Iowa · Remodeling licensing · official-source guide
Iowa does not license remodeling contractors. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing registers construction contractors under Iowa Code chapter 91C. Any contractor earning at least $2,000 a year from construction must register before working, with no exam or experience requirement. Registration costs $50 a year or $150 for three years, and out-of-state firms file a $25,000 bond.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-10-05. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Iowa does not issue a remodeling contractor license. The state runs a registration system instead. The Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, called DIAL, administers construction contractor registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C and 481 Iowa Administrative Code chapter 465. DIAL lists four reasons the registry exists: to confirm compliance with unemployment insurance law, to confirm compliance with workers compensation law, to collect money out-of-state contractors owe state agencies, and to make contractor information available to the public. None of that measures skill. Chapter 91C contains no exam, no apprenticeship requirement and no continuing education requirement for a person who remodels kitchens, finishes basements, builds additions or replaces siding and windows. Registration became law in 1988. The authority sits with the director of DIAL, who issues registration numbers, investigates complaints, issues citations and revokes registrations. Iowa Code 91C.1 defines a contractor by reference to the definition of construction used in Iowa employment security law, and 481 IAC 465.2 spells that definition out as new work, additions, alterations, reconstruction, installations, repairs and demolitions. A remodeler performing alterations and reconstruction on someone else's dwelling is squarely inside that language. DIAL says plainly that carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters and many others must register. Separate boards still control the trades that carry real licenses. Plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal and hydronic work runs through the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board. Electrical work runs through DIAL electrical licensing. So a remodeling business in Iowa is usually one registration plus whatever trade licenses its own crews hold, plus city permits for each job.
Sourcesdial.iowa.gov 1legis.iowa.gov 2legis.iowa.gov 3dial.iowa.gov 4
Iowa Code 91C.1 sets the line. A person who earns less than two thousand dollars annually from construction is not a contractor for purposes of chapter 91C, and neither is a person who performs work or has work performed on that person's own property. Everyone else doing construction business in the state must register before performing any construction work here, under 481 IAC 465.3. DIAL states the same rule on its contractor registration page: all individual and business construction contractors performing construction work must register if they earn at least two thousand dollars a year from construction. There is no residential carve out. A one-person remodeling operation that grosses more than two thousand dollars a year is in scope. Subcontractors are in scope too. DIAL answers that question directly: subcontractors are not covered under the general contractor's registration, so each sub registers on its own. A joint venture counts as an independent entity under 481 IAC 465.3 and registers independently. If you run more than one construction business, DIAL requires a separate registration for each business that has its own federal identification number. The state, its boards, agencies, departments and political subdivisions, including school districts, are not contractors for purposes of the chapter. One fee break exists. Iowa Code 91C.1(3) exempts a contractor from the fee requirements if the registration application shows the contractor is self-employed, does not pay more than two thousand dollars annually to employ other people in the business, and does not work with or for other contractors in the same phase of construction. That is a fee exemption, not a registration exemption. You still file.
481 IAC 465.4 lists the contents of the application item by item, and it is worth knowing before you start because two items have to be obtained from other agencies first. The application carries the contractor name, the complete mailing address of the principal place of business, the business telephone number, and the type of business entity. For a corporation it carries the name, address, telephone number and position of each officer. For anything other than a corporation it carries the name, address and telephone number of each owner. A natural person includes a Social Security number. The business description carries either the North American Industry Classification System code or the principal products and services provided. Then come the two items you cannot produce yourself. First, workers compensation. You submit a certificate of insurance from the insurer showing proof of coverage, the effective dates, and DIAL listed as a certificate holder. Alternatively you submit an employer's release from the insurance requirement under Iowa Code 87.11, or a statement that you are not required to carry coverage. Second, the employer account number issued by the unemployment insurance services division of the workforce development department, which 481 IAC 465.4(7) says must be obtained before you apply for a contractor registration number. DIAL repeats this for both in-state and out-of-state contractors: you need an Iowa unemployment insurance number to register, even with no employees. A contractor already covered by the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board applies through that board's system in one combined application and does not file a second application with contractor registration.
