Dubuque, IA

Dubuque restricts loud construction noise to 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Monday through Friday and 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on weekends under City Code Section 6-5-1(F). Pile drivers and…

Dubuque bars outdoor music or amplified noise overnight under City Code Section 6-5-1(M): the cutoff is 10:00 P.M. Sunday through Thursday nights and midnight on Friday and Saturday…

Dubuque exempts lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other small garden tools from the general noise ban only if run within set hours: 8:00 A.M. to sunset Monday through Friday, and 9:00 A.M…

Dubuque code defines excessive barking heard from the public right-of-way as a dog nuisance, and 7-6B-5 makes it unlawful for an owner to let that nuisance continue. The rule sits…

Dubuque bans sounding a vehicle horn for any unnecessary or unreasonable period except as a danger warning, and requires every motor vehicle exhaust to run through a muffler that stops…

Iowa Code 657.11 grants animal feeding operations broad immunity from public and private nuisance suits, including noise and odor claims, preempting local ordinances that would…

Dubuque requires written permission from the city manager before anyone plants or removes a tree in the public right of way, under City Code Section 6-8-1(A). A companion provision…

Dubuque City Code section 6-8-2 makes it the duty of every property owner to keep any lot or parcel free of dense weeds, vines, brush or other vegetation that creates a health, safety…

Dubuque only treats a backyard compost pile as legal, not a public nuisance, if it stays under 5 feet tall and 75 square feet, sits screened from the street, and keeps a 20-foot gap…

In the City of Dubuque, developers may count cisterns and rain barrels that capture roof and downspout water toward the two-or-more low impact development tools required for site…

In the City of Dubuque, native plantings count as one of the low impact development tools a site can use to meet the two-or-more stormwater management requirement. Native species are…

Dubuque allows consumer fireworks only on July 3, July 4, and December 31 during set hours, and only on your own property or with the property owner's consent. Discharging them on any…

City Code section 6-9-2 makes it unlawful to burn or incinerate any solid waste in Dubuque except by permission of the city manager, covering wastepaper, boxes, building materials…

Dubuque City Code section 6-9-6, adopted by Ordinance 9-22 on March 7, 2022, requires multi-station smoke alarms on every level of an existing building that is being renovated and…

Section 6-9-2(A)(3) of the Dubuque City Code exempts outdoor cooking, small wood fires consistent with the international fire code's recreational-fire provision, bonfires and…

Iowa Code Chapter 101 and the State Fire Marshal's LP-gas rules regulate propane storage, installation, and dispensing universally across the state, adopting NFPA 58 standards. Local…

The state fire marshal may prohibit open burning across any designated area of Iowa during extremely dry conditions that make fire a danger to life or property. Violating an active…

Dubuque bans selling baby chicks or ducklings as pets or novelties and restricts commercial livestock pens to concrete-floored enclosures draining to the sewer system. A separate…

Dubuque bans letting a dog run at large under City Code 7-6B-7, and 7-6B-1 spells out the only ways a dog counts as restrained: a proper leash, a secured vehicle or crate, a vet…

Dubuque does not require microchipping of pets generally, but City Code § 7-6E-2 lets the City Manager order microchip identification implanted in any dog declared potentially vicious…

Dubuque requires every cat to be licensed by the City Manager, with the license expiring one year after purchase and turning delinquent 30 days past the anniversary date. An impounded…

Dubuque's citywide ban on keeping dangerous wild animals under City Code § 7-6D-3 does not apply to a wildlife rescue organization, provided it holds an appropriate permit from the…

In the City of Dubuque, keeping a lion, tiger, wolf, bear, alligator, venomous snake, Gila monster, or any of thirteen other animal groups listed as dangerous per se is prohibited…

Dubuque does not ban any dog breed by name; instead City Code § 7-6E lets the City Manager declare an individual dog potentially vicious based on unprovoked bites, attacks, or menacing…

Dubuque's wildlife-feeding rule is scoped specifically to bears: City Code § 7-6G-2, adopted by Ordinance 15-25 in 2025, makes it unlawful to feed a bear for any purpose, negligently…

Dubuque does not cap the number of dogs or cats a household may keep. City Code § 6-4-3(N) instead makes it a public nuisance to harbor or maintain so many dogs, cats, or other animals…

Dubuque bars anyone from killing, trapping, teasing, feeding or otherwise interfering with birds or other fowl, or robbing or destroying a bird's nest, in any city park, parkway, trail…

