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Iowa background check laws for employers
Iowa has no statewide fair-chance law for private employers and no state law adding consumer-report steps beyond the federal FCRA. State law limits city and county employment rules, but the Iowa Supreme Court let cities delay the criminal-history question. Health care, home care and hospital employers must run state record checks and use the state evaluation process before hiring someone with a record.
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Fair-chance hiring (criminal history)
- Iowa's civil rights law does not list criminal record as a protected trait in hiring (Iowa Code § 216.6).
- Iowa has no state law that bans asking about criminal history on private job applications (Iowa Code § 216.6).
City and county rules
- Cities may not set terms or conditions of employment, including hiring practices, that exceed or conflict with state or federal law (Iowa Code § 364.3(12)(a)).
- Counties have the same limit (Iowa Code § 331.304(12)(a)).
- The Iowa Supreme Court held that a city may delay when employers ask about criminal history but may not limit how employers use it, and it upheld that part of Waterloo's 2019 ordinance (Iowa Ass'n of Business & Industry v. City of Waterloo, No. 20-0575 (Iowa 2021)).
State consumer report rules
- Iowa has no state consumer-report law adding employer disclosure or consent steps beyond the federal FCRA (Iowa Code § 216.6; Iowa Code ch. 730).
- The state Department of Public Safety releases arrests with no outcome after 18 months only with the person's signed release (Iowa Code § 692.2(1)(b)(3)).
- After a deferred judgment's probation is done, the state releases that record only with the person's signed release (Iowa Code § 692.2(1)(b)(4)).
- If an employer asks an applicant for a certified copy of the applicant's own state record, the employer pays the fee (Iowa Code § 692.2(6)(b)).
How far back a report can go
- Iowa has no state 7-year limit on reporting convictions; the federal FCRA rules apply (Iowa Code ch. 730).
- Expunged dismissals and acquittals are confidential and not open to the public (Iowa Code § 901C.2).
- A misdemeanor conviction more than 8 years old can be expunged once per lifetime, except listed crimes such as OWI, sex offenses and many assaults (Iowa Code § 901C.3).
- Expunged misdemeanor records are confidential and removed from state criminal history files (Iowa Code § 901C.3(4)-(5)).
Credit checks
- Iowa has no state law limiting employer use of credit reports; the federal FCRA rules apply (Iowa Code § 216.6; Iowa Code ch. 730).
Also good to know
- Before hiring, nursing, residential care and intermediate care facilities must run a state criminal check and child and dependent adult abuse checks (Iowa Code §§ 135C.1(8), 135C.33(1)).
- A person with a conviction or founded abuse record may not be hired until the HHS Record Check Evaluation System evaluates the record, with limited provisional-hire exceptions (Iowa Code § 135C.33(1)(c), (2), (4)).
- The same checks apply to in-home and home health aide providers, hospice, waiver services, elder group homes and assisted living programs that are state-regulated or state/federally funded (Iowa Code § 135C.33(5)).
- Temp staffing agencies must run the same checks on staff who give direct care at covered providers (Iowa Code § 135C.33(6)).
- Workers at covered employers must report a new conviction or abuse finding within 48 hours (Iowa Code § 135C.33(8)).
- Hospitals must run the same checks before hiring (Iowa Code § 135B.34).
Common questions
Can Iowa employers run a background check?
Iowa has no statewide fair-chance law for private employers and no state law adding consumer-report steps beyond the federal FCRA. State law limits city and county employment rules, but the Iowa Supreme Court let cities delay the criminal-history question. Health care, home care and hospital employers must run state record checks and use the state evaluation process before hiring someone with a record.
Does Iowa have a ban-the-box law for private employers?
Iowa's civil rights law does not list criminal record as a protected trait in hiring (Iowa Code § 216.6).
How far back does a background check go in Iowa?
Iowa has no state 7-year limit on reporting convictions; the federal FCRA rules apply (Iowa Code ch. 730).
Can Iowa employers run credit checks on applicants?
Iowa has no state law limiting employer use of credit reports; the federal FCRA rules apply (Iowa Code § 216.6; Iowa Code ch. 730).
Some rules for Iowa weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.
Sources
- Iowa Code § 364.3 (official)
- Iowa Code § 331.304 (official)
- Iowa Code § 216.6 (official)
- Iowa Code § 692.2 (official)
- Iowa Code ch. 901C (official)
- Iowa Code § 135C.33 (official)
- Iowa Code § 135C.1 (official)
- Iowa Code § 135B.34 (official)
- Iowa Code ch. 730 (official)
- Iowa Supreme Court, ABI v. City of Waterloo, No. 20-0575 (2021)
This page summarizes state law in plain words, with links to the law itself. It is not legal advice, and laws change: check the linked source, and talk to a lawyer about your own policy. Federal DOT testing rules are separate and override state limits for DOT-covered jobs. Checked October 2026.