Iowa Code 91C.4 caps the registration fee. The director prescribes the fee, and the fee shall not exceed fifty dollars per year. All fees collected go to the licensing and regulation fund created in Iowa Code 10A.507. The rule sets the actual number. Under 481 IAC 465.4(9), the standard fee is $50 per year or $150 for a three-year registration. DIAL's contractor registration page states the $50 application fee and notes that credit card or ACH payments are not accepted over the phone. Contractors who register through the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board pay a fee prorated to the length of the registration period. Contractors eligible to register without paying submit a completed fee exemption form rather than the fee, which is the mechanism behind the self-employed exemption in Iowa Code 91C.1(3). The fee is nonrefundable. Timing matters for renewals. Under 481 IAC 465.6, a new application mailed to DIAL must include the fee effective on the postmark date, and one delivered any other way must include the fee effective on the date DIAL receives it. A timely renewal includes the fee effective on the expiration date of the expiring registration. A renewal mailed after the expiration date includes the fee effective on the postmark date. No fee is required for a permissible amendment to an application. Once the application is complete, 481 IAC 465.7 gives DIAL 30 days to issue a registration number, and the number consists of the letter C followed by six unique digits. That is the number a homeowner or a general contractor will ask you for, so the three-year option at $150 is worth comparing against paying $50 every year.
The bond in Iowa contractor registration is not a performance bond for homeowners. It is a tax bond for the state, and it applies to out-of-state contractors. Iowa Code 91C.2(3) requires an out-of-state contractor either to file a surety bond with DIAL in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, or to provide a statement that the contractor is prequalified to bid on Iowa Department of Transportation projects under Iowa Code 314.1. 481 IAC 465.4(11) repeats the $25,000 figure and requires the bond to be prepared on the bond form DIAL provides. Iowa Code 91C.7 says the bond must be executed by a surety company authorized to do business in Iowa and must be continuous until the surety cancels it with at least thirty days written notice to both the contractor and DIAL. DIAL may increase the bond amount after a hearing. If the Department of Revenue or DIAL decides the bond is not enough to cover accruing tax liability, the director can require an increase. Release is conditioned on payment of all taxes, unemployment contributions, penalties, interest and related fees that may accrue to the state. Only the State of Iowa and its agencies may collect on it. Two points catch remodelers who expand across a state line. DIAL says a contractor with a branch office in Iowa does not qualify as an in-state contractor if the business is primarily based outside Iowa, and having a branch office does not exempt you from bonding. Out-of-state subcontractors are not covered by the general contractor's registration or bond. They register and bond on their own.
Registration in Iowa is conditional, and the condition most remodelers trip over is insurance. Iowa Code 91C.2(1) requires the contractor to be in compliance with Iowa workers compensation insurance law and to provide evidence of coverage annually, or evidence of relief from the requirement under Iowa Code 87.11, or a statement that the contractor is not required to carry coverage. The same subsection requires the insurance company to notify the director when a policy is cancelled. DIAL states on its contractor registration page that a contractor with employees must carry a Certificate of Workers Compensation. 481 IAC 465.8 builds a notification system around this. The insurance carrier must notify DIAL at cancellation, and the notice must name the carrier, name the insured contractor, and give the effective date of cancellation. A self-insured contractor must notify DIAL ten days before any cessation in self-insurance. A noninsured contractor must notify DIAL whenever the required notice is not posted or whenever insurance status changes. 481 IAC 465.5 adds a deadline that is easy to miss: a contractor reports any change in the information originally reported within 15 working days, except that changes to workers compensation coverage must be reported within ten days before the change. The consequence is not a fine. It is revocation. Iowa Code 91C.5(2) requires the director to revoke a registration number when the contractor fails to maintain compliance with the conditions necessary to obtain it. DIAL also warns that failure to notify it in writing of changes may result in penalties. Iowa publishes no minimum general liability limit for remodelers, so your liability coverage is driven by contracts and lenders rather than by chapter 91C.
Iowa contractor registration renews every year unless you bought the three-year term. DIAL answers the renewal question directly: your registration must be renewed every year, and the month before it expires a renewal form is sent by mail or email. You renew using the new application and renewal form, mark it as a renewal, and write your current contractor registration number where indicated. Renew on time and you keep the same registration number, which matters if your number already appears on signed contracts and permit records. Change the legal shape of the business and the number does not follow you. DIAL states that a contractor who first applied as a sole proprietor or partnership and then incorporates must reapply as a new business and will be issued a new contractor registration number. 481 IAC 465.5(3) backs that up: amendments to applications are not permitted where the business classification changes, such as a change from a sole proprietorship to a corporation. Smaller changes can be amended, and no fee is charged for a permissible amendment. Revocation runs through 481 IAC 465.11. DIAL serves a notice of intent to revoke by personal service or restricted certified mail and sets a time for a fact-finding interview, which exists to make sure the contractor really is out of compliance before the registration goes. The interview can be held by videoconference or in person if arranged in advance. DIAL serves the decision by certified mail. Revocations take effect 21 days after that mailing. The contractor has 15 working days from receipt to file a notice of contest with the director, who forwards it to the employment appeal board. A contractor whose registration is revoked may reapply if all eligibility requirements are met, and must return the original registration certificate once the revocation is final.
