Ahlers’ Municipal Utility practice group represents city-owned utility clients of all types and sizes across the state of Iowa, from river to river. Our legal team has broad and deep experience that is unmatched, with years of experience in both private practice and in-house at an investor-owned utility and the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU).

Ahlers represents a range of utilities including:
  • Electric systems
  • Wholesale & Power Supply systems and Joint Action Agencies
  • Communications systems
  • Gas systems
  • Water systems
  • Sewer / Wastewater systems
  • Stormwater systems

Our utility attorneys have a comprehensive understanding of utility law and serve clients with a full range of services. We assist our clients with their contract needs, including power purchase and sale agreements, water purchase and sale agreements, other business transactions, joint ownership agreements, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, and other utility matters.  We counsel our clients on governance policies and practices that best suit the utility and its culture. We stay focused and up to date with changing laws and regulations to best serve our clients. If a dispute arises, we have extensive experience in either negotiating or litigating disputes; however, our goal is to be proactive in strategic partnership with our clients.

Consistently ranked first in Iowa for the number of bond issues approved on an annual basis, our finance attorneys have been actively engaged in public sector financing for over 75 years. Our lawyers issue legal opinions in all types of governmental bond financing, serving as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, disclosure counsel, or underwriter’s counsel. Our utility finance lawyers serve as bond counsel and disclosure counsel for our municipal utility and joint action agency clients.

We know the utility industry and understand its processes. We are committed to providing the highest level of client service and helping our clients find the best solutions for their needs – solutions that will stand the test of time. 

In addition to advising utility clients with a comprehensive roster of services, our attorneys are frequent speakers on a variety of utility topics.

Scope of Services: 
  • General counsel for municipal utilities
  • General municipal law matters
  • Utility transactional matters and issues
  • Utility regulatory counsel and monitoring of issues at state/federal levels
  • Purchase and sale agreements (incl. power and energy, transmission, gas, water, and similar agreements)
  • Renewable energy PPA’s (solar and wind)
  • Public finance
  • Utility financing
  • Bonds, bank loans, state/federal government loan program
  • Capital improvement project and equipment acquisition financing 
  • USDA Rural Development Financing – utility improvements
  • SRF Financing – utility improvements
  • SRF loans
  • Tax-exempt bonds
  • Taxable bonds
  • Site leases, easements, and land acquisitions
  • Construction contracts
  • Employment & Labor law
  • Litigation
  • General administrative matters
  • Board governance