1. In a contested case, all parties shall be afforded an opportunity for hearing after
reasonable notice in writing delivered either by personal service as in civil actions or by
certified mail return receipt requested. However, an agency may provide by rule for the
delivery of such notice by other means. Delivery of the notice referred to in this subsection
shall constitute commencement of the contested case proceeding.
2. The notice shall include:
a. A statement of the time, place, and nature of the hearing.
b. A statement of the legal authority and jurisdiction under which the hearing is to be held.
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Tue Dec 09 22:32:44 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 17A (50, 1)
§17A.12, IOWA ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT 18\n\n c. A reference to the particular sections of the statutes and rules involved.
d. A short and plain statement of the matters asserted. If the agency or other party is
unable to state the matters in detail at the time the notice is served, the initial notice may be
limited to a statement of the issues involved. Thereafter upon application a more definite and
detailed statement shall be furnished.
3. If a party fails to appear or participate in a contested case proceeding after proper
service of notice, the presiding officer may, if no adjournment is granted, enter a default
decision or proceed with the hearing and make a decision in the absence of the party. The
parties shall be duly notified of the decision, together with the presiding officer’s reasons
for the decision, which is the final decision of the agency, unless within fifteen days, or such
period of time as otherwise specified by statute or rule, after the date of notification or mailing
of the decision, further appeal is initiated. If a decision is rendered against a party who
failed to appear for the hearing and the presiding officer is timely requested by that party to
vacate the decision for good cause, the time for initiating a further appeal is stayed pending
a determination by the presiding officer to grant or deny the request. If adequate reasons
are provided showing good cause for the party’s failure to appear, the presiding officer shall
vacate the decision and, after proper service of notice, conduct another evidentiary hearing.
If adequate reasons are not provided showing good cause for the party’s failure to appear,
the presiding officer shall deny the motion to vacate.
4. Opportunity shall be afforded all parties to respond and present evidence and argument
on all issues involved and to be represented by counsel at their own expense.
5. Unless precluded by statute, informal disposition may be made of any contested case
by stipulation, agreed settlement, consent order, default, or another method agreed upon by
the parties in writing.
6. The record in a contested case shall include:
a. All pleadings, motions, and intermediate rulings.
b. All evidence received or considered and all other submissions.
c. A statement of all matters officially noticed.
d. All questions and offers of proof, objections, and rulings thereon.
e. All proposed findings and exceptions.
f. Any decision, opinion, or report by the officer presiding at the hearing.
7. Oral proceedings shall be open to the public and shall be recorded either by mechanized
means or by certified shorthand reporters. Oral proceedings or any part thereof shall be
transcribed at the request of any party with the expense of the transcription charged to the
requesting party. The recording or stenographic notes of oral proceedings or the transcription
thereof shall be filed with and maintained by the agency for at least five years from the date
of decision.
8. Findings of fact shall be based solely on the evidence in the record and on matters
officially noticed in the record.
9. Unless otherwise provided by statute, a person’s request or demand for a contested
case proceeding shall be in writing, delivered to the agency by United States postal service
or personal service and shall be considered as filed with the agency on the date of the United
States postal service postmark or the date personal service is made.
[C75, 77, 79, 81, §17A.12]
87 Acts, ch 71, §1; 98 Acts, ch 1202, §16, 46; 2017 Acts, ch 54, §11
Referred to in §10A.320, 17A.9, 17A.13, 17A.16, 68B.31, 96.11, 124.305, 125.18, 147A.5, 147A.17, 169.34, 217.30, 321.556, 421.17, 476A.4
Interpreters in legal proceedings, chapters 622A, 622B
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Notes of Decisions
Greenwood Manor v. Iowa Dep't of Pub. Health, State Health Facilities Council, 641 N.W.2d 823 (Iowa 2002).
· cites it 8× “6 Instead, the dispute rests on whether the agency action implicated the contested case provisions of section 17A.12. A contested case is a proceeding “in which the legal rights, duties or privileges of a party are required by Constitution or statute to be determined by an…”
Denison Mun. Utils. v. Iowa Workers' Comp. Comm'r, 857 N.W.2d 230 (Iowa 2014).
