Notable Iowa laws will take effect New Year’s Day 2026

By: Kenda Burrows|December 31, 2025

|3 min read

On Jan. 1, 2026 drivers stopped for holding their cellphones while driving will face fines from $100 to $1,000 for violating the law that originally took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. CREDIT STATE OF IOWA

Though Iowa lawmakers approved 176 bills in 2025 and Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed most of them, Iowans will be impacted on New Year’s Day by a relatively modest number of those new state laws.

Since the State of Iowa’s fiscal year begins each year on July 1, most of the laws approved by the Iowa Legislature during their annual legislative sessions are scheduled to take…

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