The numbers are set in statute and repeated in rule. Iowa Code 91C.8(5) allows an administrative penalty of not more than five hundred dollars for a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars for each violation in the case of a second or subsequent violation. 481 IAC 465.10(2) states the same limits, $500 for a first violation and $5,000 per violation for a second or later one, and says the director weighs knowledge of the alleged violation, knowledge of the requirements of the law, and the nature and extent of the violation when proposing an amount. DIAL's own page puts it plainly: violators may receive a $500 citation for a first violation, and a citation up to $5,000 may be imposed for a repeat violation. Three things trigger a citation under Iowa Code 91C.8(2) and 481 IAC 465.10(1): failing to be registered, filing registration information that is not substantially complete and accurate, and failing to file the out-of-state bond. DIAL inspectors can investigate without prior notice by correspondence, telephone or review of submitted materials, and an investigator who is refused entry at a contractor's establishment can seek an administrative warrant. After a citation, the director has seven days to notify you of the proposed penalty. You then have 15 working days to say you want to contest it. Miss that window and Iowa Code 91C.8(6) makes the citation and assessment a final order of the employment appeal board that no court or agency will review. Contest it and the appeal board reviews and issues an order that becomes final sixty days later. There is a quieter penalty as well. Iowa Code 91C.7(1) bars an unregistered contractor from being awarded a contract to perform work for the state or a state agency.
Registration does not let you do everything inside a remodel. Iowa licenses the mechanical trades separately and DIAL says so on the contractor registration page: if your business provides any plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal or hydronic systems services, you must obtain a license with the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board. Iowa Code 91C.1(4) merges the paperwork rather than the requirement. A contractor licensed under Iowa Code chapter 105 registers as a contractor in conjunction with the licensing process, and DIAL collects both the registration and licensing applications as one combined application. DIAL's page describes it as a joint application for a three-year registration and contractor license, and says you are not required to also complete an online or paper application with contractor registration. The plumbing and mechanical board publishes separate credential tracks that a remodeler may need to hire against, including apprentice, journeyman, master, contractor, a service technician HVAC specialty license, medical gas piping certification and a hearth license. Electrical work runs through DIAL electrical licensing, where Iowa Code chapter 103 governs. DIAL notes that an applicant for a Class A journeyman license must have completed an apprenticeship training program registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training of the United States Department of Labor, and the division publishes license classifications, affidavit forms, a license fee schedule, continuing education requirements and a path for license by verification from another state. DIAL also runs state electrical permitting and inspection in jurisdictions that do not do their own. For a general remodeler the planning point is simple. Price the plumbing, mechanical and electrical scope as licensed subcontracted work unless you employ licensed people, and confirm each sub carries its own contractor registration.
Sourcesdial.iowa.gov 1legis.iowa.gov 2dial.iowa.gov 3dial.iowa.gov 4
Iowa adds a certification layer that applies to a large share of remodeling work, and it is enforced by DIAL. Since April 2010, Iowa law has required certification for renovations that disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 residential housing or child occupied facilities. Every renovation must have at least one certified lead-safe renovator, and specific lead safe work practices must be followed. The requirements DIAL lists are certification with DIAL as a Lead-Safe Renovator, an eight hour Lead-Safe Renovator training course from an approved provider, a $60 annual certification fee per individual, and a four hour refresher course every three years. Firms must be certified too, and DIAL states there is no cost for firm certification. The rules reach any renovation that is not minor repair and maintenance. DIAL publishes the thresholds for minor work: less than one square foot of interior painted or finished wood surface per renovation, less than six square feet of painted or finished drywall or plaster surface per room, or less than 20 square feet of exterior painted or finished surface per renovation. Window replacement and demolition of painted surface areas are never minor. Projects in the same room within the same 30 days count as one project for that test. Work practices include posted warning signs, containment of dust and debris, covering objects in the work area, ground cover outdoors, HEPA vacuums, a post renovation cleaning verification, on-the-job training for noncertified workers, and a renovation report for each job. Separately, the Prerenovation Notification Rule in 641 IAC chapter 69 requires any contractor or landlord working on pre-1978 residential property or a child occupied facility to notify residents that lead-based paint disturbed by remodeling, renovation or repainting is a potential hazard, and to hand out the Iowa pamphlet on protecting families from lead poisoning.
