Except as otherwise provided, a motor vehicle license, other than an instruction permit, chauffeur's instruction permit, or commercial driver's instruction permit issued under section 321.180, expires, at the option of the applicant, two or four years from the licensee's birthday anniversary occurring in the year of issuance if the licensee is between the ages of seventeen years eleven months and seventy years on the date of issuance of the license. If the licensee is under the age of seventeen years eleven months or age seventy or over the license is effective for a period of two years from the licensee's birthday anniversary occurring in the year of issuance. Except as required in section 321.188, a motor vehicle license is renewable without written examination or penalty within a period of sixty days after its expiration date. A person shall not be considered to be driving with an invalid license during a period of sixty days following the license expiration date. However, for a license renewed within the sixty-day period, the date of issuance shall be considered to be the previous birthday anniversary on which it expired. Applicants whose licenses are restricted due to vision or other physical deficiencies may be required to renew their licenses every two years. For the purposes of this section the birthday anniversary of a person born on February 29 shall be deemed to occur on March 1. The department in its discretion may authorize the renewal of a valid motor vehicle license other than a commercial driver's license upon application without an examination provided that the applicant satisfactorily passes a vision test as prescribed by the department, files a vision report in accordance with section 321.186A which shows that the applicant's visual acuity level meets or exceeds those required by the department, or is eligible for renewal by mail pursuant to rules adopted by the department. The department may assess an applicant a fee of no more than two dollars for administration and mailing expenses for providing for renewal of the applicant's driver's license by mail.
Any resident of Iowa holding a valid motor vehicle license who is temporarily absent from the state, or incapacitated, may, at the time for renewal for such license, apply to the department for a temporary extension of the license. The department upon receipt of the application shall, upon a showing of good cause, issue a temporary extension of the motor vehicle license for a period not to exceed six months.
[C31, 35, § 4960-d15, -d30; C39, § 5013.21; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 321.196]
84 Acts, ch 1219, § 25; 85 Acts, ch 195, §35; 86 Acts, ch 1220, § 30; 87 Acts, ch 167, §3; 89 Acts, ch 296, §31; 90 Acts, ch 1230, § 41; 93 Acts, ch 51, § 1
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Search: Iowa Code 1997
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