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HF600 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

A bill for an act relating to local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

Taxes
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
HENDERSON
Last action
2025-02-25
Official status
Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 425 .
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 local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

A bill for an act relating to local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

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

    Introduced, referred to Ways and Means. H.J. 425 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to local government finances by placing limitations on property tax levy rates.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

600

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

600

BY

HENDERSON

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

local

government

finances

by

placing

1

limitations

on

property

tax

levy

rates.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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600

Section

1.

Section

331.425,

unnumbered

paragraph

1,

Code

1

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

The

For

fiscal

years

beginning

before

July

1,

2026,

the

board

3

may

certify

an

addition

to

a

levy

in

excess

of

the

amounts

4

otherwise

permitted

under

sections

331.423

and

331.424

if

the

5

proposition

to

certify

an

addition

to

a

levy

has

been

submitted

6

at

a

special

levy

election

and

received

a

favorable

majority

of

7

the

votes

cast

on

the

proposition.

A

special

levy

election

is

8

subject

to

the

following:

9

Sec.

2.

Section

384.12,

subsection

4,

unnumbered

paragraph

10

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

11

A

For

fiscal

years

beginning

before

July

1,

2026,

a

tax

that

12

exceeds

any

tax

levy

limit

within

this

chapter

,

provided

the

13

question

has

been

submitted

at

a

special

levy

election

and

14

received

a

simple

majority

of

the

votes

cast

on

the

proposition

15

to

authorize

the

enumerated

levy

limit

to

be

exceeded

for

the

16

proposed

budget

year.

17

Sec.

3.

NEW

SECTION

.

444.25

Property

tax

limitations

——

18

general

assembly

review.

19

1.

Notwithstanding

any

other

provision

of

law

to

the

20

contrary,

for

fiscal

years

beginning

on

or

after

July

1,

21

2026,

the

maximum

levy

rate

for

each

specific

levy

imposed

22

by

a

governmental

subdivision

shall

not

exceed

one

hundred

23

two

percent

of

the

average

levy

rate

per

one

thousand

dollars

24

imposed

by

the

governmental

subdivision

for

such

specific

levy

25

over

the

immediately

preceding

five

fiscal

years,

or

the

levy

26

rate

limitation

imposed

by

another

provision

of

law,

whichever

27

is

less.

28

2.

a.

The

maximum

levy

rate

in

subsection

1

may

be

exceeded

29

after

an

election

at

which

sixty

percent

of

those

voting

on

30

the

question

of

exceeding

the

maximum

levy

rate

in

subsection

31

1

vote

in

favor

of

the

question.

The

question

of

exceeding

32

the

levy

rate

may

be

submitted

at

a

special

election

under

33

section

39.2,

subsection

4,

or

the

general

election.

Notice

34

of

the

question

shall

be

provided

by

publication

at

least

35

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sixty

days

before

the

time

of

the

election

and

shall

identify

1

the

current

levy

rate

and

the

proposed

levy.

The

levy

rate

2

may

be

rescinded

in

the

same

manner

as

the

vote

to

exceed

the

3

levy

rate

in

this

subsection,

except

the

vote

in

favor

of

the

4

question

shall

be

fifty

percent.

5

b.

A

vote

in

favor

of

the

question

to

exceed

the

maximum

6

levy

rate

under

subsection

1

shall

allow

the

governmental

7

subdivision

to

exceed

the

levy

rate

limitation

for

one

fiscal

8

year

out

of

the

five

fiscal

years

immediately

following

the

9

approval

at

election,

and

after

such

time

the

maximum

levy

10

rate

shall

revert

to

the

determination

under

subsection

1,

but

11

excluding

the

fiscal

year

for

which

the

levy

was

increased

12

under

this

subsection.

13

3.

During

the

Ninety-second

General

Assembly

and

during

14

each

general

assembly

thereafter,

the

legislature

shall

review

15

this

section;

however,

an

enactment

to

change

this

section

16

shall

require

a

sixty

percent

vote

of

the

members

elected

to

17

each

house

of

the

general

assembly.

18

EXPLANATION

19

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

20

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

21

This

bill

relates

to

local

government

finances

by

placing

22

limitations

on

property

tax

levy

rates.

23

The

bill

specifies

that

for

fiscal

years

beginning

on

or

24

after

July

1,

2026,

the

maximum

levy

rate

for

each

specific

25

levy

imposed

by

a

governmental

subdivision

shall

not

exceed

26

102

percent

of

the

average

levy

rate

per

$1,000

imposed

by

27

the

governmental

subdivision

for

such

specific

levy

over

the

28

immediately

preceding

five

fiscal

years,

or

the

levy

rate

29

limitation

imposed

by

another

provision

of

law,

whichever

is

30

less.

31

The

maximum

levy

rate

calculated

in

the

bill

may

be

exceeded

32

for

one

fiscal

year

during

a

five-fiscal-year

period

after

an

33

election

at

which

60

percent

of

those

voting

on

the

question

of

34

exceeding

the

maximum

levy

rate

vote

in

favor

of

the

increase.

35

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The

levy

rate

may

be

rescinded

in

the

same

manner

as

the

vote

to

1

exceed

the

levy

rate

in

the

bill,

except

the

vote

in

favor

of

2

the

question

shall

be

50

percent.

3

The

general

assembly

is

required

to

review

the

bill

4

beginning

with

the

next

general

assembly

(92nd).

However,

an

5

enactment

to

change

the

bill

requires

a

60

percent

vote

of

the

6

members

elected

to

each

house

of

the

general

assembly.

7

The

bill

also

amends

Code

sections

331.425

and

384.12

by

8

prohibiting

cities

and

counties

from

exceeding

certain

levy

9

limitations

or

levying

additional

taxes

following

approval

at

10

election

at

which

only

a

majority

approval

is

required.

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