573.15A Early release of retained funds.

Notwithstanding section 573.14, a public corporation may release retained funds upon completion of ninety-five percent of the contract in accordance with the following:

1. Any person, firm, or corporation who has, under contract with the principal contractor or with subcontractors, performed labor, or furnished materials, service, or transportation, in the construction of the public improvement, may file with the public corporation an itemized, sworn, written statement of the claim for the labor, or materials, service, or transportation. The claim shall be filed with the public corporation either before the expiration of the thirty days after completion of ninety-five percent of the contract or at any time after the thirty-day period if the public corporation has not paid the full contract price and no action is pending to adjudicate rights in and to the unpaid portion of the contract price.

2. The fund, as provided in section 573.13, shall be retained by the public corporation for a period of thirty days after ninety-five percent of the contract has been completed. If at the end of the thirty-day period, a claim has been filed, in accordance with this section, the public corporation shall continue to retain from the unpaid funds, a sum equal to double the total amount of all claims on file. The remaining balance of the unpaid fund, or if there are no claims on file, the entire unpaid fund, may be released and paid to the contractor.

3. The public corporation, the principal contractor, or any claimant for labor or materials, service, or transportation, who has filed a claim or the surety on any bond given for performance of the contract, at any time after the expiration of thirty days, and not later than sixty days after the completion of ninety-five percent of the contract, may bring an action in equity in the county where the public improvement is located to determine rights to moneys contained in the fund or to enforce liability on the bond. The action shall be brought in accordance with sections 573.16 through 573.18, with the completion of ninety-five percent of the contract taking the place of the date of final acceptance.

4. A public corporation that releases funds at the completion of ninety-five percent of the contract, in accordance with this section, shall not be required to retain additional funds.

96 Acts, ch 1126, §6