Dubuque defines animal grooming as a business that bathes, clips or combs animals for a fee under City Code section 16-2-3, and zones pet daycare or grooming as a conditional use. In…

In the City of Dubuque, an animal hospital or clinic is a conditional use limited to the C-2 and C-2A commercial districts under UDC section 16-8-5-10, and the zoning board of…

Anyone moving honeybee colonies, packages, or used equipment with combs into Iowa must apply to the state apiarist for a written entry permit at least sixty days before entry, backed…

Dubuque lets residents petition for a Residential Parking Permit District when nonresident parking overruns their block. The City Manager studies use during peak hours, and once…

Once three inches of snow falls, Dubuque's City Manager can declare a snow route restricted parking emergency, banning parking on designated streets and on an alternate-side street…

Dubuque bars parking on sidewalks, in front of driveways, near fire hydrants and intersections, and anywhere blocking traffic movement citywide. Section 9-14-321.600 lists fifteen…

Dubuque reserves marked curb spaces up to fifty feet long outside theaters, hotels and large assembly buildings for loading. Vehicles may use them only to load or unload passengers or…

Dubuque bans trucks and trailers from streets posted No Truck Or Trailer Parking, currently applied to a stretch of Hawthorne Street near Kerper Boulevard, and separately bans…

Dubuque's City Manager paints or fixes lines on the curb or street next to every parking meter to mark the legal space, and it is unlawful to park across those lines or outside a…

In the City of Dubuque, no one may let a vehicle sit unmoved on a public street or public place for twenty four hours or more. Once an officer confirms the twenty four hour mark, the…

In the City of Dubuque, no one may accumulate, store or place an unused or inoperable vehicle in the public right-of-way under Dubuque City Code § 10-1-11. A vehicle counts as…

In the City of Dubuque, residential lots may store only one vehicle, boat, trailer or camper outside a fully enclosed structure at a time, and it must display current registration…

In the City of Dubuque, vehicles cannot be stored in a residential front yard under any circumstances, and every parked or stored vehicle must sit on a paved hard-surface driveway or…

In the City of Dubuque, every swimming pool, public or private, requires a building permit before construction under City Code 14-9-2. Plans must meet accepted design standards from…

In the City of Dubuque, swimming pool fencing must comply with section 303 of the international property maintenance code as amended locally. Every pool over 24 inches deep needs a…

Dubuque allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot as a conditional use in the R-1, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-4, OR, OC and C-1 zoning districts under City Code section 16-8-5-10. The unit…

Dubuque caps every detached accessory structure, including storage sheds, at 15 feet in height and counts its footprint toward a 1,000 square foot aggregate lot-coverage ceiling shared…

The City of Dubuque requires home based businesses to handle most customer and client contact by phone, mail, fax, email or website rather than in person, under UDC section…

In the City of Dubuque, home based businesses are allowed only as accessory uses inside a principal residential dwelling under UDC section 16-7-1-1. The business can't change the…

The City of Dubuque allows home childcare as a permitted home based business under UDC section 16-7-1-2, so long as it stays accessory and incidental to the home's residential use and…

Iowa Code Chapter 137D exempts cottage food, non-time/temperature-controlled foods made at home, from licensing and inspection. Refrigerated or TCS foods instead require a home food…

Iowa is one of the few states that lets a home cook sell meals prepared to order. Iowa Code section 137D.1(4)(b)(2) puts made-to-order food, regularly prepared and promptly served or…

Dubuque residential fences may reach 7 feet in side and rear yards, but front-yard fences are capped at 4 feet, and corner lots must keep a 10-foot clear visibility area under the…

Dubuque bars barbed wire and electric fencing below 8 feet in height citywide, with the sole exception of the AG agriculture district when used to contain livestock. Because ordinary…

Iowa Code Chapter 359A imposes a statewide statutory duty on adjoining landowners to share construction and maintenance of partition fences upon written request, with disputes resolved…

Iowa imposes a flat 5% state excise tax on the sales price of every short-term rental, collected from the guest by the host or platform like Airbnb and remitted to the Department of…

The City of Dubuque taxes hotel and motel room rentals at 7% of gross receipts under Dubuque City Code § 3-3-2, on top of any state-administered lodging tax. The levy applies to any…

Dubuque bans drinking or possessing alcoholic liquor, wine or beer on public streets, highways or any other public place under Dubuque City Code § 4-2A-6, unless the spot is covered by…

Dubuque bans skateboards, roller skates, and other wheeled recreational conveyances from every municipal parking ramp and municipal parking lot under City Code section 9-7-321.276. The…

