Iowa § 321.485 - 321.485 Notice to appear — promise to appear.

§ 321.485. 321.485 Notice to appear — promise to appear.

1. Whenever a peace officer has reasonable cause to believe that a person has violated any provision of this chapter punishable as a simple, serious, or aggravated misdemeanor, such officer may: a. Immediately arrest such person and take the person before a magistrate; or b. Without arresting the person, either (1) Prepare a written citation to appear in court containing the name and address of such person, the driver’s license number, if any, the registration number, if any, of the person’s vehicle, the offense charged, and the time and place the person shall appear in court; or (2) Prepare a memorandum of the alleged traffic violation containing the name and address of such person, the registration number, if any, of the person’s vehicle, the offense alleged to have been committed, and such other information as may be prescribed by the commissioner of public safety with the concurrence of the director of transportation. 2. If the officer prepares either a citation or a memorandum as provided in this section, the alleged offender shall be requested to sign it. If the person signs, the person may be released without arrest. In case a citation is issued, the signing shall constitute a written promise to appear as stated in the citation. A copy of the citation shall be presented to the person named therein. If a memorandum is prepared, the original shall be retained by the officer, and a copy shall be sent to the department, and a copy shall be presented to the person named therein. 3. For preparing the summons or memorandum referred to in this section, there shall be charged to the person named in the summons or memorandum, upon conviction, a fee of two dollars. The fee shall be assessed as part of the court costs. 4. The number of copies and the form of the citations and memorandums authorized by this section shall be as prescribed by the commissioner of public safety with the concurrence of the director of transportation. 5. This section shall not apply to a traffic offense which must be charged upon a uniform citation and complaint as provided in section 805.6. [C24, 27, 31, 35, §5082; C39, §5037.02, 5037.03; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §321.485, 321.486; C79, 81, §321.485] 83 Acts, ch 123, §130, 209; 90 Acts, ch 1230, §72; 98 Acts, ch 1073, §9 Referred to in §805.15 Thu Dec 11 19:42:19 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 321.485 (25, 0)