House File 2636 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2636 BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2062) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the ability of property owners to protest 1 proposed changes in zoning districts. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5798HV (2) 91 ms/js
H.F. 2636 Section 1. Section 414.5, Code 2026, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 414.5 Changes —— protest. 3 The regulations, restrictions, and boundaries may, from 4 time to time, be amended, supplemented, changed, modified, 5 or repealed. Notwithstanding section 414.2 , as a part of an 6 ordinance changing land from one zoning district to another 7 zoning district or an ordinance approving a site development 8 plan, a council may impose conditions on a property owner 9 which that are in addition to existing regulations if the 10 additional conditions have been agreed to in writing by the 11 property owner before the public hearing required under this 12 section or any adjournment of the hearing. The conditions 13 must be reasonable and imposed to satisfy public needs which 14 that are directly caused by the requested change. In case, 15 however, of a written protest against a change or repeal which 16 that is filed with the city clerk and signed by a majority of 17 the owners of twenty percent or more of the area of the lots 18 included in the proposed change or repeal, or by the owners of 19 twenty percent or more of the property which that is located 20 within two hundred feet of the exterior boundaries of the 21 property for which the change or repeal is proposed, the change 22 or repeal shall not become effective except by the favorable 23 vote of at least three-fourths two-thirds of all the members of 24 the council. The protest, if filed, must be filed before or at 25 the public hearing. The provisions of section 414.4 relative 26 to public hearings and official notice apply equally to all 27 changes or amendments. 28 EXPLANATION 29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 30 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 31 Under Code section 414.5, as a part of an ordinance changing 32 land from one zoning district to another zoning district or an 33 ordinance approving a site development plan, a city council 34 may impose conditions on a property owner in addition to 35 -1- LSB 5798HV (2) 91 ms/js 1/ 2
H.F. 2636 existing regulations if the additional conditions have been 1 agreed to in writing by the property owner before the public 2 hearing required or adjournment of the hearing. The conditions 3 must be reasonable and imposed to satisfy public needs that 4 are directly caused by the requested change. If, however, a 5 written protest against a change or repeal is filed with the 6 city clerk and is signed by the owners of 20 percent or more 7 of the area of the lots included in the proposed change or 8 repeal, or by the owners of 20 percent or more of the property 9 that is located within 200 feet of the exterior boundaries 10 of the property for which the change or repeal is proposed, 11 the change or repeal shall not become effective except by the 12 favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of 13 the council. The protest, if filed, must be filed before or at 14 the public hearing. 15 This bill requires the written protest to be signed by a 16 majority of the owners of the lots included in the proposed 17 change or repeal, or by the owners of 20 percent or more of 18 the property that is located within 200 feet of the exterior 19 boundaries of the property. The bill requires two-thirds of 20 all the members of the council to vote favorably for the change 21 to become effective. 22 -2- LSB 5798HV (2) 91 ms/js 2/ 2