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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate File 2259 lowers animal feeding operation construction permit threshold from 1,000 to 300 animal units
Last action · February 12, 2026: Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Staed, and Zumbach. S.J. 278 .Sponsors: Art Staed and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Iowa SF 2259 lowers the construction permit threshold for s from 1,000 s to 300 animal units. Operators constructing structures that meet the new lower capacity must obtain a permit, exposing violators to civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day.
Livestock producers operating medium-sized confinement facilities between 300 and 1,000 s must now secure state construction permits that were previously only required for larger operations.
- Confinement feeding operations in Iowa are regulated by the Department of Natural Resources under the Animal Agriculture Compliance Act. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Livestock producers
Producers constructing or expanding confinement feeding facilities between 300 and 1,000 animal units must obtain state construction permits.
Research colleges
Research institutions remain exempt from obtaining construction permits for confinement feeding operations used in research activities.
Key Facts
- The bill lowers the construction permit threshold for confinement feeding operations from 1,000 animal units to 300 animal units.
- An animal unit capacity of 300 equals 750 swine weighing more than 55 pounds.
- Unformed manure storage structures continue to require a construction permit regardless of operation size.
- Confinement feeding operations owned by research colleges conducting research activities remain exempt from the permit requirement.
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- Violations of the water quality standards and permit requirements subject operators to administrative civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day or judicial civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new animal unit capacity threshold for construction permits?
Are research facilities exempt from the new permit requirement?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 12, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Rozenboom, Staed, and Zumbach. S.J. 278 .
- Feb 10, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Natural Resources and Environment. S.J. 238 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →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.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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