Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 17A.1 (2026)

Citation and statement of purpose

✓ current as of July 2026
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1. This chapter may be cited as the “Iowa Administrative Procedure Act”. 2. This chapter is intended to provide a minimum procedural code for the operation of all state agencies when they take action affecting the rights and duties of the public. Nothing in this chapter is meant to discourage agencies from adopting procedures providing greater protections to the public or conferring additional rights upon the public; and save for express provisions of this chapter to the contrary, nothing in this chapter is meant to abrogate in whole or in part any statute prescribing procedural duties for an agency which are greater than or in addition to those provided here. This chapter is meant to apply to all rulemaking and contested case proceedings and all suits for the judicial review of agency action that are not specifically excluded from this chapter or some portion thereof by its express terms or by the express terms of another chapter. 3. The purposes of this chapter are: To provide legislative oversight of powers and duties delegated to administrative agencies; to increase public accountability of administrative agencies; to simplify government by assuring a uniform minimum procedure to which all agencies will be held in the conduct of their most important functions; to increase public access to governmental information; to increase public participation in the formulation of administrative rules; to increase the fairness of agencies in their conduct of contested case proceedings; and to simplify the process of judicial review of agency action as well as increase its ease and availability. 4. In accomplishing its objectives, the intention of this chapter is to strike a fair balance between these purposes and the need for efficient, economical and effective government administration. The chapter is not meant to alter the substantive rights of any person or agency. Its impact is limited to procedural rights with the expectation that better substantive results will be achieved in the everyday conduct of state government by improving the process by which those results are attained. [C75, 77, 79, 81, §17A.1] 2005 Acts, ch 3, §15; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §135\n\nTue Dec 09 22:32:44 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 17A (50, 1) 3 IOWA ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT, §17A.2

