Iowa Code § 321J.20
Temporary restricted license — ignition interlock devices
Redline — January 1, 2012 → current.View current text →
Current — January 1, 2026
As of January 1, 2012
1. a. The department may, on application, issue a temporary restricted license to a person whose noncommercial driver’s license is revoked under this chapter allowing the person to drive to and from the person’s home and specified places at specified times which can be verified by the department and which are required by the person’s full-time or part-time employment, continuing health care or the continuing health care of another who is dependent upon the person, continuing education while enrolled in an educational institution on a part-time or full-time basis and while pursuing a course of study leading to a diploma, degree, or other certification of successful educational completion, substance abuse treatment, court-ordered community service responsibilities, and appointments with the person’s parole or probation officer if the person’s driver’s license has not been revoked previously under section 321J.4, 321J.9, or 321J.12 and if any of the following apply:
(1) The person’s noncommercial driver’s license is revoked under section 321J.4 and the minimum period of ineligibility for issuance of a temporary restricted license has expired. This subsection shall not apply to a revocation ordered under section 321J.4 resulting from a plea or verdict of guilty of a violation of section 321J.2 that involved a death.
(2) The person’s noncommercial driver’s license is revoked under section 321J.9 and the person has entered a plea of guilty on a charge of a violation of section 321J.2 which arose from the same set of circumstances which resulted in the person’s driver’s license revocation under section 321J.9 and the guilty plea is not withdrawn at the time of or after application for the temporary restricted license, and the minimum period of ineligibility for issuance of a temporary restricted license has expired.
(3) The person’s noncommercial driver’s license is revoked under section 321J.12, and the minimum period of ineligibility for issuance of a temporary restricted license has expired.
b. A temporary restricted license may be issued under this subsection if the person’s noncommercial driver’s license is revoked for two years under section 321J.4, subsection 2, or section 321J.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, and the first three hundred sixty-five days of the revocation have expired.
c. This subsection does not apply to a person whose license was revoked under section 321J.2A or section 321J.4, subsection 4 or 6, or to a person whose license is suspended or revoked for another reason.
d. Following the applicable minimum period of ineligibility, a temporary restricted license under this subsection shall not be issued until the applicant installs an ignition interlock device of a type approved by the commissioner of public safety on all motor vehicles owned or operated by the applicant in accordance with section 321J.2, 321J.4, 321J.9, or 321J.12. Installation of an ignition interlock device under this subsection shall be required for the period of time for which the temporary restricted license is issued.
1. The department may, on application, issue a temporary restricted license to a person whose noncommercial driver’s license is revoked under this chapter, or revoked or suspended under chapter 321 solely for violations of this chapter, or who has been determined to be a habitual offender under chapter 321 based solely on violations of this chapter or on violations listed in section 321.560, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, allowing the person to operate a motor vehicle in any manner allowed for a person issued a valid class C driver’s license, unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter. This subsection does not apply to a person under the age of eighteen whose license was revoked under section 321J.2A, to a person whose license was revoked under section 321J.4, subsection 6, for the period during which the person is ineligible for a temporary restricted license, or to a person whose license is suspended or revoked for another reason.
b. Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, a temporary restricted license issued to a person whose noncommercial driver’s license has been revoked under section 321J.4, subsection 2, section 321J.9, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, or section 321J.12, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, shall provide for but not exceed the uses permitted by 23 U.S.C. § 164. This restriction applies only during the first three hundred sixty-five days of the person’s revocation.
2. A temporary restricted license issued under this section shall not be issued until the applicant installs an approved ignition interlock device on all motor vehicles operated by the applicant. Installation of an ignition interlock device under this section shall be required for the period of time for which the temporary restricted license is issued, and for such additional period of time following reinstatement as is required under section 321J.17, subsection 3. However, a person whose driver’s license or nonresident operating privilege has been revoked under section 321J.21 may apply to the department for a temporary restricted license without the requirement of an ignition interlock device if at least twelve years have elapsed since the end of the underlying revocation period for a violation of section 321J.2.
3. If a person required to install an ignition interlock device operates a motor vehicle which does not have an approved ignition interlock device or if the person tampers with or circumvents an ignition interlock device, in addition to other penalties provided, the person’s temporary restricted license shall be revoked.
3. In addition to other penalties provided by law, a person’s temporary restricted license shall be revoked if the person is required to install an ignition interlock device and the person operates a motor vehicle which does not have an approved ignition interlock device or removes the ignition interlock device without authorization.
4. A person holding a temporary restricted license issued by the department under this section shall not operate a motor vehicle for pleasure.
4. A person holding a temporary restricted license issued by the department under this section shall not operate a commercial motor vehicle on a highway if a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit is required for the person’s operation of the commercial motor vehicle.
5. A person holding a temporary restricted license issued by the department under this section shall not operate a commercial motor vehicle on a highway if a commercial driver’s license is required for the person’s operation of the commercial motor vehicle.
5. A person holding a temporary restricted license issued by the department under this chapter shall be prohibited from operating a school bus.
6. A person holding a temporary license issued by the department under this chapter shall be prohibited from operating a school bus.
6. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the department may issue a temporary restricted license to a person otherwise eligible for a temporary restricted license under this section, whose period of revocation under this chapter has expired, but who has not met all requirements for reinstatement of the person’s driver’s license or nonresident operating privileges.
7. A person who tampers with, removes without authorization, or circumvents an ignition interlock device installed as required in this chapter while the requirement for the ignition interlock device is in effect commits a serious misdemeanor.
8. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the department may issue a temporary restricted license to a person eligible for a temporary restricted license under this section if the person is also eligible for a temporary restricted license under section 321.215, provided the requirements of this section and section 321.215 are satisfied.
86 Acts, ch 1220, §20; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §87, 88; 95 Acts, ch 48, §21; 95 Acts, ch 143, §7; 97 Acts, ch 177, §18 – 20; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9, 12; 98 Acts, ch 1138, §5, 36, 37; 2000 Acts, ch 1133, §17; 2003 Acts, ch 60, §7; 2007 Acts, ch 196, §6; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2010 Acts, ch 1097, §11
86 Acts, ch 1220, §20; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §87, 88; 95 Acts, ch 48, §21; 95 Acts, ch 143, §7; 97 Acts, ch 177, §18 – 20; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9, 12; 98 Acts, ch 1138, §5, 36, 37; 2000 Acts, ch 1133, §17; 2003 Acts, ch 60, §7; 2007 Acts, ch 196, §6; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2010 Acts, ch 1097, §11; 2013 Acts, ch 103, §16, 17; 2015 Acts, ch 123, §36, 73; 2016 Acts, ch 1011, §54; 2017 Acts, ch 76, §13 – 16; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §117; 2018 Acts, ch 1110, §8, 9; 2019 Acts, ch 66, §1; 2020 Acts, ch 1059, §1 – 3; 2021 Acts, ch 80, §186; 2021 Acts, ch 98, §7; 2024 Acts, ch 1050, §8, 10, 11
Referred to in
2024 amendments to section effective January 1, 2025, and apply to driver’s license revocations under chapter 321J for which the underlying offense occurred on or after that date;
Official source: Iowa Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Iowa statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.