Iowa § 321.218 - 321.218 Operating without valid driver’s license or when disqualified — penalties.

§ 321.218. 321.218 Operating without valid driver’s license or when disqualified — penalties.

1. A person whose driver’s license or operating privilege has been denied, canceled, suspended, or revoked as provided in this chapter or as provided in section 252J.8, and who operates a motor vehicle upon the highways of this state while the license or privilege is denied, canceled, suspended, or revoked, commits a simple misdemeanor. In addition to any other penalties, the punishment imposed for a violation of this subsection shall include assessment of a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars. 2. The sentence imposed under this section shall not be suspended by the court, notwithstanding section 907.3 or any other statute. 3. a. The department, upon receiving the record of the conviction of a person under this section upon a charge of operating a motor vehicle while the license of the person is suspended or revoked, shall, except for licenses suspended under section 252J.8, section 321.210, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), or section 321.210A or 321.513, extend the period of suspension or revocation for an additional like period or for one year, whichever period is shorter. b. If the department receives a record of a conviction of a person under this section but the person’s driving record does not indicate what the original grounds of suspension were, the period of suspension under this subsection shall be for a period not to exceed six months. 4. A person who operates a commercial motor vehicle upon the highways of this state when disqualified from operating the commercial motor vehicle under section 321.208 or the imminent hazard provisions of 49 C.F.R. §383.52 commits a serious misdemeanor if a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit is required for the person to operate the commercial motor vehicle. 5. The department, upon receiving the record of a conviction of a person under this section upon a charge of operating a commercial motor vehicle while the person is disqualified, shall extend the period of disqualification for an additional like period or for the time period specified in section 321.208, whichever is longer. [C31, 35, §4960-d34, -d51; C39, §5015.03; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §321.218; 82 Acts, ch 1167, §4] 84 Acts, ch 1142, §1; 85 Acts, ch 195, §36; 86 Acts, ch 1220, §34; 89 Acts, ch 83, §43; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §60; 93 Acts, ch 164, §4; 95 Acts, ch 48, §4; 96 Acts, ch 1090, §6, 7; 97 Acts, ch 104, §17; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9; 99 Acts, ch 153, §2; 2005 Acts, ch 8, §28; 2006 Acts, ch 1030, §36; 2009 Acts, ch 130, §12; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §174; 2015 Acts, ch 123, §69; 2018 Acts, ch 1172, §100, 104; 2021 Acts, ch 98, §1 Referred to in §321.211A, 321.241, 321J.4B, 321N.3, 901C.3 Thu Dec 11 19:40:03 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 321.218 (44, 0)