City of Fort Dodge, Iowa

Completing the Trespass Authorization & Notice Form

Once a property owner, owner's agent, lessee, or person in lawful possession of property has determined which type of trespass authorization is desired, a Fort Dodge Police Department Trespass Authorization & Notice form must be completed. This form must be properly served and submitted to the Webster County Sheriff's Office for the Police Department to have trespass enforcement authority.

The written authorization is valid for a maximum period of twelve (12) months and can be renewed annually. It is the responsibility of the person completing the authorization form to keep track of its expiration date. Authorization can be revoked at any time by providing written notice to the police department. The Fort Dodge Police Department reserves the right to reject incomplete or fraudulent trespass documents.

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A TRESPASS   AUTHORIZATION & NOTICE FORM 

Below is a step-by-step guide to completing the Trespass Authorization & Notice Form. 

Person Completing This Form

In the first section, the property owner, owner's agent, lessee, or person in lawful possession of property enters their name, full address, phone number(s), and indicates their relationship to the property.

Property Where Trespassing Is Prohibited

If the property of the trespass ban is a business, the name should be entered on the "Business Name" line; if it is not a business this space should be left blank.  The next line should contain a street address of the property.  All forms must include the street address to be valid and enforceable.  The person completing the form then checks a box to indicate the type of property the listed address refers to.

Authorization Type

Select the authorization type desired, general or individual.  Only one box should be checked.

General

If a general ban is desired, check the "General" box and proceed to the "Disclaimer and Signature of Person Completing This Form" section below.

Individual

If an individual ban is desired, check the "Individual" box and enter the identifying information of the person to be banned, including their name, date of birth, and complete address.  If you need help properly identifying someone, please contact the police department at 515-573-1424 for assistance.

By law, a person to be banned must be notified before enforcement action can take place (see "Service of Paperwork", below, for additional information).  PLEASE NOTE: The person submitting trespass documentation to the Police Department is responsible for serving the paperwork on the person to be banned by one of the methods listed below.  The Fort Dodge Police Department will not serve paperwork on the person to be banned.

The person completing the form must indicate how the banned person was served.  Check all that apply.

• For a new ban: if a copy of the Fort Dodge Police Department Trespass Authorization & Notice form was served on the person, indicate if that was done in person, by certified mail, and/or by law enforcement.
• For a new ban: if a copy of a different notice was served on the person (see "No Trespassing Notice" below for additional information), indicate if that was done in person, by certified mail, and/or by law enforcement.  If a different notice was used, a copy of that notice must be provided to the police department with the Trespass Authorization Form & Notice.
• For a renewal of authorization only (when a notice was previously served on the banned person and a copy has already been provided to the police department): check the "authorization renewal only" box.

Notice To Individual Named (If Applicable)

In cases of an individual ban, this section provides the necessary language to notify the person to be banned that they are no longer welcome on/in the listed property and they may face criminal charges for violations.  The notice to the banned person remains in effect for one year unless revoked in writing.

The person completing the Trespass Authorization & Notice form may choose to use their own notice.  See "No Trespassing Notice", below, for additional information.

Disclaimer and Signature of Person Completing This Form

This section contains the legal language necessary to authorize the Fort Dodge Police Department to act on behalf of the person completing the form.  

Important points of this section include:

• The person completing the form will cooperate with any prosecution resulting.
• The authorization expires after twelve (12) months but may be revoked in writing prior to that time.
• The person completing the form is responsible for renewing authorization if necessary.
• The person signing the form has the legal authority to do so.
• The property has been posted "No Trespassing" (for general bans) or the banned person has been properly served (for individual bans).
• The person completing the form must then sign and date it.  For forms submitted electronically, typing a name on the signature line substitutes for an ink signature.  Forms are not valid unless signed and dated.

No Trespassing Notice

In cases of an individual ban (this section does not apply to a general ban. If this is a general ban, proceed to "Submission of Forms", below) the person to be banned must be properly served and notified before enforcement action can take place. As noted above, the Fort Dodge Police Department Trespass Authorization & Notice form contains the necessary language to notify the person to be banned that they are no longer welcome on/in the listed property and they may face criminal charges for violations.  Thus, service of the FDPD Trespass Authorization & Notice form on the person to be banned satisfies legal requirements and a separate notice is not required.

However, a property owner, owner's agent, lessee, or person in lawful possession of property may wish to use their own no trespassing notice in place of the language on the Authorization & Notice form; doing so allows for greater flexibility, including establishing specific terms or conditions that constitute a violation or establishing an expiration date of the notice.  Any notice should warn the person to be banned that they are no longer allowed in/on the listed property and that they will be charged with trespassing upon their return.

If a different no trespassing notice is used, a copy must be provided to the police department with the completed Trespass Authorization & Notice form.  PLEASE NOTE that a different notice does not substitute for the trespass authorization form; both must be submitted for the police department to take enforcement action.

THE PERSON SUBMITTING TRESPASS DOCUMENTATION TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SERVING THE PAPERWORK TO THE PERSON TO BE BANNED.