Iowa Code 805.6 – Uniform citation and complaint
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1. a. The commissioner of public safety, the director of transportation, and the director of the department of natural resources, acting jointly, shall adopt a uniform, combined citation and complaint which shall be used for charging all traffic violations in Iowa under state law or local regulation or ordinance, and which shall be used for charging all other violations which are designated by sections 805.8A, 805.8B, and 805.8C to be scheduled violations. This subsection does not prevent the charging of any of those violations by information, by private complaint filed under chapter 804, or by a simple notice of fine where permitted by section 321.236, subsection 1.
b. In addition to those violations which are required by paragraph “a” to be charged upon a uniform citation and complaint, a violation of chapter 321 which is punishable as a simple, serious, or aggravated misdemeanor may be charged upon a uniform citation and complaint, whether or not the alleged offender is arrested by the officer making the charge.
Attorney's Note
Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Aggravated misdemeanor | up to 2 years | between $855 and $8,540 |
| Simple misdemeanor | up to 30 days | between $105 and $855 |
Terms Used In Iowa Code 805.6
- Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
- person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
- Signature: includes an electronic signature as defined in section 554D. See Iowa Code 4.1
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
2. Each uniform citation and complaint shall be serially numbered and shall be in quintuplicate, and the officer shall deliver the original and a copy to the court where the defendant is to appear, two copies to the defendant, and a copy to the law enforcement agency of the officer. Notwithstanding other contrary requirements of this section, a uniform citation and complaint may be originated from a computerized device. The officer issuing the citation through a computerized device shall electronically sign and date the citation or complaint and shall obtain electronically the signature of the person cited as provided in section 805.3 and shall give two copies of the citation to the person cited and shall provide a record of the citation to the court where the person cited is to appear and to the law enforcement agency of the officer by an electronic process which accurately reproduces or forms a durable medium for accurately and legibly reproducing an unaltered image or copy of the citation. If the uniform citation and complaint is created electronically, the issuing agency shall cause the uniform citation and complaint to be transmitted to the court, and the officer shall deliver a document to the defendant which contains a section for the defendant and a section which may be sent to the court. The court shall forward an abstract of the uniform citation and complaint in accordance with section 321.491 when applicable.
3. a. (1) The uniform citation and complaint shall contain spaces for the following:
(a) The parties’ names.
(b) The address of the alleged offender.
(c) The registration number of the offender’s vehicle.
(d) The information required by section 805.2.
(e) A warning which states:
I hereby swear and affirm that the information provided by me on this citation is true under penalty of providing false information.
(f) A statement that providing false identification information is a violation of section 719.1A.
(g) A list of the scheduled fines prescribed by sections 805.8A, 805.8B, and 805.8C, either separately or by group, and a statement of the court costs payable in scheduled violation cases, whether or not a court appearance is required or is demanded.
(h) A brief explanation of sections 805.9 and 805.10.
(i) A space where the defendant may sign an admission of the violation when permitted by section 805.9.
(2) The uniform citation and complaint shall require that the defendant appear before a court at a specified time and place.
(3) The uniform citation and complaint also may contain a space for the imprint of a credit card, and may contain any other information which the commissioner of public safety, the director of transportation, and the director of the department of natural resources may determine.
b. The uniform citation and complaint shall also contain the following:
(1) A promise to appear as provided in section 805.3.
(2) The following statement:
I hereby give my unsecured appearance bond in the amount of ……………. dollars and enter my written appearance. I agree that if I fail to appear in person or by counsel to defend against the offense charged in this citation the court is authorized to enter a conviction and render judgment against me for the amount of my appearance bond in satisfaction of the penalty plus court costs.
(3) A space immediately below the items in subparagraphs (1) and (2) for the signature of the person being charged which shall serve for each of the items in subparagraphs (1) and (2).
(4) A place for citing a person in violation of section 453A.2, subsection 2.
c. The uniform citation and complaint shall contain a place for the verification of the officer issuing the complaint. The complaint may be verified before the chief officer of the law enforcement agency, or the chief officer’s designee. The chief officer of each law enforcement agency of the state may designate specific individuals to administer oaths and certify verifications.
4. Unless the officer issuing the citation arrests the alleged offender, or permits admission or requires submission of bail as provided in section 805.9, subsection 3, the officer shall enter in the blank contained in the statement required by subsection 3, paragraph “b”, one of the following amounts and shall require the person to sign the written appearance:
a. If the offense is one to which an assessment of a minimum fine is applicable and the entry is otherwise not prohibited by this section, an amount equal to one and one-half times the minimum fine and applicable surcharge assessed pursuant to chapter 911, plus court costs.
b. If the offense is one to which a scheduled fine is applicable, an amount equal to one and one-half times the scheduled fine and applicable surcharge assessed pursuant to chapter 911, plus court costs.
c. If the violation is for any offense for which a court appearance is mandatory, and an assessment of a minimum fine is not applicable, the amount of one hundred dollars and applicable surcharge assessed pursuant to chapter 911, plus court costs.
5. The written appearance defined in subsection 3, paragraph “b”, shall not be used for any offense other than a simple misdemeanor.
6. The filing fees and court costs in cases of parking meter and overtime parking violations which are denied are as stated in section 602.8106, subsection 1. The court costs in scheduled violation cases where a court appearance is not required are as stated in section 602.8106, subsection 1. The court costs in scheduled violation cases where a court appearance is required are as stated in section 602.8106, subsection 1.
7. Supplies of the uniform citation and complaint for municipal corporations and county agencies shall be paid for out of the budget of the municipal corporation or county receiving the fine resulting from use of the citation and complaint. Supplies of the uniform citation and complaint form used by other agencies shall be paid for out of the budget of the agency concerned and not out of the budget of the judicial branch.
8. The commissioner of public safety and the director of the department of natural resources, acting jointly, shall design and publish a compendium of scheduled violations and scheduled fines, containing other information which they deem appropriate, and shall distribute copies to all courts and law enforcement officers and agencies of the state upon request. The cost of the publication shall be paid out of the budget of the department of public safety and out of the budget of the department of natural resources, each budget being liable for half of those costs. Copies shall be made available to individuals upon request, and a charge may be collected which does not exceed the cost of printing.
9. Supplies of uniform citation and complaint forms existing or on order on July 1, 2010, may be used until exhausted.