1. As used in this section unless the context otherwise requires:

 a. “Arrest” means the same as defined in section 804.5 and includes taking into custody pursuant to section 232.19.
 b. “Chemical test” means a test of a person‘s blood, breath, or urine to determine the percentage of alcohol present by a qualified person using devices and methods approved by the commissioner of public safety.
 c. “Peace officer” means the same as defined in section 801.4.

Attorney's Note

Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Simple misdemeanorup to 30 daysbetween $105 and $855
For details, see Iowa Code§ 903.1

Terms Used In Iowa Code 123.46

  • Alcohol: means the product of distillation of any fermented liquor rectified one or more times, whatever may be the origin thereof, and includes synthetic ethyl alcohol. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • Alcoholic liquor: means the varieties of liquor defined in subsections 3 and 49 which contain more than six and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume, beverages made as described in subsection 7 which beverages contain more than six and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume but which are not wine as defined in subsection 53, high alcoholic content beer as defined in subsection 22, or canned cocktails as defined in subsection 11, and every other liquid or solid, patented or not, containing spirits and every beverage obtained by the process described in subsection 53 containing more than twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume, and susceptible of being consumed by a human being, for beverage purposes. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Beer: means any liquid capable of being used for beverage purposes made by the fermentation of an infusion in potable water of barley, malt, and hops, with or without unmalted grains or decorticated and degerminated grains or made by the fermentation of or by distillation of the fermented products of fruit, fruit extracts, or other agricultural products, containing more than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume but not more than six and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • clerk: means clerk of the court in which the action or proceeding is brought or is pending; and the words "clerk's office" mean the office of that clerk. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Department: means the Iowa department of public health. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • 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
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • license: means an express written authorization issued by the division for the manufacture or sale, or both, of alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • Person: means any individual, association, or partnership, any corporation, limited liability company, or other similar legal entity, any club, hotel or motel, or any municipal corporation owning or operating a bona fide airport, marina, park, coliseum, auditorium, or recreational facility in or at which the sale of alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer is only an incidental part of the ownership or operation. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • premises: means all rooms, enclosures, contiguous areas, or places susceptible of precise description satisfactory to the administrator where alcoholic beverages, wine, or beer is sold or consumed under authority of a retail alcohol license, wine permit, or beer permit. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Public place: means any place, building, or conveyance to which the public has or is permitted access. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • School: means a public or private school or that portion of a public or private school which provides facilities for teaching any grade from kindergarten through grade twelve. See Iowa Code 123.3
  • Wine: means any beverage containing more than six and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume but not more than twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume obtained by the fermentation of the natural sugar contents of fruits or other agricultural products but excluding any product containing alcohol derived from malt or by the distillation process from grain, cereal, molasses, or cactus. See Iowa Code 123.3
 2. A person shall not use or consume alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer upon the public streets or highways. A person shall not use or consume alcoholic liquor in any public place except premises covered by a retail alcohol license. A person shall not possess or consume alcoholic liquors, wine, or beer on public school property or while attending a public or private school-related function. A person shall not be intoxicated in a public place. A person violating this subsection is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
 3. A person shall not simulate intoxication in a public place. A person violating this subsection is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
 4. When a peace officer arrests a person on a charge of public intoxication under this section, the peace officer shall inform the person that the person may have a chemical test administered at the person’s own expense. If a device approved by the commissioner of public safety for testing a sample of a person’s breath to determine the person’s blood alcohol concentration is available, that is the only test that need be offered the person arrested. In a prosecution for public intoxication, evidence of the results of a chemical test performed under this subsection is admissible upon proof of a proper foundation. The percentage of alcohol present in a person’s blood, breath, or urine established by the results of a chemical test performed within two hours after the person’s arrest on a charge of public intoxication is presumed to be the percentage of alcohol present at the time of arrest.
 5. a. A peace officer shall make a reasonable effort to identify a person under the age of eighteen who violates this section and refer the person to juvenile court.

 b.  A juvenile court officer shall notify the person’s custodial parent, legal guardian, or custodian of the violation. In addition, the juvenile court officer shall make a reasonable effort to identify the elementary or secondary school the person attends, if any, and to notify the superintendent of the school district or the superintendent’s designee, or the authorities in charge of the nonpublic school, of the violation. A reasonable attempt to notify the person includes, but is not limited to, a telephone call or notice by first-class mail.
 6. Upon the expiration of two years following conviction for a violation of this section or of a similar local ordinance, a person may petition the court to expunge the conviction, and if the person has had no other criminal convictions, other than local traffic violations or simple misdemeanor violations of chapter 321 during the two-year period, the conviction shall be expunged as a matter of law. The court shall enter an order that the record of the conviction be expunged by the clerk of the district court. Notwithstanding section 692.2, after receipt of notice from the clerk of the district court that a record of conviction has been expunged, the record of conviction shall be removed from the criminal history data files maintained by the department of public safety if such a record was maintained in the criminal history data files.
 7. A person shall not be charged or prosecuted for a violation of this section if the person is immune from charge or prosecution pursuant to section 701.12.