Within two hundred feet of a marked crosswalk, Dubuque City Code section 9-8-321.328 requires pedestrians to cross at that crosswalk rather than mid-block. Cross more than two hundred…

Dubuque's Social Host Responsibility article makes anyone who controls a party premises legally responsible for stopping underage drinking there. Hosts must actively check ID and…

Dubuque City Code section 7-5A-7 bans loitering in or near any public place when the circumstances show a purpose of soliciting prostitution, or of intimidation, disorderly conduct…

Dubuque City Code section 7-5A-9, adopted by Ordinance 18-16 on May 16, 2016, makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate on any public or common property, including streets, alleys and…

Dubuque requires anyone selling goods or taking orders door to door, place to place or street to street to hold a solicitor's license under Dubuque City Code § 4-5A-2 before starting…

The City of Dubuque requires a pawnbroker license under Dubuque City Code § 4-6A-3 before making loans or advances secured by pawned, pledged or deposited personal property. The City…

Dubuque requires anyone who buys or takes in used goods for resale, from bicycles and electronics to firearms and jewelry, to hold a secondhand dealer license under Dubuque City Code §…

Dubuque requires anyone operating an adult entertainment establishment, or working as an employee inside one, to hold a City Manager-issued license under City Code chapter 4-8. The…

Dubuque does not run its own tattoo ordinance. City Code § 6-1-1 instead adopts Iowa Code chapter 135.37 and Iowa Administrative Code 641-22 by reference, so a tattoo artist or studio…

The City of Dubuque prohibits automobile repair as a home based business under UDC section 16-7-1-3, with one narrow carve-out: a resident may service their own vehicle at home if the…

Iowa Code chapter 453A regulates vape and tobacco retail permits, requires retailer registration, and preempts conflicting local licensing schemes.

Dubuque's noise ordinance bars loud or excessive noise from loading or unloading vehicles or from opening and destroying bales, boxes, crates and containers anywhere in the city. City…

Dubuque's noise code bans operating any immobile generator, pump, fan or similar mechanical device in a way that creates loud and excessive noise, under City Code Section 6-5-1(K). The…

Dubuque separately regulates air conditioner noise: City Code Section 6-5-4 bars installing, operating or using a residential air conditioner, or combination of units, that creates a…

In the City of Dubuque, the city manager notifies owners in writing when a water service connection is found defective or leaking. Owners who fail to repair promptly face a water…

Dubuque City Code classifies low-speed electric bicycles as bicycles, not motorcycles, splitting them into three classes by motor assist and top speed. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes cut…

In the City of Dubuque, City Code § 7-7-11 requires cyclists to ride in the right-hand lane except when using a marked bicycle lane, turning left, or passing, and § 7-7-14 lets a…

Iowa Code section 321.247 gives no statewide right to drive a golf cart on the road. Incorporated areas may, upon approval of their governing body, allow golf carts on city streets…

Dubuque bans camping on any public street, sidewalk, park, building, or land under City Code 7-5A-18, unless the City Manager has specifically designated the area for camping. The…

Dubuque lets pushcarts, but not other mobile food units, sit on a public or private sidewalk under City Code § 4-9-10(E). A pushcart on a public sidewalk must leave a 48-inch open…

Dubuque bars mobile food units from residential properties, requires a city temporary use permit to park on a nonresidential lot, and keeps them off any lot with a vacant building…

Anyone selling food or drinks from a mobile food unit in Dubuque must first get a mobile food vendor license from the city clerk under City Code § 4-9-2, carry vendor insurance, and…

In the City of Dubuque, no one may plant or remove a tree in the public right of way without written permission from the city manager or the city manager's designee under City Code…

In the City of Dubuque, anyone with an active state NPDES general permit no. 2 for construction land disturbance must also obtain a city Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) permit under…

Dubuque requires written permission from the city manager before anyone moors a boathouse or float, the code's terms for a private boat dock, along the city's waterfront or in the Ice…

Dubuque regulates development in mapped flood hazard areas through the Flood Hazard Overlay District under City Code Section 16-6-4, adopted under Iowa Code Chapter 414 authority. The…

Dubuque bans dumping anything but rain into its storm drains. City Code section 13-5-6 forbids discharging pollutants, nonstormwater flows, or geothermal pump-and-dump water into the…

In the City of Dubuque, the Unified Development Code's Floodway Fringe Overlay District requires new and substantially improved structures to elevate their lowest floor at least one…

