Ticketing Starts Jan. 1 For Violating Iowa’s Hands-Free Driving Law

Beginning Thursday, January 1, Iowa drivers caught holding or handling a smart phone behind the wheel can be ticketed under the state’s new hands-free law. The total cost of a citation is about $170, including the fine, court fees, and other charges.

The law took effect July 1, 2025, but law enforcement has spent the first several months issuing warnings instead of citations. By the end of November, Iowa State Patrol troopers had handed out about 10,000 warnings, along with educational materials explaining what drivers can — and can’t — do.

“We’ve been giving little educational pamphlets out to help educate the dos, the don’ts,” said Iowa Highway Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla.

Brett Tjepkes, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, said the state followed other hands-free states by using a “soft rollout” to give people time to adjust. His agency printed 60,000 information cards that are being distributed by officers and placed at rest areas and driver’s license offices.

“We don’t want to have to come to the citation,” Tjepkes said. “We want to educate people and make them aware as much as possible.”

Tjepkes says drivers don’t need a brand-new vehicle with built-in hands-free technology to comply. Most phones can make hands-free calls using voice commands — and the law allows a single tap to answer a call — but drivers cannot have the phone in their hand.

Law enforcement agencies say Iowa’s previous texting-while-driving law was harder to enforce and left confusion about what was allowed. Dinkla says the new law removes that gray area.

“You cannot have that cell phone in your hand, period,” he said.

Dinkla says many drivers he warned told him they didn’t realize holding the phone was now illegal — and he says resisting the urge to check a notification is part of the challenge.

Dinkla and Tjepkes discussed the change during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.