Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 321.215 (2026)

Temporary restricted license

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. a. The department, on application, may issue a temporary restricted license to a person whose noncommercial driver’s license is suspended or 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 any of the following:

(1) The person’s full-time or part-time employment.

(2) The person’s continuing health care or the continuing health care of another who is dependent upon the person.

(3) The person’s 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.

(4) The person’s substance use disorder treatment.

(5) The person’s court-ordered community service responsibilities.

(6) The person’s appointments with the person’s parole or probation officer.

b. However, a temporary restricted license shall not be issued to a person whose license is revoked pursuant to a court order issued under section 321.209, subsections 1 through 5; to a juvenile whose license has been suspended or revoked pursuant to a dispositional order under section 232.52, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, for a violation of chapter 124 or 453B or section 126.3; to a juvenile whose license has been suspended under section 321.213B; or to a person whose license has been suspended pursuant to a court order under section 714.7D. A temporary restricted license may be issued to a person whose license is revoked under section 321.209, subsection 6, only if the person has no previous drag racing convictions. A person holding a temporary restricted license issued by the department under this section shall not operate a motor vehicle for pleasure.

2. Upon conviction and the suspension or revocation of a person’s noncommercial driver’s license under section 321.209, subsection 5, 6, or 7, or section 321.210, 321.210A, or 321.513; or upon the denial of issuance of a noncommercial driver’s license under section 321.560, based solely on offenses enumerated in section 321.555, subsection 1, paragraph “c”, or section 321.555, subsection 2; or upon suspension or revocation of a juvenile’s driver’s license pursuant to a dispositional order under section 232.52, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, for a violation of chapter 124 or 453B, or section 126.3; or upon suspension of a driver’s license pursuant to a court order under section 714.7D, the person may apply to the department for a temporary restricted license to operate a motor vehicle for the limited purpose or purposes specified in subsection 1. The application may be granted only if all of the following criteria are satisfied:

a. The temporary restricted license is requested only for a case of hardship or circumstances where alternative means of transportation do not exist.

b. The temporary restricted license is restricted to the limited purpose or purposes specified in subsection 1 at times specified in the license.

c. Proof of financial responsibility is established as defined in chapter 321A. However, such proof is not required if the driver’s license was suspended under section 321.210A or 321.513. \n Tue Dec 09 22:16:59 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 321 (137, 2) 163 MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD, §321.216A\n\n 3. The temporary restricted license shall be canceled upon conviction of a moving traffic violation or upon a violation of a term of the license. A “moving traffic violation” does not include a parking violation as defined in section 321.210.

4. The temporary restricted license is not valid to operate a commercial motor vehicle if a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit is required for the person’s operation of the commercial motor vehicle.

5. 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 321J.20, provided the requirements of this section and section 321J.20 are satisfied. [C31, 35, §4960-d43, -d44; C39, §5014.15; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §321.215] 84 Acts, ch 1022, §6; 84 Acts, ch 1219, §26; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §58; 93 Acts, ch 16, §7 – 9; 95 Acts, ch 55, §10; 95 Acts, ch 143, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1152, §17; 96 Acts, ch 1218, §63 – 65; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9; 2000 Acts, ch 1133, §8 – 10; 2001 Acts, ch 132, §9; 2002 Acts, ch 1050, §33; 2005 Acts, ch 8, §27; 2005 Acts, ch 141, §1, 2; 2007 Acts, ch 196, §3; 2010 Acts, ch 1097, §1; 2015 Acts, ch 123, §34, 68; 2016 Acts, ch 1011, §50; 2018 Acts, ch 1172, §97 – 99, 104; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1061; 2023 Acts, ch 42, §1, 2 Referred to in §321.212, 321.213, 321.213A, 321.560, 321.561, 321J.20, 321J.20A\n\n LICENSES AND NONOPERATOR’S IDENTIFICATION CARDS — VIOLATIONS \n

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 27 cases, 1959–2018 · leading case: Needles v. Kelley, 156 N.W.2d 276 (Iowa 1968).

