Iowa Code § 232.45 (2026)

1. After the filing of a petition which alleges that a child has committed a delinquent act on the basis of an alleged commission of a public offense and before an adjudicatory hearing on the merits of the petition is held, the county attorney or the child may file a motion requesting the court to waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense or for the purpose of prosecution of the child as an adult or a youthful offender. If the county attorney and the child agree, a motion for waiver for the purpose of being prosecuted as a youthful offender may be heard by the district court as part of the proceedings under section 907.3A, or by the juvenile court as provided in this section. If the motion for waiver for the purpose of being prosecuted as a youthful offender is made as a result of a conditional agreement between the county attorney and the child, the conditions of the agreement shall be disclosed to the court in the same manner as provided in rules of criminal procedure 2.8 and 2.10. 2. The court shall hold a waiver hearing on all such motions. 3. Reasonable notice that states the time, place, and purpose of the waiver hearing shall be provided to the persons required to be provided notice for adjudicatory hearings under section 232.37. Summons, subpoenas, and other process may be issued and served in the same manner as for adjudicatory hearings as provided in section 232.37. 4. Prior to the waiver hearing, the juvenile probation officer or other person or agency designated by the court shall conduct an investigation for the purpose of collecting\n\nTue Dec 09 22:21:32 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 232 (92, 1) 31 JUVENILE JUSTICE, §232.45\n\ninformation relevant to the court’s decision to waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense and shall submit a report concerning the investigation to the court. The report shall include any recommendations made concerning waiver. Prior to the hearing the court shall provide the child’s counsel and the county attorney with access to the report and to all written material to be considered by the court. 5. At the waiver hearing all relevant and material evidence shall be admitted. 6. At the conclusion of the waiver hearing the court may waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense for the purpose of prosecution of the child as an adult if all of the following apply: a. The child is fourteen years of age or older. b. The court determines, or has previously determined in a detention hearing under section 232.44, that there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed a delinquent act which would constitute the public offense. c. The court determines that the state has established that there are not reasonable prospects for rehabilitating the child if the juvenile court retains jurisdiction over the child and the child is adjudicated to have committed the delinquent act, and that waiver of the court’s jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense would be in the best interests of the child and the community. 7. a. At the conclusion of the waiver hearing and after considering the best interests of the child and the best interests of the community the court may, in order that the child may be prosecuted as a youthful offender, waive its jurisdiction over the child if all of the following apply: (1) The child is twelve through fifteen years of age or the child is ten or eleven years of age and has been charged with a public offense that would be classified as a class “A” felony if committed by an adult. (2) The court determines, or has previously determined in a detention hearing under section 232.44, that there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed a delinquent act which would constitute a public offense under section 232.8, subsection 1, paragraph “c”, notwithstanding the application of that paragraph to children aged sixteen or older. (3) The court determines that the state has established that there are not reasonable prospects for rehabilitating the child, prior to the child’s eighteenth birthday, if the juvenile court retains jurisdiction over the child and the child enters into a plea agreement, is a party to a consent decree, or is adjudicated to have committed the delinquent act. b. The court shall retain jurisdiction over the child for the purpose of determining whether the child should be released from detention under section 232.23. If the court has been apprised of conditions of an agreement between the county attorney and the child which resulted in a motion for waiver for purposes of the child being prosecuted as a youthful offender, and the court finds that the conditions are in the best interests of the child, the conditions of the agreement shall constitute conditions of the waiver order. 8. In making the determination required by subsection 6, paragraph “c”, the factors which the court shall consider include but are not limited to the following: a. The nature of the alleged delinquent act and the circumstances under which it was committed. b. The nature and extent of the child’s prior contacts with juvenile authorities, including past efforts of such authorities to treat and rehabilitate the child and the response to such efforts. c. The programs, facilities and personnel available to the juvenile court for rehabilitation and treatment of the child, and the programs, facilities and personnel which would be available to the court that would have jurisdiction in the event the juvenile court waives its jurisdiction so that the child can be prosecuted as an adult. 9. In making the determination required by subsection 7, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), the factors which the court shall consider include but are not limited to the following: a. The nature of the alleged delinquent act and the circumstances under which it was committed. b. The nature and extent of the child’s prior contacts with juvenile authorities, including