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 53 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1952–2025 · leading case: Maghee v. State, 773 N.W.2d 228 (Iowa 2009).
Maghee v. State, 773 N.W.2d 228 (Iowa 2009). · cites it 10× “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2) (2003). In Jew v. University of Iowa, 398 N.”
Deanna Jo Ramirez-Trujillo v. Quality Egg, L.L.C., Wright Cnty. Egg Div., & Selective Ins. Co. of Am., 878 N.W.2d 759 (Iowa 2016). · cites it 4× “2d 247, 251 (Iowa 2012); see Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). When the legislature has clearly vested authority to interpret statutory language in an agency, we will defer to an agency interpretation of that language.”
Linn Co-Operative Oil Co. v. Quigley, 305 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1981). · cites it 12× “Similarly, the language of section 17A.1(2) ("contested case proceedings") is not helpful in classifying an action taken before its enactment.”
Nextera Energy Resources LLC v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 815 N.W.2d 30 (Iowa 2012). · cites it 4× “” Iowa Code § 17A.1(3). Therefore, because of the ambiguous definition of “govern” and the express reference to chapter 17A, we conclude under Renda that the general assembly did not delegate to the Board interpretive power with the binding force of law.”
IES Utils. Inc. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue & Fin., 545 N.W.2d 536 (Iowa 1996). · cites it 8× “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). Consequently, the close case should be treated as rulemaking.”
Schmitz v. Iowa Dep't of Human Servs., 461 N.W.2d 603 (Iowa Ct. App. 1990). · cites it 8× “" Iowa Code § 17A.1 (1989). Our review of contested case proceedings is regulated by statute.”
Iowa Farm Bureau Fed'n, Iowa Renewable Fuels Ass'n, & Iowa Water Env't Ass'n, 850 N.W.2d 403 (Iowa 2014). · cites it 4× “13 Prior to 1998, the IAPA only allowed courts to reverse or modify agency action 13The purpose of the IAPA is, in part, “to simplify the process of judicial review of agency action as well as increase its ease and availability.” Iowa Code § 17A.”
City of Des Moines v. Des Moines Police Bargaining Unit Ass'n, 360 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1985). · cites it 4× “Section 17A.1(2) provides that the IAPA "is meant to apply to all rule-making and contested case proceedings and all suits for the judicial review of agency action that are not specifically excluded from this chapter or some portion thereof by its express terms or by the express…”
Greenwood Manor v. Iowa Dep't of Pub. Health, State Health Facilities Council, 641 N.W.2d 823 (Iowa 2002). · cites it 2× “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). However, only the judicial review provisions of section 17A.”
Terry Christiansen v. Iowa Bd. of Educ. Examiners, 831 N.W.2d 179 (Iowa 2013). · cites it 2× “731, 758 (1975) (quoting Iowa Code § 17A.1(3)). The State argues and the court of appeals held that the district court lacked jurisdiction over Christiansen’s petition for judicial'review because he filed it prematurely before the Board issued its final decision and then failed…”
Frazee v. Iowa Bd. of Parole, 248 N.W.2d 80 (Iowa 1976). · cites it 5× “As to the coverage of IAPA with reference to contested cases, § 17A.1(2) provides in pertinent part: “This chapter is meant to apply to all rule-making and contested ease proceedings and all suits for the judicial review of agency action that are not specifically excluded from…”
Jew v. Univ. of Iowa, 398 N.W.2d 861 (Iowa 1987). · cites it 4× “1 Nor do we believe that permitting an independent action to proceed in the present case runs counter to the “specific reference” mandates of section 17A.1(2) or section 17A.23. The former section forms the preamble to the entire chapter constituting the Iowa Administrative…”
— Iowa Code § 17A.1(10)(f) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.1(1981) — 1 case
Reiter v. Iowa Dep't of Job Serv., 327 N.W.2d 763 (Iowa Ct. App. 1982).
— Iowa Code § 17A.1(2) — 42 cases
Maghee v. State, 773 N.W.2d 228 (Iowa 2009). “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2) (2003). In Jew v. University of Iowa, 398 N.”
Deanna Jo Ramirez-Trujillo v. Quality Egg, L.L.C., Wright Cnty. Egg Div., & Selective Ins. Co. of Am., 878 N.W.2d 759 (Iowa 2016). “2d 247, 251 (Iowa 2012); see Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). When the legislature has clearly vested authority to interpret statutory language in an agency, we will defer to an agency interpretation of that language.”
Linn Co-Operative Oil Co. v. Quigley, 305 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1981). “Similarly, the language of section 17A.1(2) ("contested case proceedings") is not helpful in classifying an action taken before its enactment.”
City of Des Moines v. Des Moines Police Bargaining Unit Ass'n, 360 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1985). “Section 17A.1(2) provides that the IAPA "is meant to apply to all rule-making and contested case proceedings and all suits for the judicial review of agency action that are not specifically excluded from this chapter or some portion thereof by its express terms or by the express…”
Greenwood Manor v. Iowa Dep't of Pub. Health, State Health Facilities Council, 641 N.W.2d 823 (Iowa 2002). “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). However, only the judicial review provisions of section 17A.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.1(3) — 6 cases
Nextera Energy Resources LLC v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 815 N.W.2d 30 (Iowa 2012). “” Iowa Code § 17A.1(3). Therefore, because of the ambiguous definition of “govern” and the express reference to chapter 17A, we conclude under Renda that the general assembly did not delegate to the Board interpretive power with the binding force of law.”
Terry Christiansen v. Iowa Bd. of Educ. Examiners, 831 N.W.2d 179 (Iowa 2013). “731, 758 (1975) (quoting Iowa Code § 17A.1(3)). The State argues and the court of appeals held that the district court lacked jurisdiction over Christiansen’s petition for judicial'review because he filed it prematurely before the Board issued its final decision and then failed…”
IES Utils. Inc. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue & Fin., 545 N.W.2d 536 (Iowa 1996). “Iowa Code § 17A.1(2). Consequently, the close case should be treated as rulemaking.”
Iowa Farm Bureau Fed'n, Iowa Renewable Fuels Ass'n, & Iowa Water Env't Ass'n, 850 N.W.2d 403 (Iowa 2014). “13 Prior to 1998, the IAPA only allowed courts to reverse or modify agency action 13The purpose of the IAPA is, in part, “to simplify the process of judicial review of agency action as well as increase its ease and availability.” Iowa Code § 17A.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.1(4) — 1 case
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.