Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Iowa

The deputy cannot forcibly enter your house without a warrant. I see nothing wrong with waiting in your driveway. I suppose techically the summons can be thrown at you, but I would be surprised if a deputy would act that unprofessionally. The individual serving you is not necessarily a deputy--private process servers often serve individuals in Iowa.

On the other hand, just accept service. If you avoid service, the plaintiff will just serve you by publication, which you cannot avoid.

You're asking all the wrong questions. The right question is why wouldn't you just open the door and accept service of process. My advice is to stop bellyaching about the sheriff and start dealing with the lawsuit allegations.