Tue Dec 09 22:21:32 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 232 (92, 1) §232.45, JUVENILE JUSTICE 32\n\npast efforts of such authorities to treat and rehabilitate the child and the response to such efforts. c. The age of the child, the programs, facilities, and personnel available to the juvenile court for rehabilitation and treatment of the child, and the programs, facilities, and personnel which would be available to the district court after the child reaches the age of eighteen in the event the child is given youthful offender status. 10. If at the conclusion of the hearing the court waives its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense, the court shall make and file written findings as to its reasons for waiving its jurisdiction. 11. a. If the court waives jurisdiction, statements made by the child after being taken into custody and prior to intake are admissible as evidence in chief against the child in subsequent criminal proceedings provided that the statements were made with the advice of the child’s counsel or after waiver of the child’s right to counsel and provided that the court finds the child had voluntarily waived the right to remain silent. Other statements made by a child are admissible as evidence in chief provided that the court finds the statements were voluntary. In making its determination, the court may consider any factors it finds relevant and shall consider the following factors: (1) Opportunity for the child to consult with a parent, guardian, custodian, lawyer, or other adult. (2) The age of the child. (3) The child’s level of education. (4) The child’s level of intelligence. (5) Whether the child was advised of the child’s constitutional rights. (6) Length of time the child was held in shelter care or detention before making the statement in question. (7) The nature of the questioning which elicited the statement. (8) Whether physical punishment such as deprivation of food or sleep was used upon the child during the shelter care, detention, or questioning. b. Statements made by the child during intake or at a waiver hearing held pursuant to this section are not admissible as evidence in chief against the child in subsequent criminal proceedings over the child’s objection in any event. 12. If the court waives its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense so that the child may be prosecuted as an adult or a youthful offender, the judge who made the waiver decision shall not preside at any subsequent proceedings in connection with that prosecution if the child objects. 13. The waiver does not apply to other delinquent acts which are not alleged in the delinquency petition presented at the waiver hearing. 14. a. If a child who is alleged to have delivered, manufactured, or possessed with intent to deliver or manufacture, a controlled substance except marijuana, as defined in chapter 124, is waived to district court for prosecution, the mandatory minimum sentence provided in section 124.413 shall not be imposed if a conviction is had; however, each child convicted of such an offense shall be confined for not less than thirty days in a secure facility. b. Upon application of a person charged or convicted under the authority of this subsection, the district court shall order the records in the case sealed if: (1) Five years have elapsed since the final discharge of that person; and (2) The person has not been convicted of a felony or an aggravated or serious misdemeanor, or adjudicated a delinquent for an act which if committed by an adult would be a felony, or an aggravated or serious misdemeanor since the final discharge of that person. [C79, 81, §232.45] 85 Acts, ch 130, §1, 2; 97 Acts, ch 126, §20 – 23; 2001 Acts, ch 135, §26; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §263; 2013 Acts, ch 42, §4, 5 Referred to in §232.8, 232.9, 232.11, 232.22, 232.44, 232.45A, 232.51, 232.89, 232.149B, 803.5, 803.6, 903.1, 904.503, 907.3A, 915.37 Age of majority deemed attained for certain purposes during incarceration following conviction; see §599.1\n\n 232.45A Waiver to and conviction by district court — processing. 1. Once jurisdiction over a child has been waived by the juvenile court as provided in\n\nTue Dec 09 22:21:32 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 232 (92, 1) 33 JUVENILE JUSTICE, §232.46\n\nsection 232.45, for the alleged commission of a felony, and once a conviction is entered by the district court, for all other offenses, the clerk of the juvenile court shall immediately send a certified copy of the findings required by section 232.45, subsection 10, and the judgment of conviction, as applicable, to the department of public safety. The department shall maintain a file on each child who has previously been waived to or waived to and convicted by the district court in a prosecution as an adult. The file shall be accessible by law enforcement officers on a twenty-four hour per day basis. 2. Once a child sixteen years of age or older has been waived by the juvenile court to the district court, all subsequent criminal proceedings against the child for any delinquent act committed after the date of the waiver by the juvenile court shall begin in district court, notwithstanding sections 232.8 and 232.45. A copy of the findings required by section 232.45, subsection 10, shall be made a part of the record in the district court proceedings. However, upon acquittal or dismissal in district court of all waived offenses and all lesser included offenses of the waived offenses, the proceedings for any delinquent act committed by the child subsequent to such acquittal or dismissal shall begin in juvenile court. Any proceedings initiated in district court for a public offense committed by the child subsequent to the waiver by the juvenile court, but prior to any acquittal or dismissal of all waived offenses and lesser included offenses in district court, shall remain in district court. 3. If proceedings against a child sixteen years of age or older who has previously been waived to district court are mistakenly begun in the juvenile court, the matter shall be transferred to district court upon the discovery of the prior waiver, notwithstanding sections 232.8 and 232.45. 4. This section shall not apply to a child who was waived to the district court for the purpose of being prosecuted as a youthful offender. 91 Acts, ch 232, §4; 92 Acts, ch 1231, §17; 94 Acts, ch 1172, §18; 95 Acts, ch 191, §12; 97 Acts, ch 126, §24; 2013 Acts, ch 42, §6 Referred to in §232.9, 232.22