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What does Iowa law tell a homeowner before a home job?

Iowa earns a C in the 2026 Home Job Readiness Grade, with 4 of 6 possible points on 3 scored measures. The grade covers what state law and official state pages tell a homeowner about deposits, written contracts, cancelling and an online contractor record.

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Iowa Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: C (4 of 6 points)

This grade is a compilation of statute text and official state pages, reviewed 24 October 2026. It is not legal advice.

How did each measure score?

Statutory deposit limit: 0 of 2 points

No statutory deposit limit was found in the official sources reviewed 22 October 2026. Not found means not found in the sources checked; it is not an official statement that the state has no cap.

Official sources reviewed: source 1

Written-contract rule for home-improvement work: Not scored

Not scored: written-contract rule for home-improvement work - the official text on file did not settle this measure for both reviewers (reviewed 24 October 2026).

Statutory right to cancel: 2 of 2 points

A state statute gives a right to cancel that reaches home-improvement contracts or sales made at the home within the scope and dollar limits in the quoted words below.

1. F urnish two copies of the notice of cancellation to the buyer , and complete both copies by entering the name of the seller , the address of the seller ’s place of business, the date of the transaction, and the date, not earlier than the third business day following the date of the transaction, by which the buyer may give notice of cancellation.

Source: Iowa Code § 555A.4(1), read 14 October 2026

Online public record of the state's home-contractor credential: 2 of 2 points

The state publishes an online public record of its statewide home-contractor credential. A lookup is an optional public-record step.

Search Iowa contractor registration before hiring.

Source: iowaattorneygeneral.gov, read 22 October 2026

What is not scored, and why?

A measure we could not settle from official text is not scored: it leaves both the points earned and the points possible, so it never counts against a state.

Is there a federal rule too?

Federal rule, not scored here: 16 CFR 429.1(a), the FTC door-to-door sales rule, covers a sale the seller personally solicits that is agreed at a place other than the seller's place of business, for $25 or more at the buyer's home or $130 or more elsewhere, with exceptions in 16 CFR 429.0. For those sales it requires this statement in the buyer's contract or receipt:

You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction.

Source: 16 CFR 429.1(a), eCFR, read 22 October 2026

What can a homeowner check in Iowa before hiring?

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Iowa Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: C, points by measure

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<figure><img src="https://instabids.ai/fl/data/home-job-readiness-grade/iowa.svg" alt="Iowa Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: C, points by measure" width="640"><figcaption><a href="https://instabids.ai/us/home-job-readiness-grade/iowa">InstaBids</a></figcaption></figure>

All 50 states and the District of Columbia, and how the grade works

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