House File 2111 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  MURPHY


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to mowing within the right=of=way of a primary
  2    highway.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 5733YH 82
  5 dea/nh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 314.17, Code 2007, is amended to read
  1  2 as follows:
  1  3    314.17  MOWING ON INTERSTATES AND PRIMARY HIGHWAYS.
  1  4    1.  On or after January 1, 2003, the The department shall
  1  5 not mow roadside vegetation on the rights=of=way or medians on
  1  6 any primary or interstate highway.  Mowing shall be Subject to
  1  7 the restriction in subsection 2, mowing is permitted as
  1  8 follows:
  1  9    1. a.  On rights=of=way which include drainage ditch areas.
  1 10    2. b.  On rights=of=way within three miles of the corporate
  1 11 limits of a city.
  1 12    3. c.  To promote native species of vegetation or other
  1 13 long=lived and adaptable vegetation.
  1 14    4. d.  For establishing control of damaging insect
  1 15 populations, noxious weeds, and invader plant species.
  1 16    5. e.  For visibility and safety reasons.
  1 17    2.  Mowing under subsection 1, paragraph "a" or "b", is not
  1 18 permitted within the right=of=way beyond a distance of two
  1 19 hundred yards from an inhabited dwelling before July 10 each
  1 20 year.
  1 21                           EXPLANATION
  1 22    Under current law, property owners are permitted to mow
  1 23 within the right=of=way of a primary highway in drainage ditch
  1 24 areas, within three miles of city limits, to promote certain
  1 25 vegetation, for purposes of insect and weed control, and for
  1 26 visibility and safety reasons.  The bill imposes a restriction
  1 27 on mowing before July 10 within the right=of=way in drainage
  1 28 ditch areas and within three miles of city limits.  Until that
  1 29 date each year, mowing in those areas is not permitted beyond
  1 30 a distance of 200 feet from an inhabited dwelling.
  1 31 LSB 5733YH 82
  1 32 dea/nh/8