A bill for an act relating to city utilities including landlord notification, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 3128 .)

Senate

File

2438

-

Reprinted

SENATE

FILE

2438

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

LOCAL

GOVERNMENT

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

3128)

(As

Amended

and

Passed

by

the

Senate

March

10,

2026

)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

city

utilities

including

landlord

1

notification,

and

including

effective

date

provisions.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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Section

1.

Section

384.84,

subsection

3,

paragraph

c,

Code

1

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

c.

A

city

utility

or

enterprise

service

to

a

property

or

3

premises

shall

not

be

discontinued

or

disconnected

unless

prior

4

written

notice

is

sent,

by

ordinary

mail,

to

the

account

holder

5

in

whose

name

the

delinquent

rates

or

charges

were

incurred,

6

informing

the

account

holder

of

the

nature

of

the

delinquency

7

and

affording

the

account

holder

the

opportunity

for

a

hearing

8

prior

to

discontinuance

or

disconnection

of

service.

If

the

9

account

holder

is

a

tenant,

and

if

the

owner

or

landlord

of

the

10

property

or

premises

has

made

a

written

request

for

notice,

the

11

notice

shall

also

be

given

to

the

owner

or

landlord

when

the

12

tenant

is

sixty

days

delinquent

on

payment,

and

at

least

ten

13

days

before

the

utility

is

discontinued

or

disconnected

.

If

14

the

account

holder

is

a

tenant

and

requests

a

change

of

name

15

for

service

under

the

account,

such

request

shall

be

sent

to

16

the

owner

or

landlord

of

the

property

if

the

owner

or

landlord

17

has

made

a

written

request

for

notice

of

any

change

of

name

for

18

service

under

the

account

to

the

rental

property.

19

Sec.

2.

Section

384.84,

subsection

4,

paragraph

e,

Code

20

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

21

e.

Residential

rental

property

where

a

charge

for

any

of

22

the

services

of

sewer

systems,

storm

water

drainage

systems,

23

sewage

treatment,

solid

waste

collection,

and

solid

waste

24

disposal

is

paid

directly

to

the

city

utility

or

enterprise

25

by

the

tenant

is

exempt

from

a

lien

for

delinquent

rates

or

26

charges

associated

with

such

services

if

the

landlord

gives

27

written

notice

to

the

city

utility

or

enterprise

that

the

28

property

is

residential

rental

property

and

that

the

tenant

29

is

liable

for

the

rates

or

charges.

A

form

completed

online,

30

or

sent

by

electronic

mail,

through

the

mail,

or

by

facsimile

31

transmission,

may

serve

as

acceptable

written

notice

when

32

requested

or

specified

by

the

utility

or

enterprise.

A

city

33

utility

or

enterprise

may

require

a

deposit

not

exceeding

the

34

usual

cost

of

ninety

days

of

the

services

of

sewer

systems,

35

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storm

water

drainage

systems,

sewage

treatment,

solid

waste

1

collection,

and

solid

waste

disposal

to

be

paid

to

the

utility

2

or

enterprise.

A

city

utility

or

enterprise

may

require

a

3

deposit

not

exceeding

the

usual

cost

of

sixty

days

of

the

4

services

of

gas

and

electric

to

be

paid

to

the

utility

or

5

enterprise.

Upon

receipt,

the

utility

or

enterprise

shall

6

acknowledge

the

notice

and

deposit.

A

written

notice

shall

7

contain

the

name

of

the

tenant

responsible

for

the

charges,

the

8

address

of

the

residential

rental

property

that

the

tenant

is

9

to

occupy,

and

the

date

that

the

occupancy

begins.

A

change

10

in

tenant

shall

require

a

new

written

notice

to

be

given

to

11

the

city

utility

or

enterprise

within

thirty

business

days

of

12

the

change

in

tenant.

When

the

tenant

moves

from

the

rental

13

property,

the

city

utility

or

enterprise

shall

return

the

14

deposit

if

the

charges

for

the

services

of

gas,

electric,

sewer

15

systems,

storm

water

drainage

systems,

sewage

treatment,

solid

16

waste

collection,

and

solid

waste

disposal

are

paid

in

full.

17

A

change

in

the

ownership

of

the

residential

rental

property

18

shall

require

written

notice

of

such

change

to

be

given

to

the

19

city

utility

or

enterprise

within

thirty

business

days

of

the

20

completion

of

the

change

of

ownership.

The

lien

exemption

for

21

rental

property

does

not

apply

to

charges

for

repairs

related

22

to

a

service

of

sewer

systems,

storm

water

drainage

systems,

23

sewage

treatment,

solid

waste

collection,

and

solid

waste

24

disposal

if

the

repair

charges

become

delinquent.

25

Sec.

3.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

This

Act

takes

effect

January

1,

26

2027.

27

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