From July 1, 2025, House Bill 645 will come into effect in the US state of Iowa, preventing neighbours of race tracks from making noise complaints – with a catch.
The new law only applies to neighbours who built or purchased their property after the race track was established.
Neighbours who’ve lived near the circuit prior to its opening can still make noise complaints, where relevant.
The legislation also protects race tracks regardless of ownership – meaning it could change hands tomorrow and still be protected – even though the requirement for neighbours is for them to be in the area first in order to make a complaint.
While Iowa has a small number of tracks which play host to large racing events – Iowa Raceway is for IndyCar and NASCAR, while Knoxville is billed as the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” – it is also home to a handful of smaller venues which are more at risk of being closed due to complaints.
At the moment, there are no plans for other states to roll out similar legislation, though the unanimous support of Iowa’s politicians for the bill shows that could change elsewhere.
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