Sourcesdial.iowa.gov
Iowa has no general home improvement contract statute, but it does have a door-to-door sales chapter that catches a lot of remodeling. Iowa Code chapter 555A applies to a sale, lease or rental of consumer goods or services with a purchase price of twenty-five dollars or more where the seller personally solicits the sale, including in response to an invitation from the buyer, and the buyer's agreement is made somewhere other than the seller's place of business. A contract signed at a kitchen table meets that description. Iowa Code 555A.2 requires the seller to hand the buyer a fully completed receipt or copy of the contract at the time of execution, in the language used in the oral presentation, showing the date of the transaction and the seller's name and address, and carrying in boldface type of at least ten points a statement that the buyer may cancel at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of the transaction. Iowa Code 555A.3 requires a separate, easily detachable Notice of Cancellation form in duplicate, in ten point boldface, with the prescribed wording. Iowa Code 555A.4 lists the seller's duties: furnish two completed copies, include no confession of judgment or waiver of the buyer's rights, inform the buyer orally of the right to cancel, never misrepresent it, honor a valid cancellation and refund all payments within ten business days, and refrain from selling or assigning any note to a third party before midnight of the seventh business day. Iowa Code 555A.5 voids the related indebtedness when a contract is rescinded or no copy was provided. Iowa Code 555A.6 makes a violation a simple misdemeanor and a violation of Iowa Code 714.16(2)(a).
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov
Iowa's mechanics lien system is tied to a state internet registry, and the deadline sits at the start of the job rather than the end. Iowa Code 572.13A requires a general contractor, or an owner-builder who has contracted or will contract with a subcontractor for labor or material, to post a notice of commencement of work to the mechanics notice and lien registry internet site no later than ten days after work commences on the property. The section applies only to residential construction properties, which puts most remodeling squarely inside it. The notice must carry the name and address of the owner, the name, address and telephone number of the general contractor or owner-builder, the address of the property or a description of its location if it cannot reasonably be identified by address, a legal description adequate to charge the property with a lien, the date work commenced, the tax parcel identification number, and anything else the administrator prescribes by rule. A notice of commencement is effective only as to labor, service, equipment or material furnished after it is posted. When it is posted, the administrator assigns a registry number and sends the owner the notice described in Iowa Code 572.13, which warns the owner that people furnishing labor or materials can enforce a lien even without a direct contract with the owner, and advises the owner to check the registry and obtain lien waivers before paying. The penalty for skipping this is severe and specific. Iowa Code 572.13A(4) states that a general contractor who fails to provide notice under the section is not entitled to the lien and remedy the chapter provides. If you do not post within ten days, a subcontractor may post the notice along with its own preliminary notice, and no preliminary notice can be posted until a notice of commencement exists.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov
Iowa taxes remodeling differently from repair, and the split changes what goes on your invoice. The Iowa Department of Revenue contractors guide states that when a contractor performs new construction, reconstruction, alteration, expansion or remodeling, the contractor must pay sales or use tax on the building materials and supplies at the time they are purchased and does not collect any tax from the customer, and does not charge sales tax on the sales price of the labor involved in completing the job. Contractors are generally treated as the final consumers of building materials, supplies and equipment. If the seller did not charge tax at purchase, the contractor owes use tax on the purchase price. Materials delivered in Iowa are subject to tax. Jobs that do not rise to the level of new construction, reconstruction, alteration, expansion or remodeling, which the department describes as repairs and installations, work the other way: the business must charge sales tax on the sales price of the building materials, supplies and taxable labor used, and repair businesses are told to itemize materials, supplies and labor. A contractor-retailer that withdraws materials from inventory for a remodeling job owes use tax on the purchase price it paid its supplier. Carpeting is its own trap. The department treats carpeting as tangible personal property rather than building materials, so contractors should buy it for resale with an exemption certificate, must hold a sales and use tax permit to do so, and must then charge the customer sales tax on the sales price of the carpet. Carpet installation is exempt, but only if the bill is itemized to show tax charged on the carpet alone. Other floor coverings shaped to fit a room and permanently attached count as building materials. Iowa Code chapters 423, 423B and 423D and 701 IAC chapter 219 carry the detail.
