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Respondent must file an Answer within 20 days after receiving the Petition and Original Notice, or the court may enter a judgment against Respondent giving Petitioner what he or she asked for in the Petition. Use this Answer form 115 if you received Petition form 101, otherwise use form 116.

A defendant's or respondent's answer must be electronically filed with the court. The papers (original notice and petition) that were served on the defendant or respondent tell how long the defendant or respondent has to file an answer. For information on calculating answer deadlines, see Iowa Code section 4.1(34).

In Iowa, you have to file an action against the other party to seek enforcement of the existing court decree order. The enforcement action is formally known as an Application for Rule to Show Cause, commonly referred to as a contempt filing. This filing brings the opposing party's bad acts to the court's attention.

If the defendant fails to answer and the clerk of court determines proper notice was given to the defendant, the clerk of court or a judge may enter a default judgment against the defendant if the plaintiff's damages are clearly identified.

If you want to file for divorce or are responding to a divorce your spouse has filed without using an attorney, you must use the forms in chapter 17 of the Iowa Court Rules. The forms are available free of charge on this website.

You must electronically file this Appearance and Answer using EDMS at unless you obtain from the court an exemption from electronic filing requirements.