Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to trespass, and providing penalties
Sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. David Sieck (R)
Topics:Crime & corrections
Same legislation: HF 981
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedMarch 31, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 4, 2026
- Done: House committeeFebruary 17, 2026
- Done: Passes the HouseMarch 12, 202689–2
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Iowa would create a new crime called unlawful squatting for people who live on someone else's private property without permission or legal documents. Property owners or their representatives can report these individuals to the police if they have been told to leave and there is no ongoing court case about the property. Depending on how many times a person commits this offense, they could face fines or time in jail.1
Read the official explanation
This bill establishes the criminal offense of unlawful squatting. The bill provides that a person commits the offense of unlawful squatting if all of the following circumstances apply: the person knowingly enters the premises of another person and resides on the premises of the other person for any period of time without lawful authority in entering and residing on the premises, and cannot produce any document authorizing the person’s presence; the premises the person enters upon is not open to the public at the time of entry; the owner of the premises has directed the person entering upon the premises to leave the premises or has contacted law enforcement to make a report of unlawful squatting; and no pending litigation exists between the owner of the premises and the person entering upon the premises. The bill provides that a law enforcement agency shall not accept a report of unlawful squatting unless the report is made by an owner of the premises upon which the unlawful squatting occurred, or by an authorized representative of the owner of the premises upon which the unlawful squatting occurred. A law enforcement officer acting in good faith in response to a report of a violation of this section is immune from criminal and civil liability. The bill provides that unlawful squatting is a serious misdemeanor. A second offense of unlawful squatting is an aggravated misdemeanor. A third offense of unlawful squatting is a class “D” felony. A person who provides a false document as justification for the person’s presence on the premises commits a class “D” felony. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than two years and a fine of at least $855 but not more than $8,540. A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245. The bill provides a private cause of action for a person aggrieved by a violation of the bill and the person is entitled to recover damages, including without limitation restitution, and reasonable attorney fees. The bill provides definitions of “immediate family member”, “premises”, and “unlawful squatting”.
Why it matters. Property owners or their representatives can report individuals who enter and reside on private property without authorization or legal documents after being told to leave. People convicted of unlawful squatting face criminal penalties ranging from serious misdemeanors to class “D” felonies, and owners may sue for damages and attorney fees. The fiscal impact on the state's General Fund, including costs for the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections, cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated.2
Changed since by amendment H-8200; see Amendments.
Senate subcommittee
Named March 17, 2026. On March 18, 2026 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
3 written public comments to its subcommittee: March 18, 2026 (1), February 10, 2026 (2) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
Can’t be estimated Compare with other bills
AI summary This bill creates a new criminal offense for squatting and establishes penalties ranging from a serious misdemeanor to a Class D felony. The fiscal impact on the state's General Fund, including costs for the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the Department of Corrections, cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated.4
Read the fiscal note
Description
House File 2629 establishes the criminal offense of squatting. Under the Bill, a person commits squatting if a person knowingly takes up a residence at a property not open to the public without lawful authority and all of the following circumstances apply:
- The person is not a current tenant at the property.
- The person does not have a valid agreement to occupy the property.
- The person is not an immediate family member of the owner of the property.
- The person acts without lawful authority in entering and residing on the property. The Bill provides that squatting is a serious misdemeanor. A second offense of squatting is an aggravated misdemeanor. A third or subsequent offense of squatting is a Class D felony. A person who provides a false document in response to a request to produce a document proving lawful authority is, in addition to any other criminal offense, guilty of a fraudulent practice under Iowa Code section 714.8.
Background
Iowa Code section 716.7 establishes the crime of trespass and Iowa Code section 716.8 establishes the penalties for the crime of trespass. In FY 2025, there were 3,750 convictions involving 2,592 unique individuals for trespass under Iowa Code sections 716.7 and 716.8. In FY 2025, 23 individuals were admitted to probation for their most serious offense under Iowa Code section 716.8(2).
Penalties for fraudulent practice under Iowa Code chapter 714 range from a simple misdemeanor to a Class C felony. In FY 2025, there were no prison admits under Iowa Code section 714.8.
Currently, a serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for up to one year or a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for up to two years and a fine of at least $855 but not more than $8,540. A Class D felony is punishable by confinement for up to five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245. A Class C felony is punishable by confinement for up to 10 years and a fine of at least $1,370 but not more than $13,660.
Assumptions
- The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing patterns and trends; prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and other criminal justice system policies and practices.
- County jail data is unavailable. For purposes of this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day.
- Conviction data reflects the total number of convictions in adult court, which may include multiple convictions per individual. Not all convictions lead to incarceration, and there may be a delay between conviction and prison admission, which can contribute to differences in totals.
- A six-month delay is assumed from the effective date of the Bill to the date the first offender will enter the correctional system.
- Offender-based convictions are a count of individuals convicted of the same offense. Each offender is counted only once per Iowa Code section, regardless of the number of individual convictions.
- Admissions are a count of individuals newly admitted to the Department of Corrections (DOC) for supervision during a selected time period, based on the most serious offense committed.
Correctional Impact
The correctional impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. Figure 1 shows estimates for sentencing to State prison, parole, probation, or Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; LOS in months under those supervisions; and supervision marginal costs per day for a serious misdemeanor, aggravated misdemeanor, and Class D felony.
Figure 1 — Sentencing Estimates and Length of Stay (LOS) in Months
Conviction Offense Class
Percent
Ordered to
State
Prison
FY 2025 Avg
LOS in
Prison (All Releases)
Marginal
Cost Per
Day
Prison
Percent
Ordered to
Probation
FY 2025
Field Avg
LOS on
Probation
Avg Cost
Per Day
Probation
Marginal
Cost Per
Day CBC
Marginal
Cost Per
Day Jail
FY 2025
Field Avg
LOS on
Parole
Marginal
Cost Per
Day Parole
Serious Misdemeanor 2.3% 7.3 $23.07 44.8% 21.0 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 N/A $8.00 Aggravated Misdemeanor Non-Persons 31.1% 9.3 $23.07 37.1% 28.4 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 11.2 $8.00 D Felony Non-Persons 84.2% 12.5 $23.07 69.4% 41.4 $8.00 $16.35 $50.00 15.5 $8.00 Refer to the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost Estimates Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to the correctional system.
Minority Impact
The minority impact cannot be determined since it is not known how many new convictions would result from the changes under the Bill. However, the Bill may disproportionately impact Black individuals if trends remain constant. Of the 2,592 individuals convicted under Iowa Code section 716.7 and 716.8 for criminal trespass in FY 2025, 70.3% of offenders were White, 19.9% were Black, and 9.8% were other races. Iowa’s population is 83.2% White, 4.2% Black, and 12.6% other races. Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the General Assembly, Minority Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to minorities in the criminal justice system.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. Figure 2 shows the average State cost per relevant offense. The estimated impact to the General Fund includes operating costs incurred by the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the DOC. The costs would be incurred across multiple fiscal years for prison and parole supervision.
Figure 2 — Average State Cost Per Offense
Offense Class Average Cost
Serious Misdemeanor $350 to $6,200 Aggravated Misdemeanor $8,300 to $12,200 Class D Felony $13,000 to $18,100
Sources
- Department of Corrections
- Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI), Department of Management (DOM)
- Unlawful Squatting, Criminal Offense · March 31, 2026
- Unlawful Squatting, Criminal Offense · March 6, 2026
Family tree
91st General Assembly
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