Citation Guides · Iowa
How to Cite Iowa Statutes
Iowa statutes are cited in a fixed format that identifies the code and section. The pattern below is the standard Bluebook form used in briefs, memos, and academic writing; always check the local court rules for jurisdiction-specific variations.
The format
Iowa Code § xxx.x (year)
Iowa Code § 614.1
The pieces, in order
- Code name. Iowa's compiled statutes are cited as shown in the pattern above. The abbreviation is fixed; do not improvise (Iowa Code § 614.1 is the accepted form).
- Section number. The § symbol plus the section as Iowa numbers it. Copy the punctuation exactly: hyphens, periods, and colons are part of the number.
- Parenthetical. Academic Bluebook style adds the code edition year in parentheses. Practitioner filings commonly omit it, and courts accept the bare cite.
Common mistakes
- Improvising the code abbreviation. Style manuals fix the form shown above; variants like "Iowa Code Ann." spelled differently are flagged by citation checkers and editors.
- Dropping or altering the internal punctuation of the section number. The hyphens, colons, and periods encode the code's structure.
- Citing a repealed or renumbered section. Codes are recompiled continuously; verify the section is current before filing.
Citing Iowa court cases
Iowa appellate decisions appear in the North Western Reporter (currently N.W.3d), the regional reporter covering Iowa. Because the regional reporter spans multiple states, the court parenthetical must identify the court: a decision of the state's highest court is cited (Iowa [year]). Some Iowa courts also have official or public-domain citation formats; check the court's rules for whether a parallel citation is required.
Check your citations against real law
CiteLaw's AI Navigator verifies Iowa citations against a corpus of real cases, statutes, rules, and regulations: it confirms the authority exists, the format is right, and the law is still good. General chatbots can invent citations; CiteLaw checks them.
More citation guides
Formats follow standard Bluebook conventions. Individual courts may impose their own citation rules; always check the local rules of the court you are filing in. CiteLaw provides legal information, not legal advice.