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IA · Flood-disclosure law

Does a Iowa seller have to disclose flooding?

Iowa law requires sellers of residential property (1-4 dwelling units) to deliver a written disclosure statement before the buyer is bound, and the statutory disclosure form specifically asks whether there are known flooding, drainage, or grading problems and whether the property is in a flood plain.

Iowa at a glance

Flood-specific disclosure

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

DisclosureRequired
Opt-outNone
Primary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026
Iowa Code ch. 558A (esp. 558A.4 required information; 558A.6 liability/remedy); disclosure form prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code r. 193E-14.1

The 4-card answer

Iowa flood-disclosure, decoded

Whether the seller must disclose, what triggers it, the penalties, and any opt-out gotcha — each card cites its source.

Does the seller have to disclose flooding?

Disclosure required

Flood-specific disclosure

Iowa law requires sellers of residential property (1-4 dwelling units) to deliver a written disclosure statement before the buyer is bound, and the statutory disclosure form specifically asks whether there are known flooding, drainage, or grading problems and whether the property is in a flood plain.

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

Iowa Code ch. 558A (esp. 558A.4 required information; 558A.6 liability/remedy); disclosure form prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code r. 193E-14.1Primary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026

What triggers the duty

  • Sale of residential real property with at least one and no more than four dwelling units
  • Seller must deliver the written disclosure statement to the buyer before the buyer makes a written offer / before the buyer is otherwise obligated
  • Known flooding, drainage, or grading problems and flood-plain location are required disclosure items on the form

Penalties & remedies

A person who violates the chapter is liable to the buyer for actual damages, but only if the person had actual knowledge of the inaccuracy or failed to exercise ordinary care in obtaining the information (Iowa Code 558A.6).

Buyer remedy: Actual damages suffered by the transferee (buyer), subject to the actual-knowledge / ordinary-care standard in 558A.6.

Opt-out gotchas

No statutory opt-out or waiver-for-credit mechanism identified. The disclosure duty (where it exists) cannot simply be bought out.

Research note ▾

Statute text of 558A.6 (actual damages; actual-knowledge/ordinary-care limit) confirmed from Justia codification and Iowa Legislature search summaries. The mandated disclosure form's flooding item ('Any known settling, flooding, drainage or grading problems?') and flood-plain question confirmed via multiple form sources and 558A.4(2)'s requirement to answer all questions; form is prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code 193E-14.1. Official legis.iowa.gov PDFs returned non-extractable content via fetch, so primary statute text corroborated through Justia codification and search-result quotations.

Buyer's rights

If you're buying in Iowa

Your rights re-framed from the buyer's side, plus a pre-closing checklist that holds in every state.

What Iowa law gives you as a buyer

Iowa requires a seller disclosure (see the answer cards), so you have a statutory document to rely on — and a remedy if the seller knowingly withheld a material flood fact. Actual damages suffered by the transferee (buyer), subject to the actual-knowledge / ordinary-care standard in 558A.6.

Iowa Code ch. 558A (esp. 558A.4 required information; 558A.6 liability/remedy); disclosure form prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code r. 193E-14.1

Your pre-closing checklist (works in every state)

  • Pull a free FEMA flood-zone lookup

    Enter the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to see the property's flood-zone designation (Special Flood Hazard Area = Zone A/V). This is public and free, regardless of what the seller discloses.

    msc.fema.gov ↗

  • Request a CLUE / loss-history report

    A C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report shows insurance claims filed on the property in the last ~7 years, including water and flood claims. The current owner can pull theirs free once a year from LexisNexis.

    LexisNexis consumer disclosure ↗

  • Get an independent inspection — ask about water

    Hire your own inspector and specifically flag drainage, grading, sump pumps, and signs of past water intrusion (staining, efflorescence, fresh paint in basements). An inspection contingency protects you if problems surface.

  • Get a flood-insurance quote before you waive contingencies

    Quote NFIP or private flood coverage early. Homeowners' insurance does NOT cover flood damage. A federally backed mortgage on a property in a Special Flood Hazard Area generally requires flood insurance — budget for it.

    floodsmart.gov ↗

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Iowa

Does the seller have to disclose flooding?

Disclosure required

Flood-specific disclosure

Iowa law requires sellers of residential property (1-4 dwelling units) to deliver a written disclosure statement before the buyer is bound, and the statutory disclosure form specifically asks whether there are known flooding, drainage, or grading problems and whether the property is in a flood plain.

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

Iowa Code ch. 558A (esp. 558A.4 required information; 558A.6 liability/remedy); disclosure form prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code r. 193E-14.1Primary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026

What triggers the duty

  • Sale of residential real property with at least one and no more than four dwelling units
  • Seller must deliver the written disclosure statement to the buyer before the buyer makes a written offer / before the buyer is otherwise obligated
  • Known flooding, drainage, or grading problems and flood-plain location are required disclosure items on the form

Penalties & remedies

A person who violates the chapter is liable to the buyer for actual damages, but only if the person had actual knowledge of the inaccuracy or failed to exercise ordinary care in obtaining the information (Iowa Code 558A.6).

Buyer remedy: Actual damages suffered by the transferee (buyer), subject to the actual-knowledge / ordinary-care standard in 558A.6.

Opt-out gotchas

No statutory opt-out or waiver-for-credit mechanism identified. The disclosure duty (where it exists) cannot simply be bought out.

Research note ▾

Statute text of 558A.6 (actual damages; actual-knowledge/ordinary-care limit) confirmed from Justia codification and Iowa Legislature search summaries. The mandated disclosure form's flooding item ('Any known settling, flooding, drainage or grading problems?') and flood-plain question confirmed via multiple form sources and 558A.4(2)'s requirement to answer all questions; form is prescribed by Iowa Admin. Code 193E-14.1. Official legis.iowa.gov PDFs returned non-extractable content via fetch, so primary statute text corroborated through Justia codification and search-result quotations.

Summary of Iowa law as of June 2026. Not legal advice.

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