The statutes that control Iowa OWI cases
OWI in Iowa is defined by Iowa Code § 321J.2, and the chemical-testing rules sit in Iowa Code § 321J.6. Both are published in the official state code at legis.iowa.gov, which is the only version that governs — summaries elsewhere, including ours, can lag amendments.
Statutory text, definitions, BAC thresholds and sentencing ranges.
What refusing a breath, blood or urine test costs you.
Statute at a glance
Iowa OWI law at a glance
Sourced from the Iowa code and state agency sites. Verify current text before relying on it.
- Offense name
- OWI (Iowa)
- Controlling statute
- Iowa Code § 321J.2
- Implied consent
- Iowa Code § 321J.6
- Per se BAC limit
- 0.08 (0.04 CDL, 0.02 or lower under 21)
- Licence hearing deadline
- 10 days after arrest
- Prior-offense lookback
- 12 years
- First-offense fine
- $625–$1,875
- First-offense jail exposure
- up to 1 year
- Licence suspension
- 6 months
- Ignition interlock
- Required on a first offense in most cases
- Trial court
- the District Court
- High-risk filing
- SR-22 for 2 years
A first offense carries a mandatory minimum jail term and interlock for early reinstatement.
First-offense exposure under Iowa Code § 321J.2: $625–$1,875, up to 1 year of jail exposure, and a 6 months licence suspension. A first offense carries a mandatory minimum jail term and interlock for early reinstatement.
What Iowa Code § 321J.2 actually says
- Iowa Code § 321J.2(1)(a) — operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, another drug, or a combination.
- Iowa Code § 321J.2(1)(b) — operating with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more.
- Iowa Code § 321J.2(1)(c) — operating with any amount of a controlled substance present in the blood or urine.
- Iowa Code § 321J.2(2) — a first offense is a serious misdemeanor, a second an aggravated misdemeanor, and a third a Class 'D' felony.
Charging documents cite the exact subsection, so check which one appears on your citation. The posted text on legis.iowa.gov carries an effective date — amendments passed after it are not yet reflected.
Iowa ZIP codes covered
These Iowa ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.
Counties and cities using these Iowa resources
Counties
Other Iowa official resources
Frequently asked questions
- What statute defines OWI in Iowa?
- Iowa Code § 321J.2 is the controlling OWI statute in Iowa. You can read the current text on the official code site at legis.iowa.gov.
- What is the Iowa implied-consent law?
- Iowa Code § 321J.6 is the implied-consent provision. It sets out the consequences of refusing a chemical test after a lawful OWI arrest.