669.14  Exceptions.
  The provisions of this chapter shall not apply, with respect to any claim against the state, to:
  1.  Any claim based upon an act or omission of an employee of the state, exercising due care, in the execution of a statute or regulation, whether or not such statute or regulation be valid, or based upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function or duty on the part of a state agency or an employee of the state, whether or not the discretion be abused.
  2.  Any claim arising in respect to the assessment or collection of any tax or fee, or the detention of any goods or merchandise by any law enforcement officer.
  3.  Any claim for damages caused by the imposition or establishment of a quarantine by the state, whether such quarantine relates to persons or property.
  4.  Any claim arising out of assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, abuse of process, libel, slander, misrepresentation, deceit, or interference with contract rights.
  5.  Any claim by an employee of the state which is covered by the Iowa workers’ compensation law or the Iowa occupational disease law, chapter 85A.
  6.  Any claim by an inmate as defined in section 85.59.
  7.  A claim based upon damage to or loss or destruction of private property, both real and personal, or personal injury or death, when the damage, loss, destruction, injury or death occurred as an incident to the training, operation, or maintenance of the national guard while not in “state active duty” as defined in section 29A.1.
  8.  Any claim based upon or arising out of a claim of negligent design or specification, negligent adoption of design or specification, or negligent construction or reconstruction of a highway, secondary road, or street as defined in section 321.1, subsection 78, that was constructed or reconstructed in accordance with a generally recognized engineering or safety standard, criteria, or design theory in existence at the time of the construction or reconstruction. A claim under this chapter shall not be allowed for failure to upgrade, improve, or alter any aspect of an existing highway, secondary road, or street, to new, changed, or altered design standards. In respect to highways and roads, sealcoating, asphalting, patching, resurfacing, ditching, draining, repairing, graveling, rocking, blading, or maintaining an existing highway or road does not constitute reconstruction. This subsection shall not apply to claims based upon gross negligence.
  9.  Any claim based upon or arising out of a claim of negligent design or specification, negligent adoption of design or specification, or negligent construction or reconstruction of a public improvement as defined in section 384.37, subsection 19, or other public facility that was constructed or reconstructed in accordance with a generally recognized engineering or safety standard, criteria, or design theory in existence at the time of the construction or reconstruction. A claim under this chapter shall not be allowed for failure to upgrade, improve, or alter any aspect of an existing public improvement or other public facility to new, changed, or altered design standards. This subsection shall not apply to claims based upon gross negligence. This subsection takes effect July 1, 1984, and applies to all cases tried or retried on or after July 1, 1984.
  10.  Any claim based upon the enforcement of chapter 89B.
  11.  a.  Any claim for financial loss based upon an act or omission in financial regulation, including but not limited to examinations, inspections, audits, or other financial oversight responsibilities, pursuant to chapter 486, Code 1999, and chapters 87, 203, 203C, 203D, 421B, 486A, 488, and 490 through 553, excluding chapters 540A, 542, 542B, 543B, 543C, 543D, 544A, and 544B.
  b.  This subsection applies to all cases filed on or after July 1, 1986, and does not expand any existing cause of action or create any new cause of action against the state.
  12.  Any claim based upon the actions of a certified volunteer long-term care ombudsman in the performance of duty if the action is undertaken and carried out in good faith.
  13.  A claim relating to a swimming pool or spa as defined in section 135I.1 which has been inspected in accordance with chapter 135I, or a swimming pool or spa inspection program, which has been established or certified by the state in accordance with that chapter, unless the claim is based upon an act or omission of an officer or employee of the state and the act or omission constitutes actual malice or a criminal offense.
  14.  Any claim arising from or related to the collection of a DNA sample for DNA profiling pursuant to section 81.4 or a DNA profiling procedure performed by the division of criminal investigation, department of public safety.
  15.  Any claim relating to a constructed honeybee hive on state property, provided the state and beehive owner, if not the state, acted reasonably and in good faith.
  16.  Any claim arising from the performance, failure to perform, nature, age, condition, or packaging of any vehicle or equipment used in fire fighting, emergency medical response, or law enforcement which has been donated in good faith without payment to any organization engaged in fire fighting or emergency medical services, or to a law enforcement agency.
[C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §25A.14]
83 Acts, ch 198, §11, 12, 27, 29; 84 Acts, ch 1067, §7; 84 Acts, ch 1085, §20; 86 Acts, ch 1211, §8, 9; 88 Acts, ch 1068, §1; 89 Acts, ch 291, §7; 91 Acts, ch 160, §2
C93, §669.14
98 Acts, ch 1216, §37; 99 Acts, ch 129, §18; 2001 Acts, ch 55, §35, 38
; 2001 Acts, 2nd Ex, ch 1, §26, 28
; 2003 Acts, ch 69, §49; 2004 Acts, ch 1021, §116 – 118; 2004 Acts, ch 1086, §101; 2004 Acts, ch 1101, §90; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §388; 2005 Acts, ch 3, §114; 2005 Acts, ch 158, §13, 19; 2009 Acts, ch 54, §13; 2013 Acts, ch 18, §33; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §261; 2018 Acts, ch 1126, §1; 2019 Acts, ch 59, §224; 2020 Acts, ch 1027, §2
Referred to in §163.3E, 189.18, 421.60, 663A.1, 669.23
Legislative intent that subsection 8 not apply to areas of litigation other than highway or road construction or reconstruction; applicability of rule of exclusion; see 
83 Acts, ch 198, §27