When the court deems proper, it may order an officer to conduct the jury in a body to view any real or personal property, or any place where a material fact occurred, and to show it to them. No other person shall speak to them during their absence on any subject connected with the trial.
Rule 1.922.View
Division IX: Trial and Judgment · Last amended February 15, 2002 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.922 lets the court order an officer to escort the jury to view relevant property or a place tied to the case, and bars anyone else from discussing the trial with jurors during that outing.
Full Text of Rule 1.922
Plain-English Summary
Some cases turn on a place or a piece of property the jury needs to see with its own eyes. Rule 1.922 lets the court, when it deems proper, order an officer to conduct the jury as a group to view real or personal property, or a place where a material fact occurred, and to show it to them.
The rule protects that outing from outside influence: no other person may speak to the jurors during their absence about any subject connected with the trial. The view is meant to inform the jury's understanding of the evidence, not to become an opportunity for someone to argue the case to them outside the courtroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the jury visit the scene of an accident or the property at issue in the case?
Yes, if the court deems it proper. Rule 1.922 lets the court order an officer to conduct the jury to view real or personal property, or a place where a material fact occurred.
Who supervises the jury during a view under this rule?
The rule directs the court to order an officer to conduct the jury in a body to the location and show it to them, keeping the jury together and supervised throughout.
Can someone talk to the jurors about the case while they are viewing the property?
No. Rule 1.922 states that no other person shall speak to the jurors during their absence on any subject connected with the trial.
Does a jury view replace testimony about the property?
The rule describes the view as showing the property or place to the jury; it does not substitute the view for testimony, and evidence about the property is still presented at trial in the usual way.
Is a jury view mandatory in every case involving disputed property?
No. Rule 1.922 makes the view discretionary, ordered only when the court deems it proper under the circumstances of the case.
Source & verification. Rule text and the Comment are
reproduced verbatim from the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Iowa Supreme Court. Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: iowa jury view property rulejury visit scene of accident iowaiowa jury view procedureview of premises jury iowa