Effective July 1, 2025, Iowa’s new home inspection law implements new legal requirements for the home inspection industry. While there is likely more that can be done in regulating home inspections for the protection of sellers and buyers, the Iowa Code now clearly defines who is qualified to perform inspections, sets conflict-of-interest prohibitions for inspectors, and establishes detailed disclosure and reporting requirements.
Under OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy, multiple employers on a shared jobsite can be cited for the same alleged OSHA violation. Notably, general contractors can be cited even if their own employees were not directly involved. Understanding this policy is essential for managing risk and maintaining compliance.
On July 30, 2025, the Iowa Supreme Court granted a landlord’s application for discretionary review of a district court order that affirmed the dismissal of forcible entry and detainer action against a tenant who was holding over following termination of her lease for failure to cure her nonpayment of rent.
On July 1, 2025, three laws affecting the construction industry took effect.
On May 30, 2025, construction attorneys, Jodie McDougal and Brandon Underwood, presented at the Iowa State Bar Association’s Annual Construction Law Seminar.
A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade has invalidated several tariffs imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year, including the “Liberation Day” tariffs and those targeting imports from Mexico, Canada and China.
On April 25, 2025, Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 574, which amends Iowa Code Chapter 573 by, among other things, reducing the maximum retainage that may be held by public owners on Iowa public construction projects from 5% to 3%.
In construction projects, deadlines are key. Property owners want to know when their project will be completed, and contractors want to know how long they have to get their permits, order materials, deploy subcontractors, and do everything else that goes into satisfying an owner’s deadlines.
As with the prior tariffs, recent changes could lead to higher costs for building materials, supply chain disruptions and challenges in budgeting and project timelines for those in the construction and real estate development industries.
On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a broad set of new and increased tariffs on imported goods from around the world — including key materials commonly used in construction and real estate development. These changes could lead to higher costs for building materials, supply chain disruptions, and challenges in budgeting and project timelines.