Iowa statute
Iowa Code § 321.284A — Open containers in motor vehicles — passengers
Current through 2026 Iowa Code (enactments effective on or before 2026-01-01, through the 2025 Regular Session, 91st G.A.)
Part of Chapter 321: Motor Vehicles and Law of the Road, Iowa Code.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Iowa Code § 321.284A
Statutory text current through the 2026 Iowa Code (enactments effective on or before 2026-01-01, through the 2025 Regular Session, 91st G.A.). This publication reproduces the statutory text of the official 2026 Iowa Code (Legislative Services Agency); it is not the official publication of the State of Iowa.
1. A passenger in a motor vehicle upon a public street or highway shall not possess in the passenger area of the motor vehicle an open or unsealed bottle, can, jar, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or a beverage containing any amount of tetrahydrocannabinol. “Passenger area” means the area of a motor vehicle designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation and any area that is readily accessible to the driver or a passenger while in their seating positions, including the glove compartment. An open or unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or an otherwise lawful beverage containing tetrahydrocannabinol may be transported in the trunk of the motor vehicle. An unsealed receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage or an otherwise lawful beverage containing tetrahydrocannabinol may be transported behind the last upright seat of the motor vehicle if the motor vehicle does not have a trunk.
2. This section does not apply to a passenger being transported in a motor vehicle designed, maintained, or used primarily for the transportation of persons for compensation, or a passenger being transported in the living quarters of a motor home, motorsports recreational vehicle, manufactured or mobile home, travel trailer, or fifth-wheel travel trailer.
3. A person convicted of a violation of this section is guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled violation under section 805.8A, subsection 14, paragraph “e”.
4. A person under the age of twenty-one years who possesses an alcoholic beverage in violation of this section is guilty of a violation of section 123.47.
5. The department shall not include a conviction for a violation of this section on the individual driving record of the person committing the violation and the conviction shall not be considered by the department in any proceeding for suspension, revocation, barring, or denying of the person’s driver’s license or upon any application for renewal of driving privileges.
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