Iowa statute
Iowa Code § 804.22 — Initial appearance before magistrate arrest without warrant
Current through 2026 Iowa Code (enactments effective on or before 2026-01-01, through the 2025 Regular Session, 91st G.A.)
Part of Chapter 804: Commencement of Actions — Arrest — Dispositions of Prisoners, Iowa Code.
Full text of Iowa Code § 804.22
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. When an arrest is made without a warrant, the person arrested shall, without unnecessary delay, be taken before the nearest or most accessible magistrate in the judicial district in which such arrest was made or before a magistrate in an approved judicial district, and the grounds on which the arrest was made shall be stated to the magistrate by complaint, subscribed and sworn to by the complainant, or supported by the complainant’s affirmation, and such magistrate shall proceed as follows:
a. If the magistrate believes from such complaint that the offense charged is triable in the magistrate’s court, the magistrate shall proceed with the case.
b. If the magistrate believes from such complaint that the offense charged is triable in another court, the magistrate shall by written order, commit the person arrested to a peace officer, to be taken before the appropriate magistrate in the district in which the offense is triable, and shall fix the amount of bail or other conditions of release which the person arrested may give for the person’s appearance at the other court.
2. This section and the rules of criminal procedure do not affect the provisions of chapter 805 authorizing the release of a person on citation or bail prior to initial appearance, unless the person is charged with manufacture, delivery, possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, or distribution of methamphetamine. The initial appearance of a person so released shall be scheduled for a time not more than thirty days after the date of release.
3. For purposes of this section, an “approved judicial district” means, as to any particular arrest of a person made without a warrant, any judicial district in this state in which the chief judge of that judicial district and the chief judge of the judicial district in which the arrest was made have previously entered an order permitting a person arrested without warrant to be taken to a magistrate from any judicial district subject to the order.
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This reference is informational and is not legal advice.