Back to Iowa

HF233 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
GJERDE
Last action
2025-02-25
Official status
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-25 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  2. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/25/2025 12:15PM House Lounge.

  3. 2025-02-18 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Young, Golding and Gosa. H.J. 349 .

  4. 2025-02-06 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Transportation. H.J. 256 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to the manner in which motor vehicles turn at intersections, and making penalties applicable.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

233

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

233

BY

GJERDE

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

the

manner

in

which

motor

vehicles

turn

at

1

intersections,

and

making

penalties

applicable.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

TLSB

2374YH

(2)

91

th/ns

H.F.

233

Section

1.

Section

321.311,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

1

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

1.

The

driver

of

a

vehicle

intending

to

turn

at

an

3

intersection

shall

do

so

as

follows

all

of

the

following,

as

4

applicable

:

5

a.

Both

the

approach

for

a

right

turn

and

right

turn

shall

6

be

made

as

close

as

practical

practicable

to

the

right-hand

7

curb

or

edge

of

the

roadway.

8

b.

Approach

for

a

left

turn

shall

be

made

in

that

portion

of

9

the

right

half

of

the

roadway

nearest

the

center

line

thereof

10

and

,

after

entering

the

intersection

,

the

left

turn

shall

be

11

made

so

as

to

depart

from

the

intersection

to

the

right

of

the

12

center

line

and

as

close

as

practicable

to

the

center

line

of

13

the

roadway

being

entered.

14

c.

Approach

for

a

left

turn

from

a

two-way

street

into

15

a

one-way

street

shall

be

made

in

that

portion

of

the

right

16

half

of

the

roadway

nearest

the

center

line

thereof

and

by

17

passing

to

the

right

of

such

center

line

where

it

enters

the

18

intersection

and,

after

entering

the

intersection,

the

left

19

turn

shall

be

made

so

as

to

depart

from

the

intersection

as

20

close

as

practicable

to

the

left-hand

curb

or

edge

of

the

21

street

being

entered

.

A

22

d.

Approach

for

a

left

turn

from

a

one-way

street

into

a

23

two-way

street

shall

be

made

by

passing

as

close

as

practicable

24

to

the

left-hand

curb

or

edge

of

the

street

and,

after

entering

25

the

intersection,

the

left

turn

shall

be

made

so

as

to

depart

26

from

the

intersection

to

the

right

of

the

center

line

and

as

27

close

as

practicable

to

the

center

line

of

the

street

being

28

entered

upon

leaving

the

intersection

.

29

Sec.

2.

Section

321.311,

Code

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

the

30

following

new

subsection:

31

NEW

SUBSECTION

.

1A.

The

driver

of

a

vehicle

making

a

turn

32

at

an

intersection

from

a

laned

highway

into

another

laned

33

highway

shall

maintain

and

complete

the

turn

by

approaching,

34

entering,

and

departing

the

intersection

in

the

same

35

-1-

LSB

2374YH

(2)

91

th/ns

1/

2

H.F.

233

corresponding

lane,

as

determined

from

the

right-hand

edge

of

1

the

roadway

for

a

vehicle

turning

right,

and

from

the

left-hand

2

edge

of

the

roadway

for

a

vehicle

turning

left.

3

EXPLANATION

4

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

5

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

6

This

bill

relates

to

the

manner

in

which

motor

vehicles

7

turn

at

intersections.

Under

current

law,

a

driver

making

8

a

left

turn

must

yield

the

right-of-way

to

all

vehicles

9

approaching

from

the

opposite

direction

which

are

within

the

10

intersection

or

so

close

thereto

as

to

constitute

an

immediate

11

hazard,

before

making

the

left

turn

(Code

section

321.320).

12

In

addition,

the

driver

of

a

vehicle

making

a

left

turn

is

13

required

to

depart

from

the

intersection

to

the

right

of

14

the

center

line

of

the

roadway

being

entered

(Code

section

15

321.311).

The

bill

requires

the

driver

to

also

keep

the

16

vehicle

as

close

as

practicable

to

the

center

line.

17

If

the

left

turn

is

from

a

two-way

street

into

a

one-way

18

street,

the

bill

requires

the

driver,

after

entering

the

19

intersection,

to

depart

from

the

intersection

as

close

as

20

practicable

to

the

left-hand

curb

or

edge

of

the

street

being

21

entered.

If

the

left

turn

is

from

a

one-way

street

into

a

22

two-way

street,

the

bill

requires

the

driver

to

make

the

turn

23

as

close

as

practicable

to

the

left-hand

curb

or

edge

of

the

24

street

and,

after

entering

the

intersection,

to

depart

from

the

25

intersection

as

close

as

practicable

to

the

center

line

of

the

26

street

being

entered.

27

The

bill

requires

a

driver

making

a

turn

at

an

intersection

28

from

a

laned

highway

into

another

laned

highway

to

maintain

and

29

complete

the

turn

by

approaching,

entering,

and

departing

the

30

intersection

in

the

same

corresponding

lane.

A

“laned

highway”

31

is

a

highway

the

roadway

of

which

is

divided

into

three

or

more

32

clearly

marked

lanes

for

vehicular

traffic.

33

A

violation

of

Code

section

321.311

is

punishable

by

a

34

scheduled

fine

of

$135.

35

-2-

LSB

2374YH

(2)

91

th/ns

2/

2