Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 476.1 (2026)

Applicability of authority

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section IA-LEGlegis.iowa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

1. The utilities commission shall regulate the rates and services of public utilities to the extent and in the manner hereinafter provided. 2. As used in this chapter, “public utility” shall include any person, partnership, business association, or corporation, domestic or foreign, owning or operating any facilities for: a. Furnishing gas by piped distribution system or electricity to the public for compensation. b. Furnishing communications services to the public for compensation. c. Furnishing water by piped distribution system to the public for compensation. d. Furnishing sanitary sewage or storm water drainage disposal by piped collection system to the public for compensation. 3. This chapter does not apply to municipally owned waterworks, waterworks having less than two thousand customers, joint water utilities established pursuant to chapter 389, rural water districts incorporated and organized pursuant to chapters 357A and 504, cooperative water associations incorporated and organized pursuant to chapter 499, municipally owned sanitary sewage or storm water drainage systems, sanitary districts incorporated and organized pursuant to chapter 358, districts organized pursuant to chapter 468, or a person furnishing electricity to five or fewer customers either by secondary line or from an alternate energy production facility or small hydro facility, from electricity that is produced primarily for the person’s own use. 4. The jurisdiction of the commission under this chapter shall include efforts designed to promote the use of energy efficiency strategies by gas and electric utilities required to be rate-regulated. [C66, 71, 73, 75, §490A.1; C77, 79, 81, §476.1; 81 Acts, ch 156, §4] 83 Acts, ch 127, §15, 16; 84 Acts, ch 1031, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1172, §2; 90 Acts, ch 1252, §18; 91 Acts, ch 150, §1; 91 Acts, ch 168, §9; 96 Acts, ch 1196, §1; 2004 Acts, ch 1049, §191; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §393; 2012 Acts, ch 1023, §67; 2016 Acts, ch 1013, §1, 2; 2018 Acts, ch 1135, §3; 2018 Acts, ch 1160, §4; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2669, 2670; 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §369 Referred to in §8.86, 16.151, 306.46, 331.301, 352.6, 364.3, 388.2A, 423.3, 427.1(42), 452A.41, 455H.304, 476.6, 476.20, 476.22, 476.27, 476.58, 476.84, 476.91, 499.30, 499.33, 714H.4, 715.9, 715E.6, 716.6B, 716.7

\n
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 31 cases, 1979–2018 · leading case: Sz Enter., LLC D/B/A Eagle Point Solar v. Iowa Utils. Bd., a Div. of the Dep't of Com., State of Iowa, 850 N.W.2d 441 (Iowa 2014).
Sz Enter., LLC D/B/A Eagle Point Solar v. Iowa Utils. Bd., a Div. of the Dep't of Com., State of Iowa, 850 N.W.2d 441 (Iowa 2014). · cites it 178× “See Iowa Code § 476.1 ; id. § 476.22; Hawkeye Land Co.”
Hawkeye Land Co. v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 847 N.W.2d 199 (Iowa 2014). · cites it 23× “Iowa Code § 476.1 (1) (stating a public utility is one who “[f]urnish[es] gas by piped distribution system or electricity to the public for compensation”).”
Nextera Energy Resources LLC v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 815 N.W.2d 30 (Iowa 2012). · cites it 13× “Iowa Code §§ 476.1 , 476.53. This implies a public utility should strive to decrease the cost at which it supplies electricity to consumers while at the same time ensuring reliable service.”
Renda v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 784 N.W.2d 8 (Iowa 2010). · cites it 4× “2d 523, 527 (Iowa 2008) (concluding the "`broad general powers to effect the purposes' of chapter 476, which includes the authority to regulate public utility rates," vested the utilities board with authority to interpret the rates and services provision of section 476.1…”
City of Coralville v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 750 N.W.2d 523 (Iowa 2008). · cites it 7× “The issue before the IUB involved the intersection between Iowa Code section 476.1, which grants to the IUB authority to regulate public utility rates and services, and section 364.”
Qwest Corp. v. Iowa State Bd. of Tax Review, 829 N.W.2d 550 (Iowa 2013). · cites it 6× “The fact that the legislature could have crafted a broader or different tax exemption does not render section 476.1 D(10) unconstitutional. (Internal citations and quotation marks omitted.”
Teleconnect Co. v. Iowa State Com. Comm'n, 366 N.W.2d 515 (Iowa 1985). · cites it 12× “The controversy in this case centers around Iowa Code section 476.1, as amended by 1983 Iowa Acts chapter 127, section 15, now appearing as Iowa Code section 476.”
Gen. Motors Corp. v. Tracy, 519 U.S. 278 (1997). · cites it 2× “…Ind. Code §§ 8 -1—2-1, 8-1—2-4, 8-1—2-87 (West Supp. 1996); see generally §§ 8-1—2-1 through 8-1—2-127; Iowa: Iowa Code Ann. § 476.1 (West Supp. 1996); see generally §§ 476.1 through 476.66 (West 1991 and Supp. 1996); Kansas: Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 66-104 , 66-1,200 through…”
Iowa-Illinois Gas & Elec. Co. v. Iowa State Com. Comm'n, 334 N.W.2d 748 (Iowa 1983). · cites it 8× “” The first paragraph of section 476.1 provides: The Iowa state commerce commission shall regulate the rates and services of public utilities to the extent and in the manner hereinafter provided.”
Equal Access Corp. v. Utils. Bd., Utils. Div., Iowa Dep't of Com., 510 N.W.2d 147 (Iowa 1993). · cites it 8× “Despite the fact that it had fewer than 15,000 customers in Iowa, and would therefore ordinarily be outside the scope of the utility board’s jurisdiction, Iowa Code § 476.1 (3) (1991), the board determined that Equal Access was an “alternative operator service” (AOS) under Iowa…”
Nw. Bell Tel. Co. v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 477 N.W.2d 678 (Iowa 1991). · cites it 10× “See Iowa Code § 476.1 (1991) (authorizing the board to regulate rates and services of utilities providing communication services).”
At&T Commc'ns of the Midwest, Inc. v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 687 N.W.2d 554 (Iowa 2004). · cites it 4× “Iowa Code §§ 476.1 , 476.95(2). The parties thoroughly contested the rate issue during the five-day hearing and offered evidence and thereafter submitted briefs.”
— Iowa Code § 476.1(1) — 4 cases
Hawkeye Land Co. v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 847 N.W.2d 199 (Iowa 2014). “Iowa Code § 476.1 (1) (stating a public utility is one who “[f]urnish[es] gas by piped distribution system or electricity to the public for compensation”).”
Sz Enter., LLC D/B/A Eagle Point Solar v. Iowa Utils. Bd., a Div. of the Dep't of Com., State of Iowa, 850 N.W.2d 441 (Iowa 2014). “See Iowa Code § 476.1 ; id. § 476.22; Hawkeye Land Co.”
N. Nat. Gas Co. v. Iowa Utils. Bd., 679 N.W.2d 629 (Iowa 2004).
— Iowa Code § 476.1(2) — 1 case
Nw. Bell Tel. Co. v. Iowa State Com. Comm'n, 359 N.W.2d 491 (Iowa 1984).
— Iowa Code § 476.1(3) — 1 case
Equal Access Corp. v. Utils. Bd., Utils. Div., Iowa Dep't of Com., 510 N.W.2d 147 (Iowa 1993). “Despite the fact that it had fewer than 15,000 customers in Iowa, and would therefore ordinarily be outside the scope of the utility board’s jurisdiction, Iowa Code § 476.1 (3) (1991), the board determined that Equal Access was an “alternative operator service” (AOS) under Iowa…”
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.