1. Any peace officer having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and load is unlawful is authorized to require the driver to stop and submit to a weighing of the same either by means of portable or stationary scales and may require that such vehicle be driven to the nearest public scales.

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 321.465

  • Driver: means a person who operates a motor vehicle for the transportation of railroad workers in the motor vehicle on behalf of a railroad worker transportation company, whether the person is employed by the company for wages or drives for the company as an independent contractor. See Iowa Code 327F.39
  • Operator: means a person who operates or is in actual physical control of an all-terrain vehicle. See Iowa Code 321I.1
  • Owner: means a person, other than a lienholder, having the property right in or title to an all-terrain vehicle. See Iowa Code 321I.1
  • seal: shall include an impression upon the paper alone, or upon wax, a wafer affixed to the paper, or an official stamp of a notarial officer as provided in chapter 9B. 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
  • Vehicle: means any vehicle as defined in chapter 321. See Iowa Code 321H.2
 2. If an officer upon weighing a vehicle and load determines that the weight is unlawful, the officer may require the driver to stop the vehicle in a suitable place until such portion of the load is removed as may be necessary to reduce the gross weight of the vehicle to the limit as permitted under this chapter. All material so unloaded shall be cared for by the owner or operator of the vehicle at the risk of the owner or operator. The owner or operator of an overweight vehicle, designed to transport solid waste and domiciled within the state, which is transporting solid waste, shall not be required to unload any portion of the load, if the load is indivisible, in a place other than a facility which is permitted to handle solid waste disposal, processing, or recycling. For purposes of this section, “solid waste” means waste which is acceptable at a local sanitary landfill and the solid waste shall be considered to be an indivisible load.
 3. A driver of a vehicle who fails or refuses to stop and submit the vehicle and load to a weighing, or who fails or refuses when directed by an officer upon a weighing of the vehicle to stop the vehicle and otherwise comply with this section, is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.
 4. Upon weighing a vehicle and load, as above provided, if such load is a sealed load, the weight officer shall issue a certificate setting forth the weights as determined by the weight officer and the seal number or numbers, if requested by the operator.