Iowa Code § 564.6: Notice, service and record.

Said notice, signed by the owner of the land, the owner’s agent, or guardian, may be served in the same manner as in a civil action, upon the party, the party’s agent, or guardian, if within this state, otherwise on the tenant or occupant, if there be any, and it, with the return thereof, shall be recorded within three months thereafter in the recorder’s office of the county in which the land is situated.