Iowa Code § 384.38 — IA Code / Title IX / Chapter 384 / Section 384.38
Certain costs assessed to private property.
Status: in_force

(1) A city may assess to private property within the city the cost of construction and repair of public improvements within the city, and main sewers, sewage pumping stations, disposal and treatment plants, waterworks, water mains, extensions, and drainage conduits extending outside the city.

(2) Upon petition as provided in section 384.41, subsection 1, a city may assess to private property affected by public improvements within three miles of the city’s boundaries the cost of construction and repair of public improvements within that area. The right-of-way of a railway company shall not be assessed unless the company joins as a petitioner for said improvements. In the petition the property owners shall waive the limitation provided in section 384.62 that an assessment shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the value of the lot. The petition shall contain a statement that the owners agree to pay the city an amount equal to five percent of the cost of the improvements, to cover administrative expenses incurred by the city. This amount may be added to the cost of the improvements. Before the council may adopt the resolution of necessity, the preliminary resolution, preliminary plans and specifications, plat, schedule, and estimate of cost must be submitted to, and receive written approval from, the board of supervisors of any county which contains part of the property, and the city development board established in section 368.9.

(3) (a) A city may establish, by ordinance or by resolution adopted as an ordinance after notice published in accordance with section 362.3, and a public hearing, one or more districts and schedules of fees for the connection of property to the city sewer or water utility. If the governing body directs that notice be made by mail, the notice shall be as required in section 384.50. Each person whose property will be served by connecting to the city sewer or water utility shall pay a connection fee to the city. The ordinance shall be certified by the city and recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which a district is located. The connection fees are due and payable when a utility connection application is filed with the city. A connection fee may include the equitable cost of extending the utility to the properties, including reasonable interest from the date of construction to the date of payment. All fees collected under this subsection shall be paid to the city treasurer. The moneys collected as fees shall only be used for the purposes of operating the utility, or to pay debt service on obligations issued to finance improvements or extensions to the utility.

(3) (b) This subsection shall not apply when a city annexation plan includes annexation of an area adjoining the city and a petition has not been presented as provided in section 384.41 for a city sewer or water utility connection. Until annexation takes place, or the annexation plan is abandoned, the state mandate contained in section 455B.172, subsections 3, 4, and 5, shall not apply unless the individual property owner voluntarily pays the connection fee and requests to be connected to the city sewer or water utility.

[SS15, §840-d, -g; C24, §5985, 5986; C27, 31, 35, §5985, 5986, 6190-a1; C39, §5985, 5986, 6190.01; C46, §391.12, 391.13, 401.1; C50, §391.12, 391.13, 391A.2, 401.1, 420.56; C54, 58, 62, §391.12, 391.13, 391A.2, 401.1; C66, 71, 73, §390A.3, 390A.18, 391.12, 391.13, 391A.2, 401.1; C75, 77, 79, 81, §384.38]94 Acts, ch 1073, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1120, §1; 2004 Acts, ch 1086, §65; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2025 Acts, ch 130, §8