Sourcesrevenue.iowa.gov
The state registry is not the last stop. DIAL tells contractors to contact the city or county government for each project to determine local requirements, and Iowa's three largest cities handle remodelers three different ways. Cedar Rapids does not add its own contractor license. Its building services page states that in order for contractors to perform work and be issued a permit in the City of Cedar Rapids, licensing with the State of Iowa is required, and it points contractors to state resources for building, electrical and mechanical or plumbing credentials. Homeowners pulling permits on a primary residence are asked to call the office at 319-286-5939. Davenport does add its own license, and it has teeth. Work regulated by city ordinance must be performed by or under the direct supervision of an individual licensed as a contractor, and no person or company may engage in construction contracting without a current license certificate issued under City Code 15.30. Licenses are issued to individuals only, who may then secure permits and supervise work for a company. Applicants must meet minimum training and experience qualifications for each category and pass standardized testing, with exams through the International Code Council or Prometric and a passing score of 70 percent for general building candidates. Davenport fees are $300 commercial, $200 residential and $100 sub-specialty, and a $25,000 surety bond is required. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing licenses carry no city fee, a $5,000 bond, and testing by the State of Iowa. Des Moines works through codes and permits rather than a contractor license. Effective January 1, 2026, the city adopted the 2024 International Building Code, 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Existing Building Code and 2024 International Fire Code, and it publishes a minor maintenance and repair permit exemption policy plus a work exempt from permits handout.
Sourcesdial.iowa.gov 1cedar-rapids.org 2davenportiowa.com 3dsm.city 4dsm.city 5
Iowa is unusual here, and knowing it is worth money. Neither Iowa Code chapter 91C nor 481 IAC chapter 465 requires a registered construction contractor to print a registration number on advertising, vehicles, websites or written estimates, and neither imposes a penalty for leaving it off. The three citable violations under Iowa Code 91C.8(2) are failing to register, filing information that is not substantially complete and accurate, and failing to file the out-of-state bond. Nothing in the chapter restricts the wording of your advertising either, beyond the obvious limit that a remodeler may not advertise plumbing, mechanical, HVAC or electrical services it is not licensed to provide, and may not present registration as a license. Volunteering the number anyway is the move, because the verification path is public and your customers are being told to use it. Iowa Code 91C.5(1) requires the director to issue each registered contractor an identifying public registration number, to compile records of the names and numbers of all registered contractors, and to take the steps necessary to make that information accessible to government agencies and the general public. The registration information itself is a public record. DIAL links a check a contractor license tool from its contractor registration page, which opens the Iowa Workforce Development labor portal public search. The Iowa Attorney General sends consumers to the same place and frames it the right way: registration is not a quality guarantee, but it is an important first verification step. The attorney general consumer page also tells homeowners to ask for proof of liability insurance, ask about permits and inspections, get the scope and change-order process in writing, limit upfront payment, and ask about lien waivers before final payment. Answer all of that in your proposal and you look like the registered option. One more reason to lead with the number: it proves compliance, not competence. Iowa Code chapter 91C and 481 IAC chapter 465 set no exam, no experience hours and no continuing education for a construction contractor registration, so the registry cannot sort you by anything the state measured. Put the four items the state did verify in front of the customer early. Your C number. A current certificate of workers compensation insurance. The lead-safe renovator certification if the house predates 1978. The city permit you intend to pull. Most of your competition will not volunteer any of them.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov 1legis.iowa.gov 2dial.iowa.gov 3iowaattorneygeneral.gov 4laborportal.iwd.iowa.gov 5
Three things remodelers ask about that Iowa answers in the negative or not at all. First, there is no contractor recovery fund. Iowa Code chapter 91C creates no recovery or guaranty fund a homeowner could claim against for defective or abandoned remodeling work, and the one fund the chapter used to carry, the registration fund at Iowa Code 91C.9, was repealed by 2024 Iowa Acts chapter 1182. Fees now go to the licensing and regulation fund created in Iowa Code 10A.507, and administrative penalties collected under the chapter go to the general fund of the state. A dissatisfied customer's remedies are contract and tort claims in court, the consumer fraud route under Iowa Code 714.16, and a complaint to the Iowa Attorney General consumer protection division, which says some contractor problems are private contract disputes requiring legal advice or court action. Second, complaints about registration itself go to DIAL. 481 IAC 465.9 lets DIAL investigate without prior notice and protects a complainant's identifying information in defined circumstances, and 481 IAC 465.12 allows citation proceedings and revocation proceedings to run at the same time against one contractor. Third, reciprocity. Chapter 91C contains no reciprocity provision for contractor registration, which makes sense because there is no license to reciprocate: an out-of-state remodeler registers the same way an Iowa one does, plus the $25,000 bond or the Iowa Department of Transportation prequalification statement. The reciprocity question matters only for the trade licenses, and DIAL's electrical licensing division does publish a license by verification from another state form. 481 IAC 465.2 defines principal place of business by seven factors, including where payroll is prepared, where officers reside and work, and where management decisions are made, so expanding into Iowa does not make you an in-state contractor on paper.
