The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall, for the purposes of this chapter, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: \n Tue Dec 09 22:16:10 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 321A (43, 0) §321A.1, MOTOR VEHICLE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 2\n\n 1. “Book”, “list”, “record”, or “schedule” kept by a county auditor, assessor, treasurer, recorder, sheriff, or other county officer means the county system as defined in section 445.1.
2. “Department” means the state department of transportation.
3. “Judgment” means a judgment which has become final by expiration without appeal during the time within which an appeal might have been perfected, or a judgment if an appeal from the judgment has been perfected, which has not been stayed by the execution, filing, and approval of a bond as provided in rule of appellate procedure 6.601(1), or a judgment which has become final by affirmation on appeal, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of a state or of the United States, upon a cause of action arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle, as defined in this section, for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to or death of a person, or for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use of property, or upon a cause of action on an agreement of settlement for such damages.
4. “License” means a driver’s license as defined in section 321.1 issued under the laws of this state.
5. “Motor vehicle” means every vehicle which is self-propelled, but not including vehicles known as trackless trolleys which are propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires and not operated upon rails. The term “car” or “automobile” shall be synonymous with the term “motor vehicle”. “Motor vehicle” does not include special mobile equipment as defined in this section.
6. “Nonresident” means every person who is not a resident of this state.
7. “Nonresident operating privilege” means the privilege conferred upon a nonresident by the laws of this state pertaining to the operation by the nonresident of a motor vehicle, or the use of a motor vehicle owned by the nonresident, in this state.
8. “Operator” means a person who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle whether or not that person has a driver’s license as required under the laws of this state.
9. “Owner” means a person who holds the legal title of a motor vehicle; however, if the motor vehicle is the subject of a security agreement with a right of possession in the debtor, the debtor shall be deemed the owner for purposes of this chapter or if the motor vehicle is leased as defined in section 321.493, the lessee shall be deemed the owner for purposes of this chapter.
10. “Person” means every natural person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation.
11. “Proof of financial responsibility” means proof of ability to respond in damages for liability, on account of accidents occurring subsequent to the effective date of the proof, arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle, in the amount of twenty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and, subject to the limit for one person, the amount of forty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and the amount of fifteen thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.
12. “Registration” means a registration certificate or certificates and registration plates issued under the laws of this state pertaining to the registration of motor vehicles.
13. “Special mobile equipment” means every vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property and incidentally operated or moved over the highways, including road construction or maintenance machinery, ditch-digging apparatus, and implements of husbandry as defined in section 321.1, subsection 32. This description does not exclude other vehicles which are within the general terms of this subsection.
14. “State” means any state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any province of the Dominion of Canada. [C50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §321A.1] 83 Acts, ch 101, §74; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §77; 92 Acts, ch 1175, §39; 95 Acts, ch 136, §2; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9; 2000 Acts, ch 1148, §1; 2002 Acts, ch 1119, §200, 201; 2005 Acts, ch 131, §1, 2, 5; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §106; 2009 Acts, ch 179, §36; 2016 Acts, ch 1011, §52; 2017 Acts, ch 54, §46; 2022 Acts, ch 1021, §75 Referred to in §321.12, 321A.24, 516A.1, 516A.2\n\nTue Dec 09 22:16:10 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 321A (43, 0) 3 MOTOR VEHICLE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, §321A.3\n\n SUBCHAPTER II ADMINISTRATION \n
Notes of Decisions
Am. States Ins. Co. v. Est. of Tollari, 362 N.W.2d 519 (Iowa 1985).
· cites it 22× “Both the uninsured motor vehicle or hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage, and the underinsured motor vehicle coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be…”
McClure v. Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 238 N.W.2d 321 (Iowa 1976).
· cites it 18× “Such coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in subsection 10 of section 321A.1 of the Code ["$10,000-$20,000" coverage].”
Krause v. Krause, 589 N.W.2d 721 (Iowa 1999).
· cites it 20× “shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be examined and approved by the commissioner of insurance.”
Miller v. Westfield Ins. Co., 606 N.W.2d 301 (Iowa 2000).
· cites it 12× “one or in combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
Lindahl v. Howe, 345 N.W.2d 548 (Iowa 1984).
· cites it 8× “Both the uninsured motor vehicle or hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage, and the underinsured motor vehicle coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be…”
Westhoff v. Am. Interinsurance Exch., 250 N.W.2d 404 (Iowa 1977).
· cites it 7× “Such coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in subsection 10 of section 321A.1 [$10,-000 per person and $20,000 per accident].”
Lemars Mut. Ins. Co. v. Joffer, 574 N.W.2d 303 (Iowa 1998).
· cites it 4× “1 (directing that uninsured and underinsured coverage “shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10”); see also Iowa Code § 321A.”
Swainston v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 774 N.W.2d 478 (Iowa 2009).
· cites it 4× “combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
Tri-State Ins. Co. of Minnesota v. Gooyer, 379 N.W.2d 16 (Iowa 1985).
· cites it 4× “combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
Hinners v. Pekin Ins. Co., 431 N.W.2d 345 (Iowa 1988).
· cites it 4× “Both the insured motor vehicle or hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage, and the underinsured motor vehicle coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1 subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be…”
Davenport v. Aid Ins. Co.(Mut.), 334 N.W.2d 711 (Iowa 1983).
· cites it 4× “combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
— Iowa Code § 321A.1(10) — 14 cases
Am. States Ins. Co. v. Est. of Tollari, 362 N.W.2d 519 (Iowa 1985).
“Both the uninsured motor vehicle or hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage, and the underinsured motor vehicle coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be…”
Krause v. Krause, 589 N.W.2d 721 (Iowa 1999).
“shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in section 321A.1, subsection 10. The form and provisions of such coverage shall be examined and approved by the commissioner of insurance.”
McClure v. Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 238 N.W.2d 321 (Iowa 1976).
“Such coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in subsection 10 of section 321A.1 of the Code ["$10,000-$20,000" coverage].”
Miller v. Westfield Ins. Co., 606 N.W.2d 301 (Iowa 2000).
“one or in combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
Westhoff v. Am. Interinsurance Exch., 250 N.W.2d 404 (Iowa 1977).
“Such coverage shall include limits for bodily injury or death at least equal to those stated in subsection 10 of section 321A.1 [$10,-000 per person and $20,000 per accident].”
— Iowa Code § 321A.1(11) — 4 cases
Swainston v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 774 N.W.2d 478 (Iowa 2009).
“combination with similar coverage afforded under other automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies, to afford limits in excess of those that would be afforded had the insured thereunder been involved in an accident with a motorist who was insured under a policy of…”
— Iowa Code § 321A.1(5) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 321A.1(7) — 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.