Small community gatherings that will not close streets, block right-of-way access, or need food, tent or alcohol permits count as a Dubuque courtesy event rather than a full special…

Restaurants and retail food businesses in Dubuque that want to set up outdoor tables on the public sidewalk must get a sidewalk cafe permit from the city manager. The permit runs…

Anyone organizing a parade or special event on Dubuque city property or in the public right of way needs a permit from the city clerk before the event, plus a permit fee, a signed…

Groups that want to reserve a Dubuque park, parkway, trail or open space for a gathering during the open park season book it through the Parks and Recreation Department Office, up to…

In the City of Dubuque, any building endangering public life, health or safety is a declared public nuisance under City Code chapter 14-3. The building official orders repair, vacation…

In the City of Dubuque, the owner of any lot abutting a public sidewalk must promptly clear away snow, ice and slush under Dubuque City Code § 10-1-3(C). Owners also can't shovel or…

In the City of Dubuque, installing or altering a solar thermal collector system requires a permit from the city manager under City Code 14-14-2. The application must include a plot…

Dubuque lets the city planner approve a residential freestanding solar array up to 20 feet tall and 500 square feet through an administrative waiver, skipping the zoning board of…

Iowa has no statute that voids a homeowners association covenant banning solar panels. The only covenant provision in Iowa's solar chapter, Iowa Code section 564A.8, does nothing more…

In the City of Dubuque, the owner of the property abutting a sidewalk, not the City, is responsible for keeping it in a safe, defect-free condition from the back of the curb to the…

In the City of Dubuque, no one may block a street, alley, sidewalk or other public place with stone, lumber, brick, wood, an excavation or similar material without first getting…

In the City of Dubuque, anyone placing architectural features, building projections, grates, vaults, areaways, waste receptacles, newsracks or similar items in a public place needs an…

In the City of Dubuque, it's unlawful to throw or dump paper, cards, advertisements, bottles, glass, nails, cans or any other injurious material into a street, alley or public place…

Every Class I premises in Dubuque, meaning single-family homes and small multi-family buildings, must use the city's mandatory solid waste collection service. City crews collect refuse…

Dubuque will not collect anything bigger than 3 feet by 2 feet or heavier than 40 pounds unless it is scheduled ahead of time as a bulky item pickup. City Code section 13-6A-6 bars…

Dubuque residents can set carts out no more than 24 hours before pickup and must pull them back within 24 hours after. City Code section 13-6A-8 also requires containers to sit in…

In the City of Dubuque, City Code Section 13-6A-5(A) requires every property to separate all organic waste, including food scraps, from the rest of its solid waste and either compost…

In the City of Dubuque, Public Works collects solid waste no more than once a week, always between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the schedule the City Manager sets under City Code…

In the City of Dubuque, yard waste moves through the organic waste collection service in City Code Section 13-6A-5, which takes bundled branches under 5 feet, leaves, grass clippings…

In the City of Dubuque, Public Works issues one City-owned curbside recycling container to every dwelling under City Code Section 13-6A-4, and a second is available if a household…

In the City of Dubuque, City Code Section 13-6A-4(C) lets Public Works pull a household's recycling container and stop weekly recycling collection if it stays contaminated with…

In the City of Dubuque, dumpsters and collection bins must sit in a rear or side yard behind a six-to-ten-foot opaque screen, never a front yard, and cannot hold trash that could blow…

Dubuque parks close to the public at 10:00 P.M. by default, opening again at 7:00 A.M., and section 10-5B-22 makes it unlawful to enter or stay past those hours without Parks and…

Dubuque's AG Agriculture zoning district exists to conserve farmland and hold recently annexed or large-acreage land out of premature development, not to guarantee farmers against…

Iowa Code 657.11 protects qualifying animal feeding operations and farms from most nuisance suits unless plaintiffs prove specified statutory exceptions.

