Traffic Fine Lookup

How much is a speeding ticket in Iowa?

amounts written into the statute · 5 tiers · every row cited · sources retrieved 2026-07-17

$176state-set

15 mph over the limit, first offense, not in a work zone — the full arithmetic is on this page.

Iowa writes speeding fines into state law itself — 5 mph or less over: $90 · More than 5, up to 10 mph over: $118 · More than 10, up to 15 mph over: $176. Where mandatory surcharges attach on top, this page itemizes them with their statutes. For 15 mph over the limit, the all-in figure is $176. What raises it: road work zone; speeding 25 mph or more over the limit — license suspension; excessive speed charged with drag racing. Points: Iowa does not use a demerit-point system. The DOT counts convictions instead: three or more moving violations within 12 months makes a driver a 'habitual violator' subject to suspension, and speeding 25+ mph over the limit is a 'serious violation' with its own suspension schedule. The first two speeding convictions of 10 mph or less over (in zones with limits between 34 and 56 mph) within 12 months do not count toward suspension. Every row on this page carries its citation — 6 primary sources (statute text, court fine schedules, DMV publications), each with a retrieval date, plus the local-variation caveat that applies in Iowa. This is a reference to what the law and the schedules print; it is not legal advice.

How Iowa sets it Iowa prints its speeding fines directly in the Code: section 805.8A(5) sets an exact scheduled fine for each mph-over band, the same in every county. What the driver actually pays is that fine plus two statewide add-ons — a 15% crime services surcharge and $55 court costs — so the $105 fine for 15 over becomes $175.75 owed.

The fine, tier by tier

Speeding fines in Iowa by speed over the limit. “Base fine” is what the statute or schedule names; “what you actually owe” includes the mandatory add-ons where state law fixes them.
Speed over the limit Base fine What you actually owe Citation
5 mph or less over the limit $30 state-set $90 state-set Iowa Code §§321.285, 805.8A(5)(a)(1); §911.1; §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)
More than 5, up to 10 mph over $55 state-set $118 state-set Iowa Code §§321.285, 805.8A(5)(a)(2); §911.1; §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)
More than 10, up to 15 mph over $105 state-set $176 state-set Iowa Code §§321.285, 805.8A(5)(a)(3); §911.1; §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)
More than 15, up to 20 mph over $120 state-set $193 state-set Iowa Code §§321.285, 805.8A(5)(a)(4); §911.1; §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)
More than 20 mph over at least $140 cap only at least $216 cap only Iowa Code §§321.285, 805.8A(5)(a)(5); §911.1; §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)

The statute is a formula here: $135 plus $5 for each mph over 20 (21 over = $140 fine; 30 over = $185; 40 over = $235). The 15% surcharge and $55 costs then stack, so 30 over totals $267.75. Speeding 25+ mph over also triggers a license suspension — see aggravators.

The mandatory add-ons

These attach on top of whatever fine the court sets:

Add-on How it is computed Citation
Crime services surcharge 15% of the fine imposed Iowa Code §911.1
Court costs (scheduled violations) $55 flat, whether or not a court appearance is required Iowa Code §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)

Worked example: 15 mph over the limit, first offense, not in a work zone

Line Amount Citation
Scheduled fine (more than 10, up to 15 over) $105 Iowa Code §805.8A(5)(a)(3)
Crime services surcharge — 15% of $105 $16 Iowa Code §911.1
Court costs (flat, scheduled violations) $55 Iowa Code §602.8106(1)(d)–(e)
Total $176 state-set lines sum to $176

Every component is set by state statute, so the total is the same in all 99 counties: the scheduled fine from the Code's own table, a 15% surcharge computed on the fine, and flat $55 court costs. Paying the scheduled citation resolves it without a court appearance.

What raises it

License points

Iowa does not use a demerit-point system. The DOT counts convictions instead: three or more moving violations within 12 months makes a driver a 'habitual violator' subject to suspension, and speeding 25+ mph over the limit is a 'serious violation' with its own suspension schedule. The first two speeding convictions of 10 mph or less over (in zones with limits between 34 and 56 mph) within 12 months do not count toward suspension.

Habitual-violator minimum suspensions: 3 convictions in 12 months = 90 days; 4 = 120 days; 5 = 150 days; 6 = 180 days; 7 or more = 1 year (unless reduced by a hearing officer for mitigating circumstances). (Iowa Admin. Code r. 761—615.6, 615.10; Iowa Code §321.210(2)(d))

When a court appearance is required

Not for ordinary speeding — it is a scheduled violation payable without appearing (the Code sets identical $55 court costs whether or not an appearance is required). Exceptions that take the case to court: excessive speed charged together with drag racing (§321.278), and a school bus more than 10 mph over the limit. (Iowa Code §§805.8A(5)(c), 805.8A(10), 602.8106(1)(d)–(e))

Local variation — the honest caveat

Minimal by design: the scheduled fine, the 15% surcharge, and the $55 court costs are all fixed by state statute, so a given speed produces the same total in every Iowa county. Local variance enters only at the charging margin — whether the officer writes the scheduled violation or a non-scheduled charge (racing-related excessive speed), and city/county ordinance citations for equivalent conduct. (Iowa Code §§805.8A(5), 911.1, 602.8106)

Sources

Every figure above was compiled from these sources, with a verbatim quote of the sentence carrying each number stored in the dataset so any row can be re-checked against its origin.

This is not legal advice This page republishes what Iowa's statutes, court fine schedules, and driver-licensing publications print, for reference. Amounts change on legislative cycles, and the court named on a citation is the authority on what is owed in that court. Nothing here is advice about any citation or case.