Opinion ID: 1304492
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Vargason's Eligibility Under Section 321J.4(9).

Text: Section 321J.4(9) authorizes the district court to order the issuance of a temporary restricted license to [a] person whose motor vehicle license has either been revoked under this chapter, or revoked or suspended under chapter 321 solely for violations of this chapter, or who has been determined to be a habitual offender under chapter 321 based solely on violations of this chapter. (Emphasis added.) The Benton County district court ruled that Vargason's license was revoked under chapter 321C, taking his application out of the narrow window of section 321J.4(9). Vargason asserts that his license was revoked under chapter 321J, as required for a temporary restricted license. We have reviewed chapter 321C and find no provisions in it for the revocation of a driver's license. As we discussed earlier, the compact merely requires (1) that Iowa consider out-of-state OWI convictions the same as it would consider them had the convictions occurred in Iowa, and (2) that Iowa honor out-of-state revocations for one year. Thus, licenses are not revoked pursuant to chapter 321C; rather the information that is obtained from another state as a result of the compact is used by Iowa to pursue suspension or revocation under other applicable Iowa statutes. Accordingly, the fact that the Benton County district court in the criminal case considered an out-of-state OWI conviction in deciding to issue a six-year revocation does not transform the revocation into one under chapter 321C, as authority for the revocation is found in chapter 321J, not chapter 321C. The State also argues that Vargason does not meet the requirement expressed in section 321J.4(9) that the revocation be solely for violations of this chapter, chapter 321J. The State misreads the statute. The restriction to revocations based solely on violations of chapter 321J applies to a person whose driver's license has been revoked or suspended under chapter 321. The State has not argued, nor is there any basis in the record to conclude, that Vargason's driving privileges were revoked under chapter 321. Therefore, we do not decide whether an out-of-state OWI conviction qualifies as a violation of chapter 321J for purposes of section 321J.4(9). In conclusion, we hold that Vargason's license was revoked under this chapter, chapter 321J, as that phrase is used in section 321J.4(9). Therefore, Vargason met this eligibility requirement for a temporary restricted license.