Shelby County Contractor Notice to Owner Form

Last validated May 20, 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 5/5/2026
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 5/19/2026
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 5/20/2026

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

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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:
  • White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
  • Double-check legal descriptions match your existing deed
  • Request a receipt showing your recording numbers
  • Avoid the last business day of the month when possible
  • Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned

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 - ( 4736 Reviews )

PETER A.

May 15th, 2025

Got the forms I needed after getting forms for the wrong county and paying twice. My bad!

Reply from Staff

Thanks for your feedback! Just to clarify—when an order is placed for the wrong county, we’re happy to help. In this case, we canceled the original order and refunded the payment so there was no duplicate charge. Glad you got the correct forms in the end!

Casey S.

March 21st, 2026

I had a really good experience. I bought two forms from a different website and they didn’t help me at all. Granted, I only paid the minimum here I bought the upgrade and they showed me how to fill it out and what it should look like I went and had it notarized and took it to the county recorder and everything went smoothly. Highly suggest.

Reply from Staff

Glad it all came together smoothly for you, Casey. Appreciate you giving us a shot and taking the time to share your experience.

Ed H.

June 28th, 2025

I filled out the Kansas form and presented it to the Clerk of Deeds in Rawlins Co and there were no problems and no expensive attorney involved for a simple transaction.

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CHARLES V.

June 4th, 2019

Legit. Reasonable prices.

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March 5th, 2025

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Robert K.

June 13th, 2021

Very user friendly - I found the affidavit I needed right away together with the guide to filling it out.

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Thank you!

Kenneth H.

January 9th, 2020

Easy download, informative examples. Very good experience.

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Myron M.

June 30th, 2020

This is what we need and it was very helpful and easy to fill out. Thanks

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raymond w.

February 24th, 2022

answeed many questions I had.

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ed c.

May 24th, 2022

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Milica K.

March 23rd, 2021

Very fast and reliable service.

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Hanna M.

June 10th, 2019

Very helpful information! Thank you for your service!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Roman F.

May 22nd, 2026

You form was good the only thing that did not work was the download to fill it out !!! I use a Mac system and maybe that's what the issue was. I filled it out by hand and it worked for the purpose .

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the kind words, Roman. Glad the form worked for you. For the fillable fields, the PDF opens best in a dedicated reader like Preview or Adobe Acrobat rather than inside a browser window, which can sometimes flatten them out. We appreciate your business.

Judith G.

January 25th, 2019

Thank you, it was easy and fast. The clerks office filed without question.

Reply from Staff

Thank you Judith, have a fantastic day!

Karelia W.

February 14th, 2024

Was a bit skeptical because I'd never heard of it, but just got something submitted and confirmed recorded in less than 24 hrs. UI could use some work but other than that, straightforward and works!

Reply from Staff

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