· cites it 8× “See Iowa Code § 17A.12(1) (“In a contested case, all parties shall be afforded an opportunity for hearing after reasonable notice in writing delivered .”
Linn Co-Operative Oil Co. v. Quigley, 305 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1981).
· cites it 10× “2d 306, 311 (Iowa 1979) ("The commission's probable cause function is not a section 17A.12 contested case because the Constitution does not require an evidentiary hearing.”
Estabrook v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 283 N.W.2d 306 (Iowa 1979).
· cites it 8× “The commission and staff person assigned to the complaint investigated further and considered affidavits and written materials but did not provide a full-blown section 17A.12 notice and evidentiary hearing.”
Freeland v. Emp. Appeal Bd., 492 N.W.2d 193 (Iowa 1992).
· cites it 8× “Here, Job Service gave notice to the parties that Hawkeye Tech had appealed the action taken by Job Service.”
Tiano v. Palmer, 621 N.W.2d 420 (Iowa 2001).
· cites it 6× “Iowa Code § 17A.12(1). DHS and the intervenors urge that service by ordinary mail with first-class postage prepaid addressed to a party’s last known address is specifically authorized by agency rule.”
Sindlinger v. Iowa State Bd. of Regents, 503 N.W.2d 387 (Iowa 1993).
· cites it 6× “Entitlement to a Contested Case Hearing Under Iowa Code Section 17A.12 (1991). We first consider petitioner’s claimed entitlement to a contested case hearing on her position classification under Iowa Code section 17A.”
Receivership of Farmers State Bank v. Bernau, 433 N.W.2d 734 (Iowa 1988).
· cites it 12× “, the bank contended that these findings were made without benefit of a contested case proceeding under section 17A.12 of the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act and, hence, should not be affirmed by the court.”
IES Utils. Inc. v. Iowa Dep't of Revenue & Fin., 545 N.W.2d 536 (Iowa 1996).
· cites it 4× “2d 861 (Iowa 1987), we considered the exhaustion rule and stated: Where a contested case procedure envisioned by section 17A.12 has been undertaken and has run its course to conclusion, it is almost axiomatic that any further challenge to the action taken or confirmed by the…”
Langley v. Scurr, 305 N.W.2d 418 (Iowa 1981).
· cites it 4× “For example the notice Langley received may not have complied with notice requirements for contested cases under section 17A.12. Certainly there was no record made and preserved here to the extent required for administrative records under section 17A.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(1) — 11 cases
Tiano v. Palmer, 621 N.W.2d 420 (Iowa 2001).
“Iowa Code § 17A.12(1). DHS and the intervenors urge that service by ordinary mail with first-class postage prepaid addressed to a party’s last known address is specifically authorized by agency rule.”
Linn Co-Operative Oil Co. v. Quigley, 305 N.W.2d 729 (Iowa 1981).
“2d 306, 311 (Iowa 1979) ("The commission's probable cause function is not a section 17A.12 contested case because the Constitution does not require an evidentiary hearing.”
Receivership of Farmers State Bank v. Bernau, 433 N.W.2d 734 (Iowa 1988).
“, the bank contended that these findings were made without benefit of a contested case proceeding under section 17A.12 of the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act and, hence, should not be affirmed by the court.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(2) — 4 cases
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(2)(b) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(2)(c) — 3 cases
Freeland v. Emp. Appeal Bd., 492 N.W.2d 193 (Iowa 1992).
“Here, Job Service gave notice to the parties that Hawkeye Tech had appealed the action taken by Job Service.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(2)(d) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(2)(e) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(4) — 5 cases
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(6) — 5 cases
Langley v. Scurr, 305 N.W.2d 418 (Iowa 1981).
“For example the notice Langley received may not have complied with notice requirements for contested cases under section 17A.12. Certainly there was no record made and preserved here to the extent required for administrative records under section 17A.”
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(6)(e) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(6)(f) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(7) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(8) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(9) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 17A.12(l)(d) — 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.