# Iowa statute of limitations on debt

> In Iowa, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 10 years under Iowa Code § 614.1(5). Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

- Source: https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/iowa/
- Publisher: Otto — https://ottoforfirms.com
- Updated: 2026-09-01

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In Iowa, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 10 years under Iowa Code § 614.1(5).

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Iowa must be brought within 10 years.

**Authority.** [Iowa Code § 614.1(5)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/614.pdf)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 10 yr |
| Oral contract | 5 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | 10 yr |

## What the statute says

> 5. Written contracts — judgments of courts not of record — recovery of real property and rent. a. Except as provided in paragraph "b", those founded on written contracts, or on judgments of any courts except those provided for in subsection 6, and those brought for the recovery of real property, within ten years. b. Those founded on claims for rent, within five years.

— [Iowa Code § 614.1(5)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/614.pdf)

## When does the clock start?

Iowa Code § 614.1 opening: actions may be brought within the stated times "after their causes accrue, and not afterwards, except when otherwise specially declared." For accounts, § 614.5 (Open account): "When there is a continuous, open, current account, the cause of action shall be deemed to have accrued on the date of the last item therein, as proved on the trial."

## What pauses it?

Iowa Code § 614.6: the periods in §§ 614.1 through 614.5 are "computed omitting any time when ... The defendant is a nonresident of the state." § 614.8 extends the period one year past removal of disability for minors and persons with mental illness. § 614.13 excludes time during which suit is stayed by injunction or statutory prohibition. § 614.7 imports a foreign bar as a defense.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

## Related

- [Illinois statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/illinois/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Minnesota statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/minnesota/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Missouri statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/missouri/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.

## About Otto

This table is a free reference and it is not the product. Otto is case management for US collections law firms; the rules engine ships all fifty states configured — four shown in end-to-end depth in the demo — and it checks a date like this one before a file moves rather than after.

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This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.