Sourceslegis.iowa.gov 1legis.iowa.gov 2dial.iowa.gov 3iowaattorneygeneral.gov 4dial.iowa.gov 5
These are common details other guides publish about Iowa, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
No. Iowa registers construction contractors rather than licensing them. The Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing runs registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C. There is no state remodeling exam, no required experience hours and no continuing education. Plumbing, mechanical, HVAC and electrical work still require separate trade licenses from their own boards.
The rule sets $50 for a one-year registration or $150 for a three-year registration, and Iowa Code 91C.4 caps the annual fee at fifty dollars. A self-employed contractor who pays no more than two thousand dollars a year to employ others, and does not work with other contractors in the same phase, may file a fee exemption form instead.
Two thousand dollars a year from construction. Iowa Code 91C.1 says a person earning less than that annually is not a contractor for purposes of the chapter, and neither is a person working on their own property. Above the floor, registration must be in place before you perform any construction work in the state.
Only if your principal place of business is outside Iowa. Those contractors file a $25,000 surety bond on the state bond form, or show prequalification to bid Iowa Department of Transportation work. A branch office in Iowa does not exempt you. Out-of-state subcontractors need their own registration and their own bond.
The director issues a citation. Penalties run to not more than $500 for a first violation and not more than $5,000 per violation for a second or later one. You get fifteen working days to contest. Unregistered contractors also cannot be awarded contracts to perform work for the state or a state agency.
Every year, unless you bought the three-year term. DIAL mails or emails a renewal form the month before expiration, and renewing on time keeps your existing registration number. Incorporating a sole proprietorship does not transfer: you reapply as a new business and receive a new number.
Yes, for renovations disturbing painted surfaces in pre-1978 housing or child occupied facilities. Every job needs at least one certified lead-safe renovator, the firm must also be certified, and certification requires eight hours of approved training with a four hour refresher every three years. Individual certification costs sixty dollars a year.
If you solicited the sale and it was signed away from your place of business, Iowa Code chapter 555A gives the buyer until midnight of the third business day to cancel. You must supply a boldface cancellation statement, two copies of a detachable Notice of Cancellation, oral notice of the right, and refunds within ten business days.
On residential construction, Iowa Code 572.13A requires the general contractor to post a notice of commencement of work to the mechanics notice and lien registry within ten days of starting. Miss it and you are not entitled to the lien and remedy the chapter provides. Subcontractors cannot post preliminary notices until that notice exists.
No. For new construction, reconstruction, alteration, expansion or remodeling, the Department of Revenue says you pay sales or use tax on materials at purchase and collect nothing from the customer, including on labor. Repairs and installations that do not rise to that level require tax on materials and taxable labor instead.
Davenport does. City Code 15.30 requires an individual contractor license, with standardized testing at a seventy percent passing score, fees of $300 commercial, $200 residential or $100 sub-specialty, and a $25,000 bond. Cedar Rapids requires state licensing to pull a permit. Des Moines works through adopted codes and permits.
No. Chapter 91C creates no recovery or guaranty fund, and the registration fund it once contained was repealed in 2024. Fees go to the licensing and regulation fund and penalties go to the state general fund. Homeowner remedies are court action, consumer fraud claims, and complaints to the attorney general.
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