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Needles v. Kelley, 156 N.W.2d 276 (Iowa 1968). · cites it 46× “" Section 321.215 provides: "Appeal. Any person denied a license or whose license has been canceled, suspended, or revoked by the department except where such cancellation or revocation is mandatory under the provisions of this chapter shall have the right to file a petition…”

Casteel v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., Motor Veh. Div., 395 N.W.2d 896 (Iowa 1986). · cites it 12× “The trial court, reasoning that Iowa Code section 321.215 (1983) contains ambiguous language and, if properly interpreted, becomes applicable to administrative reviews under section 321B.”

Hitchcock v. Dep't of Pub. Saf., 98 N.W.2d 1 (Iowa 1959). · cites it 38× “211, * * * for an administrative hearing, from which hearing the legislature has specifically provided for a right of judicial review under Section 321.215, that the legislature in affording to each licensee the right to both administrative and judicial review has provided an…”

Danner v. Hass, 134 N.W.2d 534 (Iowa 1965). · cites it 10× “17; but on the appeal to the district court under *658 section 321.215 which deais only with suspension under section 321.”

Fetters v. Degnan, 250 N.W.2d 25 (Iowa 1977). · cites it 8× “December 3 Noggles appealed to the Du-buque District Court pursuant to section 321.215, The Code, 1973. Petitioner herein *27 moved for summary judgment on December 17, but it appears no ruling was ever made thereon, although a hearing was held immediately prior to trial.”

Wibben v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., Motor Veh. Div., 409 N.W.2d 475 (Iowa 1987). · cites it 19× “We conclude the controlling statutes, Iowa Code sections 321.215 and 321.218 (1985), made mandatory the department’s refusal to issue Wibben a work permit.”

State v. Iowa Dist. Court for Clayton Cnty., 419 N.W.2d 398 (Iowa 1988). · cites it 6× “Our examination of the Code indicates that the district court may grant a work permit to a convicted offender only under section 321.215, which provides in part: 1.”

State of Iowa v. Deshaun Marvin Lamar Williams, 910 N.W.2d 586 (Iowa 2018). · cites it 4× “560 except for a habitual offender who has been granted a temporary restricted license pursuant to section 321.215, subsection 2. Iowa Code § 321.”

State v. West, 446 N.W.2d 777 (Iowa 1989). · cites it 6× “” Iowa Code § 321.215 (emphasis added). Thus we held in Clayton County, that “[a]s far as the habitual offender statute, section 321.”

Richard v. Holliday, 153 N.W.2d 473 (Iowa 1967). · cites it 10× “Before the suspension was to be effective plaintiff filed in the district court of Polk County a petition to review the order under section 321.215. This petition was heard by defendant-judge and its order denying relief is the one now before us for review on certiorari.”

Sueppel v. Eads, 156 N.W.2d 115 (Iowa 1968). · cites it 6× “(Code section 321.215) Plaintiffs answered and resisted.”

Dehning v. Eads, 201 N.W.2d 454 (Iowa 1972). · cites it 17× “211, The Code (administrative hearing) before appealing to district court under § 321.215, The Code? We agree with trial court’s determination the administrative hearing is a prerequisite to a § 321.”

Show all 27 citing cases →

— Iowa Code § 321.215(1) — 1 case

Wibben v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., Motor Veh. Div., 409 N.W.2d 475 (Iowa 1987). “We conclude the controlling statutes, Iowa Code sections 321.215 and 321.218 (1985), made mandatory the department’s refusal to issue Wibben a work permit.”

— Iowa Code § 321.215(2) — 3 cases

Iowa Dep't of Transp. v. Iowa Dist. Court for Pottawattamie Cnty., 592 N.W.2d 41 (Iowa 1999).

Iowa Dep't of Transp. v. Iowa Dist. Court for Poweshiek Cnty., 530 N.W.2d 725 (Iowa 1995).

State of Iowa v. Jorge G. Garcia-Villa (Iowa Ct. App. 2015).

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