Dubuque regulates freeway-facing signs through the SOD Freeway 61/151 Corridor Signage Overlay District under City Code Section 16-6-3, a three-mile-long zone along the highway split…

In the City of Dubuque, window signs fall under the sign code's exempt-signs list. Nonilluminated window signs need no permit, fee, or size review under City Code § 16-15-9.F…

In the City of Dubuque, electronic message signs may not show scrolling video or multiple screens on one sign face, and each message must hold static for at least two seconds on…

Political signs in the City of Dubuque are capped at thirty-two (32) square feet and exempt from the sign permit process under City Code § 16-15-9.C and § 16-15-10.A. They cannot be…

The City of Dubuque adopted the 2021 International Residential Code but struck the model code's automatic fire sprinkler mandate entirely. Section R313 and the companion plumbing-side…

Dubuque's Property Maintenance Code requires every rental unit's egress door to have a lock that opens from the inside without a key, special knowledge, or special effort. The rule…

Dubuque enforces the National Electrical Code, 2020 edition, as the "Dubuque Electrical Code" under city ordinance, controlling every electrical installation, alteration, and repair in…

Dubuque's electrical code amendments require every permitted electrical system to pass inspection before it is concealed or connected to power. The code official must be notified when…

Dubuque adopts the plumbing code as set and amended by the State of Iowa (Iowa Administrative Code 641, Chapter 25) as its own Dubuque Plumbing Code, controlling every plumbing…

In the City of Dubuque, landlords selling or leasing housing built before 1978 must disclose known lead-based paint hazards under the city's Property Maintenance Code amendments (City…

Dubuque enforces construction through the 2021 International Building Code, adopted locally as the Dubuque Building Code under City Code section 14-1A-1. The Inspection & Construction…

In the City of Dubuque, a daycare center is a 'place of public accommodation' under City Code Article 14-1I, so its owner must remove architectural and structural communication…

The City of Dubuque has adopted the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code by reference as the Dubuque Energy Code. Its thermal-envelope provisions govern all new construction and…

Dubuque's fire code bars charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, but exempts one- and two-family…

Dubuque requires every rental unit to hold a City-issued rental license renewed every two years, and owners must make the unit available for inspection under a written Rental Housing…

Dubuque adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code as the Dubuque Property Maintenance Code to keep rental housing safe, sanitary, and fit for occupancy, and backs it with…

In the City of Dubuque, no property owner, manager, or licensed real estate professional may rent out a dwelling, rooming unit, or sleeping unit without a current rental license issued…

Iowa Code Sec. 562A.27(2) lets a landlord terminate after 3 days' written notice for nonpayment of rent. For other material lease breaches, Sec. 562A.27(1) requires a 7-day notice with…

Under Iowa Code Sec. 562A.19, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice before entering and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. Tenants may not…

Iowa Code Sec. 562A.9(4) caps late fees by rent amount. If monthly rent is $700 or less, a lease may not charge over $12 per day or $60 per month total. If rent is more than $700, the…

Iowa Code Sec. 562A.34 lets either party end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date, a week-to-week tenancy with at least 10…

Iowa preempts local rent control. Iowa Code 364.3(9) bars any city from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that limits the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or…

Iowa caps a security deposit at two months' rent. Under Iowa Code 562A.12, a landlord must return the deposit, or a written statement of deductions, within 30 days after the tenancy…

Iowa requires 10 years of open, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession under a claim of right or color of title to claim title by adverse possession, drawing on the 10-year…

The City of Dubuque's Property Maintenance Code requires every structure to stay free of insects, rodents, and other pests, with prompt, non-hazardous treatment once an infestation…

In the City of Dubuque, City Code Section 13-6A-3(G) requires anyone putting biomedical waste out with weekly trash to keep sharp objects like hypodermic needles, syringes and lancets…

In the City of Dubuque, Section 16-13-2 of the Unified Development Code lets the downtown design guidelines area and the Historic Millwork District override the citywide site design…

Dubuque's Unified Development Code grants conservation subdivisions a density bonus of 20 percent above the yield otherwise allowed by the underlying zoning, in exchange for setting…

Anyone who believes a Dubuque zoning ordinance is being violated can file a complaint directly with the City Planner under Dubuque City Code section 16-1-10-1. The complaint must state…

The City of Dubuque has formally designated the Julien Dubuque Monument, at the terminus of Monument Drive, a city landmark under City Code Title 16, Chapter 10. Demolition is…

In the City of Dubuque, exterior site lighting must be shielded above seventy two degrees from vertical, a full cutoff standard aimed at cutting glare and sky glow. Fixtures mounted on…

In the City of Dubuque, site lighting cannot glare or shine onto adjacent lots or streets, and illumination spilling onto a neighboring lot, building or street is capped at one…

The City of Dubuque does not cap the size, number, or duration of holiday or seasonal yard displays. City Code § 16-15-9.A places 'holiday or special events decorations' on the sign…

Dubuque zoning treats a garage sale as a residential accessory use, capped at three sales per premises per calendar year with each sale running no more than three consecutive days. The…

