Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Form

Last validated March 26, 2026 by our Forms Development Team

Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Form

Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Form

Fill in the blank Contractor Notice to Owner form formatted to comply with all Iowa recording and content requirements.

Document Last Validated 2/2/2026
Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Guide

Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Document Last Validated 3/26/2026
Shelby County Completed Example of the Contractor Notice to Owner Document

Shelby County Completed Example of the Contractor Notice to Owner Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.

Document Last Validated 3/18/2026

All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees

Immediate Download • Secure Checkout

Important: Your property must be located in Shelby County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

Where to Record Your Documents

Shelby County Recorder

Address:
Courthouse - 612 Court St, Rm 201 / PO Box 67
Harlan, Iowa 51537-0067

Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm M-F

Phone: (712) 755-5640

Recording Tips for Shelby County:
  • Double-check legal descriptions match your existing deed
  • Recording fees may differ from what's posted online - verify current rates
  • Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
  • Avoid the last business day of the month when possible
  • Check margin requirements - usually 1-2 inches at top

Cities and Jurisdictions in Shelby County

Properties in any of these areas use Shelby County forms:

  • Defiance
  • Earling
  • Elk Horn
  • Harlan
  • Irwin
  • Kirkman
  • Panama
  • Portsmouth
  • Westphalia

View Complete Recorder Office Guide

Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Shelby County

How do I get my forms?

Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Shelby County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.

Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Shelby County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Shelby County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.

Can I reuse these forms?

Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Shelby County you only need to order once.

What do I need to use these forms?

The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.

Are there any recurring fees?

No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

How much does it cost to record in Shelby County?

Recording fees in Shelby County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (712) 755-5640 for current fees.

Questions answered? Let's get started!

Liability of an Owner to the Original Contractor in Iowa

An owner of a building, land, or improvement upon which a subcontractor's mechanic's lien may be filed, is not required to pay the original contractor any compensation for work done or material furnished for the building, land, or improvement until the expiration of ninety (90) days after the completion of the building or improvement. I.C. 572.13(1). However, payment may be due sooner if the original contractor furnishes the owner with one of the following: a) receipts and waivers for any claims for mechanics' liens, signed by all persons who furnished material or performed labor for the building, land, or improvement; or b) good and sufficient bond to be approved by the owner, on the condition that the owner will be relieved from liability for any loss which the owner may sustain by reason of the filing of mechanics' liens by subcontractors. I.C. 572.13(1).

An original contractor entering into a contract for an owner-occupied dwelling and who has contracted or will contract with a subcontractor to provide labor or furnish material for the dwelling must include the following notice in any written contract with the owner and shall provide the owner with a copy of the written contract:

"Persons or companies furnishing labor or materials for the improvement of real property may enforce a lien upon the improved property if they are not paid for their contributions, even if the parties have no direct contractual relationship with the owner."

I.C. 572.13(2).

If there is no written contract between the original contractor and the dwelling owner, the original contractor must, within ten (10) days of commencement of work on the dwelling, provide a written notice to the dwelling owner stating the name and address of all subcontractors that the contractor intends to use for the construction and, that the subcontractors or suppliers may have lien rights in the event they are not paid for their labor or material used on this site. Id. The notice must be updated as additional subcontractors and suppliers are used from the names disclosed on any earlier notices. Id.

This notice is essential as any original contractor who fails to provide notice is not entitled to lien rights. Id.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice from a legal professional. Please contact an Iowa attorney with any questions about sending notice to a dwelling owner or anything else with regard to mechanic's liens.

Important: Your property must be located in Shelby County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.

This Contractor Notice to Owner meets all recording requirements specific to Shelby County.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Shelby County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.

Save Time and Money

Get your Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4693 Reviews )

Sylvia Y.

September 2nd, 2020

Fantastic forms! So nice to have them formatted correctly for our county, the recorder here can be very picky with the margins. No issues at all.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

timothy h.

November 12th, 2020

Too complicated and too expensive

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that Timothy, we do hope that you found something more suitable to your needs elsewhere. Have a wonderful day.

Ottomar H.

January 15th, 2022

Deeds site was easy to use and allowed me to print the forms I needed. No need to change anything.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Terrence R.

January 24th, 2020

So far so good I was able to find the documents I needed.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Sidney H.

August 3rd, 2022

Fabulous resource! They provide everything you need at an extremely reasonable price.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Kimberly H.

April 24th, 2020

Very convenient, easy to use, and fast! I highly recommend Deeds.com!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Norma G.

May 9th, 2019

Thank you! This is very helpful

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

William S.

June 26th, 2022

The forms worked well for entering information. I have finished without much trouble. Since the forms are Adobe PDF files you need the free app to use them but you can't edit unless you have the paid Adobe program. And, it was a reasonable price.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Keith K.

October 21st, 2022

More expensive that I would have thought.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Anthony G.

February 17th, 2021

I have only used the service on one occasion but so far it has been great. Extremely simple to use.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Linda W.

January 22nd, 2021

Fast service. From the time I sent my Quit Claim Deed to deeds.com, and six hours later my deed was recorded. It was painless, great convenience.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

LAWRENCE P.

December 7th, 2021

How about a single button zip download of the files displayed instead of downloading them one at a time?

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Keli A.

June 3rd, 2021

Excellent site, super fast responses to messages, and great patience with a newbie user. Couldn't be more pleased. Thank you!

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Wilburn R.

July 23rd, 2023

absolutely great

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

THOMAS C.

September 16th, 2020

Thank you for the fine, easy to implement service.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!