1.411(1) Required information. Each appearance, notice, motion, or pleading shall be captioned with the title of the case, naming the court, parties, and instrument, and shall bear the signature, personal identification number, address, telephone number, and, if available, facsimile transmission number and e- mail address of the party or attorney filing it. The caption of the first papers filed or served by or on behalf of any named party shall include the personal identification number of each named party if available or as soon as is available. The caption of a petition shall state whether the action is at law or equity. In all subsequent papers filed or served, the caption need name only the first of several coparties.
Rule 1.411.Caption and signature
Division IV: Pleadings and Motions · Last amended July 15, 2007 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.411 sets what every caption must show — the case title, court, parties, and type of paper — and requires a signature along with contact information on every appearance, notice, motion, or pleading, while keeping social security numbers out of the public file through a separate confidential form.
Full Text of Rule 1.411
(2) Personal identification numbers. In lieu of including social security numbers on pleadings, parties shall complete a confidential information form available from the clerk of court. The clerk shall separately file the confidential information forms, and the social security numbers contained therein shall be confidential and cannot be disclosed except as authorized by federal or state law.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 1.411(1) requires every appearance, notice, motion, or pleading to carry a caption naming the court, the parties, and the type of document, and to bear the signature of whoever filed it, along with that person's identification number, address, phone number, and fax number and email address if available. The first papers filed or served for a named party must include that party's personal identification number if it is available, or as soon as it becomes available. A petition's caption must also state whether the case is at law or in equity. Once a case is underway, later filings do not need to repeat every coparty's name — naming the first of several coparties is enough.
Rule 1.411(2) protects a more sensitive piece of information. Rather than putting a social security number on a pleading, parties fill out a confidential information form available from the clerk. The clerk files that form separately from the rest of the case record, and the social security numbers it contains stay confidential, disclosed only when federal or state law authorizes it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information has to appear in the caption of an Iowa filing?
The title of the case, the court, the parties, and the type of instrument being filed, under Rule 1.411(1).
What contact details does a signature block need to include?
The filer's signature, personal identification number, address, and telephone number, along with a fax number and email address if available.
Do all the defendants' names have to appear on every single filing in the case?
No. Rule 1.411(1) requires all named parties in the first papers filed or served, but in subsequent filings, only the first of several coparties needs to be named.
Can I put my social security number directly on a pleading?
No. Rule 1.411(2) requires social security numbers to go on a separate confidential information form instead of appearing on the pleading itself.
How does the confidential information form work?
It is available from the clerk of court, filed separately from the rest of the case, and kept confidential — the social security numbers in it are disclosed only as authorized by federal or state law.
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 caption requirements pleadingsignature block requirements iowaconfidential information form iowa courtiowa personal identification number pleadingsocial security number pleading iowa