An Act of God is a natural force outside of human control (such as an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane), and may relieve a party or parties to a contract or agreement from having to perform their obligations. Such Acts of God are often addressed in a force majeure clause, which typically appears near the end of the contract or agreement. A force majeure clause may also excuse a party's performance of its obligations for other reasons beyond its control, such as unavailability of products, riots, civil unrest, pandemics, and terrorism.

In Iowa, as in many jurisdictions, an 'Act of God' refers to an unforeseen natural event that is beyond human control, such as severe weather events or natural disasters. These events can impact contractual obligations, potentially excusing parties from performing their duties under a contract when such performance becomes impossible or impracticable. Force majeure clauses are contractual provisions that define the scope of unforeseeable events that excuse performance, including but not limited to Acts of God. These clauses may also cover other events like pandemics, terrorism, or supply chain disruptions. The specific language of the force majeure clause is critical in determining whether a party is excused from performance. Iowa courts will interpret these clauses based on the precise wording and the context of the contract. If a force majeure clause is not included in a contract, parties may still be excused from performance under the common law doctrine of impossibility or impracticability of performance, but this is a higher threshold to meet than a contractual force majeure provision.