Iowa Mobile Home Park Rent Control: 2026 Guide

Is mobile home lot rent controlled in Iowa?

No. Iowa has no rent control on manufactured-home / mobile-home lot rent. Nothing in state law caps how much you can raise a tenant's lot rent, and there is no percentage limit on an increase.

What Iowa does regulate is the process. Under the Manufactured Home Communities or Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Law (Iowa Code Chapter 562B), you must give written advance notice of any rent increase and time it to the lease term. You must also offer tenants a written rental agreement.

Bottom line for operators: you control the number, but the timing and paperwork are set by statute — and getting the 90-day notice wrong is the most common way a lot-rent increase gets challenged.

No statewide rent cap

Iowa sets no maximum on mobile-home lot rent. Chapter 562B contains no dollar limit and no percentage ceiling on increases — the amount is a business decision, not a regulated figure.

Because there is no cap, the enforceable constraints are the ones about how and when you raise rent: at least 90 days' written notice, and no increase taking effect before the current lease term (or its renewal) expires. Meet those and the increase amount itself is up to you.

This is different from a state like Oregon or California. In Iowa there is simply no statewide or emergency rent-cap formula to track.

The Chapter 562B rent-increase notice — 90 days

Iowa Code § 562B.14(7) is the controlling rule: 'Each tenant shall be notified, in writing, of any rent increase at least ninety days before the effective date. Such effective date shall not be sooner than the expiration date of the original rental agreement or any renewal or extension thereof.'

Two requirements are baked in. First, the notice must be in writing and delivered at least 90 days ahead. Second, the increase cannot take effect mid-lease — it can only land at the end of the current one-year term or a renewal/extension. Combined with the default one-year term in § 562B.10(5), this effectively limits lot-rent increases to once per lease period.

The 90-day figure is current as of HF 2562 (2022 Iowa Acts, ch. 1070), effective May 17, 2022. It was previously 60 days. The same law also requires 90 days' notice for utility-rate increases you pass through (§ 562B.14(6)(b)), unless your utility provider gave you less than 90 days' notice. Also remember § 562B.14(1): you must offer the tenant the opportunity to sign a written rental agreement for the lot.

Local rent control in Iowa

No Iowa city or county can impose lot-rent control. State law preempts it outright.

Iowa Code § 364.3(9) provides that 'A city shall not adopt or enforce any ordinance imposing any limitation on the amount of rent that can be charged for leasing private residential or commercial property.' Iowa Code § 331.304(10) imposes the identical bar on counties.

So there is no local percentage cap anywhere in Iowa — not in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, or any other jurisdiction. Local governments can still enforce health, safety, nuisance, and zoning rules, but not rent caps.

Rent-increase rules at a glance in Iowa

• Statewide cap
  None. No dollar or percentage limit on a lot-rent increase anywhere in Iowa.
• Written notice
  At least 90 days' written notice before any rent increase — Iowa Code § 562B.14(7).
• Timing of increase
  Increase cannot take effect before the original lease term or any renewal/extension expires — no mid-lease raises (§ 562B.14(7)).
• Default lease term
  One year unless otherwise specified; cancelable only on 90 days' written notice by either party (§ 562B.10(5)).
• Written agreement
  Landlord must offer the tenant the chance to sign a written lot rental agreement (§ 562B.14(1)).
• Utility increases
  Pass-through utility rate hikes also need 90 days' notice unless the provider gave you less (§ 562B.14(6)(b)).
• Local control
  Prohibited. Cities (§ 364.3(9)) and counties (§ 331.304(10)) cannot cap rent.
• Governing chapter
  Iowa Code Chapter 562B — the manufactured/mobile home park landlord-tenant law.

Operator best practices in Iowa

• Send the notice at 90+ days
  Count backward from the effective date and give written notice at least 90 days out. Build in a buffer for mailing and proof of delivery.
• Align increases to lease renewal
  Schedule any increase to take effect at the end of the one-year term or a renewal — never mid-lease — per § 562B.14(7).
• Put it in writing
  Use a written rental agreement for every lot and deliver a signed copy; keep dated proof of each rent-increase notice.
• Handle utility bumps the same way
  Give 90 days' notice on pass-through utility rate increases; document if your provider gave you shorter notice (§ 562B.14(6)(b)).
• Don't assume you're capped
  There is no percentage limit — but don't over-rely on that; abrupt or poorly noticed increases invite disputes and retaliation claims.
• Don't wait on a local ordinance
  Cities and counties cannot impose rent caps, so your only real constraint is the state 90-day/timing rule.
• Confirm the current day count before you act
  The notice period changed from 60 to 90 days in 2022 (HF 2562); verify § 562B.14(7) is still 90 days each time you plan an increase.
• Build a relationship with an Iowa MHP attorney
  Have licensed Iowa counsel review your notice template, lease form, and increase schedule — Chapter 562B has park-specific rules that differ from ordinary residential law.