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Iowa Statutes of Limitations

What is the statute of limitations for your legal rights in Iowa?


Iowa Statute of Limitation

Statute of Limitation Laws in Iowa

Iowa State SealIn order to convict you of an offense or sue you for monetary gain, your crime, tort or contractual agreement must fall within a certain time-line allowed by law. An Iowa law on statute of limitations is simply that time which is allotted by the law as written by the state of Iowa within which you can be convicted or held liable for a debt.

Below is the Iowa statute of limitations listings for a number of different offenses and torts. While this list is updated regularly, often-times laws in every state get modified, repealed, amended or changed by legislation. Please consult with a qualified Iowa attorney in this and any other legal matter.

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IOWA STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

Type of Offense Length of Statute
Any Capital Offense:No Limit
Rape:10 Years
Drug trafficking:3 Years
Forgery (felony):3 Years
Counterfeiting(felony):3 Years
Contracts:10 Years
Injury to personal property:2 Years
Open accounts for debt collections:5 Years
Judgments Foreign | Domestic:10 Years
Wrongful Death:2 Years
Medical Malpractice Actions:The statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits in Iowa is two (2) years. If the victim did not immediately discover the injury, they have 2 years from the date of discovery. The suit may not be filed more than 6 years after the date of the initial injury. Minors under the age of 8 have 2 years to file suit or until their 10th birthday, whichever is later. Minors 8 years of age or older have 2 years to file. If the medical malpractice resulted in a wrongful death the statute of limitations is 2 years from the date of death.
Code Section § 614.1(9)
Fraud:2 years from when the fraud was or reasonably should have been discovered.
Intentional Torts:2 Years
Libel | Slander | Defamation:2 Years
Personal Injury Actions:2 years from the date of injury
Rules for Minors:Limitation period begins to run on the minors 18th birthday, except in cases of medical malpractice or wrongful death
Oral Agreements:5 Years
Products Liability Actions:Within 2 years of the date of discovery
Complete Iowa criminal revised statute of limitations can be found on the Iowa Criminal Statute of Limitations page.
Disclaimer: Statute of Limitation laws in every state get modified, repealed, amended, and/or changed by the legislature of that states jurisdiction. The authors and webmaster of StatuteofLimitation.info have made every effort to post the most current laws. Please use this site as a general reference and for comparison purposes. Do not substitute any information from this site for advice you would get from a qualified legal professional

Iowa Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

In order for an Iowa debt collector or debt buyer to sue you to collect a debt they have to do that within the time limits that the state of Iowa law requires. This is what is known as the statute of limitations. If they sue you outside of that statute of limitations then that may violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Even threatening to sue you beyond the statute of limitations can also be considered a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) violation.

If you are dealing with an unscrupulous Iowa debt collector that is threatening you with a lawsuit, whether verbal or written, for an old debt, then you need to look at the Iowa statute of limitations if that debt collector has a potential case against you or has potentially violated the FDCP Act.

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