procedures. If a response is disputed as insufficient, the rule provides a process for the presiding officer for discovery to evaluate and, if necessary, order a corrected answer or deem the matter admitted.
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