The court may order a reply to an answer or to an answer to a cross-petition.
Rule 1.406.Reply
Division IV: Pleadings and Motions · Last amended February 15, 2002 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.406 leaves the decision to the court: a reply to an answer, or to an answer to a cross-petition, is filed only if the court orders one, not automatically as a matter of right.
Full Text of Rule 1.406
Plain-English Summary
Rule 1.406 is one sentence, and it settles a question that trips up litigants used to filing a reply automatically whenever an answer raises something new: in Iowa, a reply is not a pleading a party can file on its own initiative. The court may order a reply to an answer, or to an answer to a cross-petition, but unless and until it does, no reply is required or expected.
This fits the closed list of pleadings in Rule 1.401, which does not include an ordinary reply to an answer among the pleadings allowed as a matter of course. A party who thinks a reply is needed — because the answer raised something that calls for a response — can ask the court to order one, but the decision belongs to the court, not to the parties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to file a reply if the defendant's answer raises new matter?
No, not automatically. Rule 1.406 leaves that decision to the court — a reply is filed only if the court orders one.
Who decides whether a reply gets filed in an Iowa case?
The court. Rule 1.406 gives the court the authority to order a reply to an answer, or to an answer to a cross-petition.
Does a reply ever get filed in response to an answer to a cross-petition?
Yes, if the court orders one. Rule 1.406 covers replies to an answer to a cross-petition as well as replies to an ordinary answer.
Can a party ask the court to order a reply?
The rule contemplates the court ordering a reply; a party who believes one is warranted can bring that to the court's attention, though the decision rests with the court.
What happens if the court never orders a reply?
No reply is filed, since Rule 1.406 does not make a reply to an answer part of the pleadings allowed as a matter of course.
Source & verification. Rule text and the Comment are
reproduced verbatim from the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Iowa Supreme Court. Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: iowa reply to answer rulewhen is a reply required iowacourt ordered reply iowa civilreply to cross petition answer iowaiowa pleading reply optional