Iowa Code » Chapter 804 — COMMENCEMENT OF ACTIONS — ARREST — DISPOSITIONS OF PRISONERS
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 804.15 (2026)

Breaking and entering premises — demand to enter

✓ current as of July 2026
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If a law enforcement officer has reasonable cause to believe that a person whom the officer is authorized to arrest is present on any private premises, the officer may upon identifying the officer as such, demand that the officer be admitted to such premises for the purpose of making the arrest. If such demand is not promptly complied with, the officer may thereupon enter such premises to make the arrest, using such force as is reasonably necessary. [C51, §2843, 2848; R60, §4554; C73, §4206; C97, §5201; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §13473; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §755.9; C79, 81, §804.15] Referred to in §704.12

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1998–2024 · leading case: Kelley v. Story Cnty. Sheriff, 611 N.W.2d 475 (Iowa 2000).
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Kelley v. Story Cnty. Sheriff, 611 N.W.2d 475 (Iowa 2000). · cites it 40× “" See Iowa Code § 804.15 . In this case, plaintiff's property was damaged by law enforcement officers, who were exercising their authority under section 804.”
State v. Kubit, 627 N.W.2d 914 (Iowa 2001). · cites it 24× “Iowa Code § 804.15 (detailing police must first knock, announce, and wait for noncompliance before entering to execute an arrest warrant); *921 see also Hofmann, 537 N.”
State v. Breuer, 577 N.W.2d 41 (Iowa 1998). · cites it 2× “The State apparently concedes that deputy Dideriksen had no statutory authority to enter defendant's apartment for purposes of making an arrest pursuant to Iowa Code section 804.15, which gives an officer authority to enter a person’s home without a warrant when making an arrest.”
Shannon v. Koehler, 673 F. Supp. 2d 758 (N.D. Iowa 2009). · cites it 6× “Even though *805 the officers forcibly entered a residence, the court found that they had statutory authority to do so under Iowa Code § 804.15 28 . The court explained that the officers had exercised due care because they had acted “pursuant to their authority” under Iowa law.”
State of Iowa v. Tanner Alan Sorensen (Iowa Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 20× “Because officers wrongfully entered Sorensen’s home by not complying with the last step of Iowa Code section 804.15 (2020), the evidence they collected in their subsequent movement around the home and later search warrant should have been suppressed.”
State of Iowa v. Patricia Pranschke (Iowa Ct. App. 2017). · cites it 4× “at 594 ; see also Iowa Code § 804.15 (codifying the knock-and-announce rule); State v.”
State of Iowa v. Nicholas Dean Wright (Iowa 2021). · cites it 2× “Under the majority’s reasoning, it appears numerous valid law enforcement methods are no longer allowed without a warrant because these actions are prohibited if performed by a private citizen. “Our 14Iowa Code section 804.7 lists six situations in which a peace officer may make…”
State of Iowa v. Nicholas Dean Wright (Iowa 2021). · cites it 2× “Under the majority’s reasoning, it appears numerous valid law enforcement methods are no longer allowed without a warrant because these actions are prohibited if performed by a private citizen. “Our 14Iowa Code section 804.7 lists six situations in which a peace officer may make…”
State of Iowa v. Nicholas Dean Wright (Iowa 2021). · cites it 2× “Under the majority’s reasoning, it appears numerous valid law enforcement methods are no longer allowed without a warrant because these actions are prohibited if performed by a private citizen. “Our 14Iowa Code section 804.7 lists six situations in which a peace officer may make…”
James Tyrone Woods, Applicant-Appellant v. State of Iowa (Iowa Ct. App. 2017). “§ 804.15 (authorizing only law enforcement officers to enter a private premise to make a lawful arrest).”
State of Iowa v. Michael Lang (Iowa Ct. App. 2024). “§ 804.15. But Lang argues that neither these statutes nor Iowa caselaw answers a key question: does an arrestee retain a right to self-defense when law enforcement uses such excessive force that the arresting officers are no longer acting “in the lawful performance of [their]…”
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