1. A person operating a motor vehicle upon a public street or highway shall not possess in the passenger area of the motor vehicle an open or unsealed bottle, can, jar, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or a beverage containing any amount of tetrahydrocannabinol. “Passenger area” means the area designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation and any area that is readily accessible to the driver or a passenger while in their seating positions, including the glove compartment. An open or unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or an otherwise lawful beverage containing tetrahydrocannabinol may be transported in the trunk of the motor vehicle. An unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or an otherwise lawful beverage containing tetrahydrocannabinol may be transported behind the last upright seat of the motor vehicle if the motor vehicle does not have a trunk. A person convicted of a violation of this section is guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled violation under section 805.8A, subsection 14, paragraph “e”.\n\nTue Dec 09 22:17:00 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 321 (137, 2) 191 MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD, §321.285\n\n 2. A person under the age of twenty-one who possesses an alcoholic beverage in violation of this section is guilty of a violation of section 123.47. 95 Acts, ch 48, §5; 98 Acts, ch 1100, §47; 98 Acts, ch 1204, §3; 99 Acts, ch 77, §1; 2001 Acts, ch 137, §5; 2010 Acts, ch 1128, §5; 2025 Acts, ch 9, §1 Referred to in §123.30, 123.31A, 123.31C, 123.49, 805.8A(14)(e) Section amended \n
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
17
cases (
6 in the last 5 years), 1966–2026 · leading case:
State v. Volk, 220 N.W.2d 607 (Iowa 1974).
State v. Volk, 220 N.W.2d 607 (Iowa 1974).
· cites it 9× “Defendants were informed against in separate actions in the police court of the City of Iowa City, for the crime of drag racing in violation of section 321.284, The Code, 1971. Both were tried on February 9, 1973, were adjudged guilty, and fined $100 each.”
City of Vinton v. Engledow, 140 N.W.2d 857 (Iowa 1966).
· cites it 4× “283 is also a misdemeanor but section 321.284 fixes the minimum fine at $25.”
State v. Jurgenson, 225 N.W.2d 310 (Iowa 1975).
· cites it 4× “Jurgenson (Jorgen-sen in the clerk’s transcript and notice of appeal) appeals conviction for drag racing in violation of Code section 321.284. He was tried to the court, found guilty and fined $100.”
Alex Wayne Westra v. Iowa Dep't of Transp., 929 N.W.2d 754 (Iowa 2019).
· cites it 4× “354 and driving with an open container of an alcoholic beverage in violation of section 321.284. Westra filed a motion to suppress in the traffic case, contending that Officer Wilson of the DOT lacked statutory authority to stop him on May 9 on I-80.”
Berleen v. Iowa Dep't of Pub. Saf., 150 N.W.2d 593 (Iowa 1967).
· cites it 2× “On March 3,1966, plaintiff-appellant was convicted of the offense of drag racing in violation of Code section 321.284. There was no appeal from this conviction.”
State of Iowa v. Cortez Jermaine Bryant (Iowa Ct. App. 2025).
· cites it 6× “Now, on appeal, Bryant shifts focus to whether the search of the backpack in the back seat would be a valid search for “contraband” because section 321.284(1) (2023) only provides that an open container is only illegal if it is “in the passenger area of the motor vehicle.”
State of Iowa v. Richard Eugene Noll (Iowa Ct. App. 2026).
· cites it 6× “” As an alternative argument, the State contends there was probable cause to arrest Noll for an open container violation under Iowa Code section 321.284 (2022). The State reads Noll’s challenge to be just about timing.”
State of Iowa v. Terry A. Thomas (Iowa Ct. App. 2016).
· cites it 2× “284 prohibits a “driver of a motor vehicle upon a public street or highway” from possessing “in the passenger area of the motor 4 vehicle an open or unsealed bottle, can, jar, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage.”
State of Iowa v. Ryan Bradley Tostenson (Iowa Ct. App. 2019).
· cites it 2× “July 22, 2015) (holding statute prohibiting open containers, Iowa Code section 321.284(1) (2013), was not applicable to vehicle parked in private parking lot); Hartson v.”
State of Iowa v. Jennifer Brandt (Iowa Ct. App. 2020).
· cites it 2× “See Iowa Code § 321.284 (1) (2018). When there is probable cause to search a vehicle, law enforcement may also search any belongings of a passenger in the vehicle that can conceal the object of the search.”
— Iowa Code § 321.284(1) — 5 cases
State of Iowa v. Cortez Jermaine Bryant (Iowa Ct. App. 2025).
“Now, on appeal, Bryant shifts focus to whether the search of the backpack in the back seat would be a valid search for “contraband” because section 321.284(1) (2023) only provides that an open container is only illegal if it is “in the passenger area of the motor vehicle.”
State of Iowa v. Ryan Bradley Tostenson (Iowa Ct. App. 2019).
“July 22, 2015) (holding statute prohibiting open containers, Iowa Code section 321.284(1) (2013), was not applicable to vehicle parked in private parking lot); Hartson v.”
State of Iowa v. Richard Eugene Noll (Iowa Ct. App. 2026).
“” As an alternative argument, the State contends there was probable cause to arrest Noll for an open container violation under Iowa Code section 321.284 (2022). The State reads Noll’s challenge to be just about timing.”
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treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.