Enforcement orders

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is charged with ensuring compliance with Iowa's environmental laws and rules, and its enforcement orders are posted in its Document Search. DNR issues administrative orders, and consent orders in settlement of an administrative order or in place of one.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name state enforcement orders among its standard record sources. An order is a record that DNR took enforcement action against a party. Search the orders under the names of the property's past owners and operators, and of the facilities around it.

Two Iowa details shape how to read one.

• Two kinds of order. With an administrative order, the responsible party has 30 days to appeal. A consent order is issued in settlement of an administrative order or as an alternative to issuing one, and DNR says it indicates that DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party. In certain situations, DNR may include Supplemental Environmental Projects in a consent order.
• The programs covered. DNR's Enforcement Management System outlines how the regulatory programs in its Environmental Services Division pursue compliance with chapters 455B, 455D, 459, 459A and 459B of the Iowa Code and their rules.

Where to look a site up

DNR's enforcement page gives a direct link to the orders in Document Search. DNR says to select "Enforcement Orders" from the program dropdown, and that a search can be narrowed by:

• Facility Name, the name of the party the enforcement is issued to;
• Project Number or Document ID, the order number;
• Document Type, "Enforcement Order" for all enforcement orders or "Enforcement Penalty Payment" for penalty payment receipts.

Getting the file

DNR's Records Center, at 6200 Park Ave, Suite 200, Des Moines, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except state holidays. DNR's Open Records Request page says requests to inspect public records go to the Office of the Chief Information Officer through the Iowa Information and Public Records Request Portal, and may also be made in person at a record center, by email to dnr.records.request@dnr.iowa.gov, or by mail.

Sources

Iowa Department of Natural Resources pages, read October 12, 2026:

• Enforcement Actions, last modified September 10, 2025.
• Open Records Request, last modified March 13, 2026.