In Dubuque's R-1 single-family district, the Bulk Regulations table caps lot coverage at 40 percent of lot area for a single-family detached dwelling on a minimum 5,000 square foot…

For a single-family detached dwelling in Dubuque's R-1 district, the Bulk Regulations table sets a front setback between 20 and 50 feet, a 6-foot minimum side setback, and a 20-foot…

A single-family detached dwelling in Dubuque's R-1 district is capped at 30 feet under the Bulk Regulations table. Institutional uses like a place of religious exercise or school in…

Iowa Code 124E and Iowa Admin Code 641 chapter 154 control medical cannabidiol dispensary licensing, location count, and operations. Only state-licensed dispensaries may sell…

Recreational drone use in Iowa is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and the Recreational Flyers exception, with state limits in Iowa Code 808.15 on government surveillance. Iowa…

Iowa Code 331.301(6) preempts counties and cities from adopting minimum wage rates that exceed the Iowa state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Iowa has allowed permitless concealed carry for adults 21 and older since July 2021, while still issuing optional non-professional permits for reciprocity.

Iowa Code 724.28 broadly preempts cities and counties from regulating firearms, ammunition, components, and accessories more strictly than state law.

Iowa permits open carry of handguns by qualifying adults statewide, though local preemption under Iowa Code 724.28 prevents stricter city rules.

Iowa Code 99F.7 gives the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission sole authority to decide the number, location, and type of licensed gambling structures and excursion gambling boats…

Iowa Code chapter 99B bars any nonprofit from running bingo, raffles, games of skill or chance, or a game night until the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing issues a…

Iowa Code § 99B.45 lets individuals gamble against each other in card and parlor games, including poker, without a state gambling license, but caps it hard: no one may win or lose more…

Iowa restricts sports wagering licenses to operators already licensed to run gambling games at a pari-mutuel racetrack enclosure or an excursion gambling boat. Under Iowa Code section…

Iowa has no general HOA assessment statute, so a planned-community HOA's lien rights come from its recorded declaration plus contract law. For condominiums under the Horizontal…

Iowa's records law for homeowners associations is Iowa Code chapter 499C, added by 2023 Acts, chapter 137. It gives a unit owner or the owner's authorized agent five categories of…

Iowa sets no dollar cap on a homeowners association fine and requires no notice, cure period or hearing before one is imposed. The amount and the process come from your declaration and…

Iowa gives an association a statutory assessment lien only where the community is a condominium under the Horizontal Property Act or a multiple housing cooperative under chapter 499A…

Iowa gives its police an express roadblock statute, chapter 321K, and then confines it. A routine vehicle roadblock may be run only as provided in that section, and the section lists…

Iowa has no statute granting an express right to film police, but it does not need one: Iowa Code section 727.8(3)(a) exempts from the eavesdropping offence any recording made by a…

Iowa is not a stop and identify state. No provision of the Iowa Code requires a person detained on suspicion to give a name, and the closest section, Iowa Code 719.1A, criminalizes…

Iowa has never legalized adult-use cannabis, and it has no statute about consenting to a vehicle search. The one search-limiting provision in the Iowa Code is section 124E.12(9), which…

Iowa Code 364.3(3)(c) (cities) and 331.301(6) (counties) preempt local governments from regulating consumer merchandise containers, including plastic bags, foam containers, cups, and…

Iowa Code 453A.6 sets the minimum age to purchase or possess tobacco, alternative nicotine, and vapor products at 21 in alignment with federal law.

Iowa answers add-on lighting with numbers rather than generalities. Iowa Code section 321.403 allows no more than three auxiliary driving lamps, mounted on the front between 12 and 42…

Iowa never enumerates what may be stuck to a windshield. Chapter 321 mentions the windshield in only four places, and none of them is a list of permitted items, so a dash cam is judged…

Iowa Code section 321.275(4) does four things in one paragraph. It bans a motorcycle or motorized bicycle from being operated between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Iowa Code section 321.37(3) makes it unlawful for a vehicle owner to place any frame around or over the registration plate which does not permit full view of all numerals and letters…

The word detector does not appear anywhere in Iowa Code chapter 321. What Iowa outlaws is the speed detection jamming device, defined in Iowa Code section 321.232(4)(a) as equipment…

Iowa Code section 321.442 starts from a flat ban: no tire moved on a highway may carry a block, stud, flange, cleat or spike of any material other than rubber projecting beyond the…

Iowa Code section 321.438(2) bans operating a vehicle whose front windshield, front side windows or front sidewings are excessively dark or reflective, and it leaves the number to the…