232.11  Right to assistance of counsel.
  1.  A child shall have the right to be represented by counsel at the following stages of the proceedings within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court under subchapter II or subchapter VIII:
  a.  From the time the child is taken into custody for any alleged delinquent act that constitutes a serious or aggravated misdemeanor or felony under the Iowa criminal code, and during any questioning thereafter by a peace officer or probation officer.
  b.  A detention or shelter care hearing as required by section 232.44.
  c.  A waiver hearing as required by section 232.45.
  d.  An adjudicatory hearing required by section 232.47.
  e.  A dispositional hearing as required by section 232.50.
  f.  Hearings to review and modify a dispositional order as required by section 232.54.
  g.  A hearing on a confidentiality order under section 232.149A or a public records order under section 232.149B.
  2.  The child’s right to be represented by counsel under subsection 1, paragraphs “b” through “f”, shall not be waived by a child of any age. The child’s right to be represented by counsel under subsection 1, paragraph “a”, shall not be waived by a child less than sixteen years of age without the written consent of the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian. The waiver by a child who is at least sixteen years of age is valid only if a good faith effort has been made to notify the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian that the child has been taken into custody and of the alleged delinquent act for which the child has been taken into custody, the location of the child, and the right of the parent, guardian, or custodian to visit and confer with the child.
  3.  If the child is not represented by counsel as required under subsection 1, counsel shall be provided as follows:
  a.  If the court determines, after giving the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian an opportunity to be heard, that such person has the ability in whole or in part to pay for the employment of counsel, it shall either order that person to retain an attorney to represent the child or shall appoint counsel for the child and order the parent, guardian, or custodian to pay for that counsel as provided in subsection 5.
  b.  If the court determines that the parent, guardian, or custodian cannot pay any part of the expenses of counsel to represent the child, it shall appoint counsel, who shall be reimbursed according to section 232.141, subsection 2, paragraph “b”.
  c.  The court may appoint counsel to represent the child and reserve the determination of payment until the parent, guardian, or custodian has an opportunity to be heard.
  4.  If the child is represented by counsel and the court determines that there is a conflict of interest between the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian and that the retained counsel could not properly represent the child as a result of the conflict, the court shall appoint other counsel to represent the child and order the parent, guardian, or custodian to pay for such counsel as provided in subsection 5.
  5.  If the court determines, after an inquiry which includes notice and reasonable opportunity to be heard that the parent, guardian, or custodian has the ability to pay in whole or in part for the attorney appointed for the child, the court may order that person to pay such sums as the court finds appropriate in the manner and to whom the court directs. If the person so ordered fails to comply with the order without good reason, the court shall enter judgment against the person.
  6.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the child or the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian from retaining counsel to represent the child in proceedings under this subchapter II  in which the alleged delinquent act constitutes a simple misdemeanor under the Code.
[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §3631; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, §232.15; C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §232.28; C79, 81, §232.11; 82 Acts, ch 1209, §2]
90 Acts, ch 1168, §34; 2016 Acts, ch 1002, §1, 2, 17; 2020 Acts, ch 1062, §30, 94; 2021 Acts, ch 80, §126; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §591
Referred to in §232.28, 232.37, 232.52, 815.9
Subsections 3, 4, and 5 amended