Iowa Code 657.11 protects qualifying animal feeding operations and farms from most nuisance suits unless plaintiffs prove specified statutory exceptions.
Iowa Code section 657.11 declares that animal feeding operations are not a public or private nuisance and provides farmers immunity from most nuisance lawsuits when operating in compliance with federal and state law. The statute requires plaintiffs to prove the operation unreasonably and substantially interferes with use of land, that the injury results from negligent operation, or that statutory standards were violated. The Iowa Supreme Court limited the law's reach in cases including Gacke v. Pork Xtra and Honomichl v. Valley View Swine, allowing certain neighbor claims to proceed.
Plaintiffs must satisfy statutory exception elements; otherwise nuisance suits are barred and may be dismissed with costs.
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See how Iowa City's farm nuisance protection rules stack up against other locations.
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