Open Meetings Requirements for Governmental Bodies
A law adopted in the 2025 legislative session set a requirement for all new elected officials and those appointed to governmental bodies (at the city government level, common examples include library boards, planning and zoning commissions, boards of adjustments and more) to complete a training on the responsibilities and requirements for open meetings and open records laws. The training must be completed within 90 days of an official taking the oath of office or assuming the duties of their office.
The Iowa Public Information Board is responsible under the law to oversee the training requirement and provide classes. They are also allowed to authorize other entities to provide training. The law stipulates that the training must be at least one hour, but not more than two hours. The Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB), or another entity providing the training, is required to provide a certificate of course completion, and the governmental body must maintain and make these certificates of completion available for the public.
The law also requires a certificate of completion to be provided to each participant, and for governmental entities to preserve such certificates and make them available for public inspection.
The law increases civil penalties for violation of open records laws to $500-$2,500 for accidental violations and $5,000-$12,000 for knowing violations. Additionally, a member of a governmental body can be removed from office if they have engaged in prior violations for which damages were assessed.
Additional guidance on open meetings can be found in the League’s Open Meetings Guide, and Open Meetings Resource page.
More information from IPIB, including training dates, is listed on IPIB’s website.
