New Iowa Criminal Fine Amounts Effective July 15, 2020

The Iowa legislature recently made significant changes to the range of fines one must or could pay for Simple Misdemeanors all the way up to Class C Felonies. The new fine amounts are as follows:

Simple Misdemeanors: $105 to $855
Serious Misdemeanors: $430 to $2,560
Aggravated Misdemeanors: $855 to $8,540
Class D Felony: $1,025 to $10,245
Class C Felony: $1,370 to $13,660

Note that the changes also include a decrease in the required criminal surcharge added to the fine amounts; the new surcharge is 15% instead of the previous 35%. In addition to the surcharge decrease, the changes also eliminate the D.A.R.E. surcharge and the Law Enforcement Initiative surcharge.

There are certain offenses that have their own specific minimum/maximum fines that remain the same amidst these changes. Such offenses include, for example, (i) Driving While License Suspended, Denied, Revoked, or Barred; (ii) Possession of Controlled Substance (Marijuana); and others.