In Iowa, It Used To Be Illegal To Warm Up Your Car

There's no denying that is has been extremely cold since those two major winter storms hit Iowa. Before heading off to work, you probably have warmed up your car so it's not so so cold driving to the office.

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Fortunately for people in Iowa, warming up your car isn't a crime on the books in the Hawkeye state. People can't get a fine for simply trying to be comfortable and stay warm in sub-zero temperatures.

But there is a price to pay if you don't warm up your vehicle responsibly.

It Once Was Illegal To Warm Up Your Car In Iowa

Earlier this week, I told you how Iowa's neighboring state to the east, Illinois, has a state law prohibiting people from warming up vehicles.

Back in 2017, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill that says you can't leave your vehicle on with the keys in the ignition without someone present in the driver's seat. The only people who have exceptions to this law enforcement officers, first responders, or authorized vehicles.

Before March 16, 2017, Iowa had a similar law. That law use to read as follows:

"No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, or when standing upon any perceptible grade without effectively setting the brake thereon and turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway."

On March 16, 2017, Iowa lawmakers amended the bill to read like this:

"A person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall not permit the vehicle to stand unattended upon any perceptible grade without effectively setting the brake thereon and urning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway."

Since then, you've been able to warm up your car legally in Iowa. But sometimes that doesn't come without paying a different price.

#LockItDownQC

In 2020, because of the rising numbers of car thefts throughout the Quad Cities, over 20 law enforcement agencies, including the Illinois State Police, Iowa State Patrol, and the Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, and East Moline Police Departments have started the #LockItDownQC campaign.

According to the official Lock It Down QC website,

The mission of Lock It Down QC is to prevent auto theft in the Quad City Area. Lock It Down QC is a cooperative effort of Iowa and Illinois Quad City Area law enforcement agencies.

On the Lock It Down QC website, officials outline three key actions Quad City citizens can take to prevent car theft including:

Never leave your car running, even if you have your fob.
Always lock your car.
Never leave your keys in your car.

You can find more information and tips about #LockItDownQC here.

Trust me, it doesn't take long for a vehicle to be stolen. Two years ago, we wrote a story about how fast someone's car can be stolen out of their garage. Take a look for yourself below.