SF256 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to disputed land boundaries and corners including acquiesced boundaries and corners.(Formerly SSB 1062 .)

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
Last action: 2025-05-15
Official status: Rereferred to Natural Resources. H.J. 1222 .
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed explanations or additional context beyond the legal text and summary provided.

Land Boundary and Corner Disputes

This bill clarifies the process for establishing permanent land boundaries through acquiescence, ensuring that once agreed upon by neighbors for ten years, these boundaries become official and cannot be easily changed.

What This Bill Does

Clarifies that if people recognize and accept a boundary or corner for ten years without dispute, it becomes officially established and permanent.
States that even if adjacent properties are later combined into one piece of land, the original agreed-upon boundaries remain unless new ones are recognized and accepted by neighbors for another ten years.

Who It Names or Affects

People who own land and have disputes about where their property lines are.
Land surveyors and lawyers dealing with property boundary issues.

Terms To Know

Acquiescence: The process by which a boundary or corner becomes officially established after being recognized and accepted without dispute for ten years.
Boundaries and Corners: The lines that show where one piece of property ends and another begins, including the corners where these lines meet.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens if people disagree about a land boundary after ten years.
Does not address how to handle disputes before the ten-year period is over.
The bill does not change other laws related to property ownership or land use.

Bill History

2025-05-15 Iowa Legislature
Rereferred to Natural Resources. H.J. 1222 .
2025-04-10 Iowa Legislature
Placed on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 928 .
2025-04-02 Iowa Legislature
Placed on calendar. H.J. 887 .
2025-04-01 Iowa Legislature
Committee vote: Yeas, 17. Nays, 4. H.J. 887 .
2025-04-01 Iowa Legislature
Committee report, recommending passage. H.J. 887 .
2025-04-01 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee recommends passage.
2025-03-27 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee Meeting: 04/01/2025 8:00AM House Lounge.
2025-03-27 Iowa Legislature
Subcommittee: Mommsen, Gearhart and Kurth. H.J. 867 .
2025-03-19 Iowa Legislature
Read first time, referred to Natural Resources. H.J. 749 .
2025-03-19 Iowa Legislature
Message from Senate. H.J. 723 .
2025-03-19 Iowa Legislature
Immediate message. S.J. 577 .
2025-03-19 Iowa Legislature
Passed Senate , yeas 47, nays 0. S.J. 574 .
2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature
Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 245 .
2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature
Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 238 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to disputed land boundaries and corners including acquiesced boundaries and corners.(Formerly SSB 1062 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Senate

File

256

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

256

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

NATURAL

RESOURCES

AND

ENVIRONMENT

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

1062)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

disputed

land

boundaries

and

corners

1

including

acquiesced

boundaries

and

corners.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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S.F.

256

Section

1.

Section

650.14,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

1

follows:

2

650.14

Boundaries

by

acquiescence

established.

3

If

it

is

found

that

the

boundaries

and

corners

alleged

to

4

have

been

recognized

and

acquiesced

in

for

ten

years

have

been

5

so

recognized

and

acquiesced

in,

such

recognized

boundaries

and

6

corners

shall

be

permanently

established.

This

section

shall

7

be

self-executing.

Once

an

acquiesced

boundary

and

corners

8

have

been

permanently

established,

subsequent

common

ownership

9

of

the

adjacent

tracts,

separated

by

the

acquiesced

boundary,

10

does

not

terminate

the

acquiesced

boundary

and

corners.

The

11

acquiesced

boundary

and

corners

shall

continue

unless

adjoining

12

parties

have

recognized

and

acquiesced

in

subsequent

boundaries

13

and

corners

for

ten

years,

then

such

subsequent

recognized

14

and

acquiesced

boundaries

and

corners

shall

be

permanently

15

established.

16

EXPLANATION

17

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

18

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

19

This

bill

relates

to

disputed

land

boundaries

and

corners.

20

Under

current

law,

Code

section

650.14

provides

that

boundaries

21

and

corners

recognized

and

acquiesced

in

for

a

period

of

22

10

years

shall

be

permanently

established

boundaries

and

23

corners.

The

bill

provides

that

boundaries

and

corners

are

24

permanently

established

by

acquiescence

through

self-execution

25

of

Code

section

650.14.

The

bill

provides

that

common

26

ownership

of

adjacent

tracts

where

acquiesced

boundaries

and

27

corners

have

been

permanently

established

does

not

terminate

28

the

acquiesced

boundary

and

corners

previously

established

29

through

self-execution.

Under

the

bill,

adjoining

parties

30

may

subsequently

recognize

and

acquiesce

to

new

boundaries

31

and

corners

and

if

subsequently

recognized

and

acquiesced

in

32

for

a

period

of

10

years

those

boundaries

and

corners

become

33

permanently

established.

34

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