Personal jurisdiction is the authority a court has to make legally enforceable orders related to a person or entity and the property of the person or entity, and usually arises when a person has been sued in a lawsuit. For a court to have personal jurisdiction, the person or entity generally (1) must be a resident of the state in which the court is located; (2) as a nonresident, must have initiated sufficient minimum contacts with the state in which the lawsuit is filed; or (3) must have agreed to be governed by the laws of the state (in a contract or website terms) in which the lawsuit is filed.

In Iowa, as in other states, personal jurisdiction refers to the power of a state court to bring a person or entity into its court system and make decisions that are legally binding upon them. For an Iowa court to establish personal jurisdiction, the defendant must typically have a substantial connection to the state. This can be established if the defendant is a resident of Iowa or if the nonresident defendant has sufficient minimum contacts with Iowa, such as conducting business in the state, owning property, or committing a tort within the state. Additionally, personal jurisdiction can be consented to if a person or entity agrees to the jurisdiction of Iowa courts, which can occur through contractual agreements or by accepting the terms of service on a website that stipulates Iowa law will govern disputes. Iowa courts will analyze the nature and quality of the contacts to ensure that exercising jurisdiction complies with traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice, in line with the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.