Iowa Code » Chapter 321 — MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 321.284A (2026)

Open containers in motor vehicles — passengers

✓ current as of July 2026
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1. A passenger in 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 of a motor vehicle 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.

2. This section does not apply to a passenger being transported in a motor vehicle designed, maintained, or used primarily for the transportation of persons for compensation, or a passenger being transported in the living quarters of a motor home, motorsports recreational vehicle, manufactured or mobile home, travel trailer, or fifth-wheel travel trailer.

3. 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”.

4. A person under the age of twenty-one years who possesses an alcoholic beverage in violation of this section is guilty of a violation of section 123.47.

5. The department shall not include a conviction for a violation of this section on the individual driving record of the person committing the violation and the conviction shall not be considered by the department in any proceeding for suspension, revocation, barring, or denying of the person’s driver’s license or upon any application for renewal of driving privileges. 99 Acts, ch 77, §2; 2001 Acts, ch 137, §5; 2001 Acts, ch 153, §15; 2001 Acts, ch 176, §80; 2010 Acts, ch 1128, §6; 2014 Acts, ch 1127, §9; 2025 Acts, ch 9, §2 Referred to in §123.30, 123.31A, 123.31C, 123.49, 805.8A(14)(e) Consumption or intoxication in public places, see §123.46 Subsections 1 and 4 amended\n\n SPEED RESTRICTIONS \n

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2016–2022 · leading case: State of Iowa v. Ezekial Cortez Phillips Jr. (Iowa Ct. App. 2016).
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State of Iowa v. Ezekial Cortez Phillips Jr. (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 6× “On appeal, the State asserts, “When Officer Nissen saw [the person in the passenger seat of the car] attempt to conceal a bottle of alcohol in the defendant’s passenger seat, he witnessed an ongoing violation of Iowa Code section 321.284A.” Officer Nissen did not state he made…”
State of Iowa v. Myranda Marie Rincon (Iowa 2022). · cites it 2× “284(1) provides, “A driver of 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.”
— Iowa Code § 321.284A(1) — 2 cases
State of Iowa v. Ezekial Cortez Phillips Jr. (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). “On appeal, the State asserts, “When Officer Nissen saw [the person in the passenger seat of the car] attempt to conceal a bottle of alcohol in the defendant’s passenger seat, he witnessed an ongoing violation of Iowa Code section 321.284A.” Officer Nissen did not state he made…”
State of Iowa v. Myranda Marie Rincon (Iowa 2022). “284(1) provides, “A driver of 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.”
— Iowa Code § 321.284A(2) — 1 case
State of Iowa v. Ezekial Cortez Phillips Jr. (Iowa Ct. App. 2016). “On appeal, the State asserts, “When Officer Nissen saw [the person in the passenger seat of the car] attempt to conceal a bottle of alcohol in the defendant’s passenger seat, he witnessed an ongoing violation of Iowa Code section 321.284A.” Officer Nissen did not state he made…”
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