1. The proprietors of lots within an official plat who wish to vacate any portion of the official plat shall file a petition for vacation with the governing body which would have jurisdiction to approve the plat at the time the petition is filed. After the petition has been filed, the governing body shall fix the time and place for public hearing on the petition. Written notice of the proposed vacation shall be served in the manner of original notices as provided in Iowa rules of civil procedure and be served upon proprietors and mortgagees within the official plat that are within three hundred feet of the area to be vacated. If a portion of the official plat adjoins a river or state-owned lake, the Iowa department of natural resources shall be served written notice of the proposed vacation. Notice of the proposed vacation shall be published twice, with fourteen days between publications, stating the date, time, and place of the hearing.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 354.22

  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. The official plat or portion of the official plat shall be vacated upon recording of all of the following documents:

 a. An instrument signed, executed, and acknowledged by all the proprietors and mortgagees within the area of the official plat to be vacated, declaring the plat to be vacated. The instrument shall state the existing lot description for each proprietor along with an accurate description to be used to describe the land after the lots are vacated.
 b. A resolution by the governing body approving the vacation and providing for the conveyance of those areas included in the vacation which were previously set aside or dedicated for public use.
 c. A certificate of the auditor that the vacated part of the plat can be adequately described for assessment and taxation purposes without reference to the vacated lots.
 3. No part of this section authorizes the closing or obstructing of public highways.
 4. The vacation of a portion of an official plat shall not remove or otherwise affect a recorded restrictive covenant, protective covenant, building restriction, or use restriction. Recorded restrictions on the use of property within an official plat shall be modified or revoked by recording a consent to the modification or removal, signed and acknowledged by the proprietors and mortgagees within the official plat.