Dec. 12, 2017

IOWA CITY, IA – In June 2010, the Iowa City City Council passed the 21-Ordinance, which banned 19- and 20-year-olds from being in the bars after 10 p.m., a decision made in response to a large amount of possession of alcohol under the legal age (PAULA) citations. Seven years later, after two attempted repeals, the ordinance still remains in effect, although city citation data does not show a significant change in the city’s underage drinking problem.

The 21-Ordinance bans anyone under the age of 21 from being inside any establishment that makes greater than 50 percent of its gross sales from alcohol. However, there is an exception for establishments who host 150 live music or entertainment acts per year.

Before 2010, the citation was for being in the bar under the age of 19.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s working. I have friends that are 21 and I know they’re going to the bars,” Iowa senior J.D. Mitchell said. “[People under 21] just go before 10 p.m., and yeah some bars put X’s on their hands but they just go to the sink and wash them off.”

The number of PAULA charges have been trending down since 2006, and have continued to after the ordinance. Although, 2017 is on track to have a 57 percent increase in citations (the data for November and December has not yet been released). In 2016, there was an average of 21.2 citations per month, while in 2017 there has been 33.2 citations per month through the month of October, according to data from the City of Iowa City website.

“I go the bars, I go before 10 p.m. and stay after,” Iowa sophomore Kate Alexander said. “I feel like going to the bars is the only thing to do on the weekend, other than homework.”

Even though 2017 has had a higher average of citations than recent years, this is still an improvement. In 2006, there were a reported 1,285 PAULAs issued, and 332 in 2017, according to the City of Iowa City website.

“If we don’t pay attention to the blood alcohol levels downtown, that’s when the fights, disorderly conducts, and destruction of property [incidents] go up,” Chief Matherly said.

However, the number of public intoxication charges received by minors has dropped 33 percent since 2006. In 2006 there was an average of 28.75 citations issued per month, while there was an average of 19.25 issued in 2016, according to the City of Iowa City website. This year’s totals are on track to be even lower, with 123 citations issued through the month of October.

“This was before my arrival here, but my officers tell me this is 180 degrees different from what it used to be from the number of people downtown to the type of issues we have,” Chief Matherly said.

After passing the ordinance in 2010, local law enforcement implemented the “Party Patrol” in an effort to prevent an expected increase in house parties. The patrol is deployed in neighborhoods to monitor house parties on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The patrol focuses on areas with a large population of students.

The average number of Disorderly House charges per month have been trending down in recent years. In 2016, there was an average of 6.7 Disorderly House charges per month. In 2010, there were an average of 22.8 charges per month with 82 in the month of September alone, according to the City of Iowa City website.

“The ordinance isn’t helping. It makes people want to go against it and causes more problems,” Iowa junior Calie Anderson said. “There wouldn’t be as much binge drinking if we got rid of it.”

The number of minors receiving Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) charges has remained relatively similar since 2006. In 2006, there was an average of 8.7 citations issued per month, and the averages for the subsequent years have stayed near that average.

 All data used for this story were pulled from the Iowa City arrest statistics.