252.16  Settlement — how acquired.
  A legal settlement in this state may be acquired as follows:
  1.  A person continuously residing in a county in this state for a period of one year acquires a settlement in that county except as provided in subsection 7 or 8.
  2.  A person having acquired a settlement in a county of this state shall not acquire a settlement in any other county until the person has continuously resided in the other county for a period of one year except as provided in subsection 7.
  3.  A person who is an inpatient, a resident, or an inmate of or is supported by an institution whether organized for pecuniary profit or not or an institution supported by charitable or public funds in a county in this state does not acquire a settlement in the county unless the person before becoming an inpatient, a resident, or an inmate in the institution or being supported by an institution has a settlement in the county. A minor child residing in an institution assumes the settlement of the child’s custodial parent. Settlement of the minor child changes with the settlement of the child’s custodial parent, except that the child retains the settlement that the child’s custodial parent has on the child’s eighteenth birthday until the child is discharged from the institution, at which time the child acquires the child’s own settlement by continuously residing in a county for one year.
  4.  a.  Minor children who reside with both parents take the settlement of the parents. If the minor child resides on a permanent basis with only one parent or a guardian, the minor child takes the settlement of the parent or guardian with whom the child resides.
  b.  An emancipated minor acquires a legal settlement in the minor’s own right. An emancipated minor is one who is absent from the minor’s parents with the consent of the parents, is self-supporting, and has assumed a new relationship inconsistent with being a part of the family of the parents.
  c.  A minor, placed in the care of a public agency or facility as custodian or guardian, takes the legal settlement that the parents had upon severance of the parental relationship, and retains that legal settlement until a natural person is appointed custodian or guardian at which time the minor takes the legal settlement of the natural person or until the minor person attains the age of eighteen and acquires another legal settlement in the person’s own right.
  5.  A person with settlement in this state who becomes a member on active duty of an armed service of the United States retains the settlement during the period of active duty. A person without settlement in this state who is a member on active duty of an armed service of the United States within the borders of this state does not acquire settlement during the period of active duty.
  6.  a.  Subsections 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 do not apply to a blind person who is receiving assistance under the laws of this state.
  b.  A blind person who has resided in one county of this state for a period of six months acquires legal settlement for support as provided in this chapter, except as specified in paragraph “c”.
  c.  A blind person who is an inpatient or resident of, is supported by, or is receiving treatment or support services from a state resource center created under chapter 222, a state mental health institute created under chapter 226, the Iowa braille and sight saving school administered by the state board of regents, or any community-based provider of treatment or services for an intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, mental health, or substance abuse, does not acquire legal settlement in the county in which the institution, facility, or provider is located, unless the blind person has resided in the county in which the institution, facility, or provider is located for a period of six months prior to the date of commencement of receipt of assistance under the laws of this state or for a period of six months subsequent to the date of termination of assistance under the laws of this state.
  7.  A person hospitalized in or receiving treatment at a state mental health institute or state resource center does not acquire legal settlement in the county in which the institute or resource center is located unless the person is discharged from the institute or resource center, continuously resides in the county for a period of one year subsequent to the discharge, and during that year is not hospitalized in and does not receive treatment at the institute or resource center.
  8.  A person receiving treatment or support services from any provider, whether organized for pecuniary profit or not or whether supported by charitable or public or private funds, that provides treatment or services for intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, mental health, brain injury, or substance abuse does not acquire legal settlement in a county unless the person continuously resides in that county for one year from the date of the last treatment or support service received by the person.
[C51, §808; R60, §1376; C73, §1352; C97, §2224; C24, 27, 31, 35, §5311; C39, §3828.088; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §252.16]
84 Acts, ch 1165, §1; 87 Acts, ch 50, §1, 2; 94 Acts, ch 1186, §34; 95 Acts, ch 119, §2; 97 Acts, ch 75, §1; 97 Acts, ch 169, §27; 98 Acts, ch 1181, §8; 2000 Acts, ch 1112, §51; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §263; 2012 Acts, ch 1019, §109, 110

Applicability of 1995 amendments to subsection 6; redetermination of legal settlement for certain blind persons; exception to §252.17; 95 Acts, ch 119, §4 – 6