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SF 2394IOWASession 2025-2026State BillVetoed by the governor
Did Not Advance

Iowa creates statewide urban design board and holds cities and counties financially liable for noncompliant local projects

Original title: A bill for an act relating to a statewide urban design and specifications board, including assessment of costs for local government projects that do not comply with the board’s design or specifications manuals.(Formerly SSB 3173 .)

Last action · June 2, 2026: Vetoed by Governor. H.J. 1181 .

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
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What This Bill Proposed

Senate File 2394 establishes a within the department of transportation and makes cities and counties financially responsible for any additional costs resulting from project plans that fail to comply with the board's design manuals.

Why it matters

Local governments that approve infrastructure projects deviating from state design standards must absorb the resulting extra expenses directly, while local property owners are explicitly shielded from being assessed those noncompliance costs.

Background
  • Senate File 2394 originated from the Senate Committee on Transportation as a successor to SSB 3173 during the 91st General Assembly of Iowa. context
  • The bill passed the upper chamber before ultimately being vetoed by the Governor on June 2, 2026. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Counties and Cities

Local governments must pay any additional project costs resulting from approving plans that do not comply with statewide urban design standards.

Directly affected

Property Owners

Property owners are shielded from being assessed any costs relating to projects on or adjacent to their property stemming from local noncompliant plans.

Directly affected

Board Appointees and Member Associations

Appointed representatives from various industry and governmental sectors serve four-year terms on the statewide urban design and specifications board without state compensation.

Key Facts

  • Establishes a 15-member statewide urban design and specifications board within the department of transportation.
  • Requires the board to publish a design manual and specifications manual on the department's internet site.
  • Makes counties and cities that approve project plans not complying with the statewide standards responsible for any resulting additional project costs.
  • Prohibits local governments from assessing property owners for any costs related to projects on or adjacent to their property that result from a noncompliant local plan.
Show all 8 facts
  • Sets regular terms of board appointment at four years.
  • Provides that board members serve without compensation from the state and are not eligible for state expense reimbursement, except for state employees receiving regular pay.
  • Requires the board to publish an analysis of manual changes and cost variation estimates online.
  • Exempts the board from Code section 4A.5 regarding dissolution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays for infrastructure project costs if a city or county approves a plan that does not comply with the state design standards?
The city or county that approved the noncompliant plan is responsible for paying any additional costs resulting from the noncompliance.
Can property owners be charged extra if a local government builds a project on or near their land using noncompliant plans?
No. Property owners shall not be assessed any costs relating to projects on or adjacent to their property that result from the local government's noncompliant plan.
Who sits on the statewide urban design and specifications board?
The 15-member board includes three department employees, two members from county associations, two from city leagues, two from home builders, and one representative each from general contractors, master builders, asphalt associations, real estate developers, concrete paving associations, and associated builders and contractors.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Vetoed by the governor.

Procedural history

35 actions
  1. Jun 2, 2026House
    Vetoed by Governor. H.J. 1181 .
  2. May 6, 2026House
    Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor. H.J. 1164 .
  3. Apr 1, 2026House
    Message from Senate. H.J. 787 .
  4. Mar 31, 2026Senate
    Immediate message. S.J. 691 .
  5. Mar 31, 2026SenateFloor
    Passed Senate , yeas 28, nays 18. S.J. 690 .
  6. Mar 31, 2026Senate
    Substituted for SF 2394 . S.J. 690 .
Show 29 earlier actions
  1. Mar 31, 2026Senate
    Withdrawn. S.J. 691 .
  2. Mar 31, 2026Senate
    HF 2667 substituted. S.J. 690 .
  3. Mar 31, 2026SenateFloor
    Amendment S-5064 adopted. S.J. 690 .
  4. Mar 19, 2026Senate
    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 599 .
  5. Mar 19, 2026Senate
    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 599 .
  6. Mar 5, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Read first time, attached to SF 2394 . S.J. 482 .
  7. Mar 5, 2026House
    Message from House. S.J. 482 .
  8. Mar 5, 2026Senate
    Attached to HF 2667 . S.J. 482 .
  9. Mar 4, 2026House
    Immediate message. H.J. 569 .
  10. Mar 4, 2026HouseFloor
    Passed House , yeas 61, nays 36. H.J. 540 .
  11. Mar 4, 2026HouseFloor
    Amendment H-8126 adopted. H.J. 540 .
  12. Mar 4, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note .
  13. Mar 4, 2026Senate
    Amendment S-5064 filed. S.J. 478 .
  14. Mar 3, 2026House
    Amendment H-8126 filed. H.J. 526 .
  15. Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 374 .
  16. Feb 23, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 2667 .
  17. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 341 .
  18. Feb 19, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 327 .
  19. Feb 18, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2394 .
  20. Feb 18, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
  21. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee vote: Yeas, 15. Nays, 5. Excused, 1. H.J. 364 .
  22. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 364 .
  23. Feb 18, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee recommends passage.
  24. Feb 17, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/18/2026 9:30AM Room 217 Conference Room.
  25. Feb 17, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/18/2026 8:15AM RM 305.
  26. Feb 16, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee: Webster, Townsend, and Zumbach.
  27. Feb 16, 2026Iowa LegislatureIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to Transportation.
  28. Feb 16, 2026House
    Subcommittee: Jones, Bossman and Scholten. H.J. 312 .
  29. Feb 16, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to Transportation. H.J. 310 .

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Shift of Financial Risk to Local Governments

The legislation shifts the financial burden of deviating from state urban design manuals entirely onto municipal and county governments while insulating property owners from project cost assessments.

Iowa State Association of CountiesIowa League of Cities

Connected Entities

Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa, Associated General Contractors of Iowa, Iowa State Association of Counties and 7 more
OrganizationAssociated Builders and Contractors of Iowa“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →
OrganizationAssociated General Contractors of Iowa“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →
OrganizationIowa State Association of Counties“Appoints two members to the statewide urban design and specifications board.”Map →
OrganizationHome Builders Association of Iowa“Appoints two members to the board.”Map →
OrganizationIowa League of Cities“Appoints two members to the board.”Map →
OrganizationIowa Concrete Paving Association“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →
OrganizationIowa State University of Science and Technology“Institute for transportation at Iowa State University may provide recommendation”Map →
OrganizationAsphalt Association of Iowa“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →
OrganizationIowa Real Estate Developers Association“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →
OrganizationMaster Builders of Iowa“Appoints one member to the board.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.iowa.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy55
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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