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Iowa drug testing laws for employers
Iowa's private sector drug-free workplace law sets detailed rules for any employer that tests, including a written policy, supervisor training, MRO review, and certified mail notice to employees. Random testing is allowed only from set pools picked by an independent party. Iowa's medical cannabidiol program allows limited THC products, but employers who follow the law are protected when they act on a positive test.
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The state law
- Testing must follow a written policy given to every employee subject to testing and available to applicants, with copies to a parent if the person is a minor (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(a)).
- The policy must set uniform discipline or rehab steps for a confirmed positive or a refusal, based only on the test result (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(b)).
- Supervisors involved in testing need at least 2 hours of training at the start and 1 hour every year after (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(h)).
- You must run an awareness program and either tell employees about your EAP or keep a resource file of treatment programs (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(c)).
- You must give the person a list of the drugs tested and a chance to report medications (Iowa Code 730.5(7)(c)(2)).
- Positive screens must be confirmed by GC/MS or a comparable method at a SAMHSA-certified or state-approved lab, then reviewed by an MRO before you get the result (Iowa Code 730.5(7)(f)-(h)).
- Employee urine samples must be split, and the employee must be told of a confirmed positive by certified mail with the right to a second test of the split at a lab they choose (Iowa Code 730.5(7)(b), (7)(j)(1)).
- You pay all testing costs, testing time counts as work time, and you pay travel if collection is off site (Iowa Code 730.5(6)).
- Employers with 50 or more employees must offer rehab, with cost sharing, after a first alcohol violation by an employee with 12 of the last 18 months of service who agrees to it (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(g)).
- If your written policy covers alcohol, the violation level cannot be set below .02 (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(e)).
Testing applicants
- You may drug or alcohol test job applicants, and we found no Iowa rule that requires a job offer first (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(d)).
- Hair testing is allowed for applicants only, not current employees (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(g)).
- You must tell an applicant who tests positive in writing, with the MRO's name and address and their right to ask for records (Iowa Code 730.5(7)(j)(2)).
- An applicant must ask for their test records within 15 calendar days of your written notice (Iowa Code 730.5(13)(b)).
- You must pay all costs of testing you require of applicants (Iowa Code 730.5(6)(b)).
Random testing
- Unannounced testing is allowed only from set pools: everyone at a work site, all full-time active staff at a site, or a safety-sensitive pool at a site (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(a)).
- An entity independent of you must pick employees with a computer-based random number generator that logs each selection by date, time and employee number (Iowa Code 730.5(1)(l)).
- Each safety-sensitive employee may be in only one safety-sensitive pool (Iowa Code 730.5(9)(f)).
- An employer that improperly targets or exempts employees in random selection faces a $1,000 civil penalty per violation (Iowa Code 730.5(14)(a)).
Marijuana (medical only)
- Iowa's medical cannabidiol program allows THC-containing products, limited to 4.5 grams of total THC per patient every 90 days unless an exception applies, so we list it as medical only rather than CBD only (Iowa Code 124E.2, 124E.9(14)-(15)).
- Adult-use marijuana is not legal in Iowa, and we found no off-duty marijuana protection for employees (no statute found).
- An employer that follows Iowa's testing law cannot be sued for testing or acting on a positive result caused by legal medical cannabidiol use (Iowa Code 730.5(11)(f)).
- Workers who use marijuana at work, work under its influence, or test positive for another unprescribed controlled substance under a 730.5 policy are disqualified from unemployment (Iowa Code 96.5(14)).
Also good to know
- The law covers private employers with at least one full-time employee in Iowa, not public employers (Iowa Code 730.5(1)(e)).
- Tests required by federal law, such as DOT tests, are not covered by these state rules (Iowa Code 730.5(2)).
- You may test after a workplace accident that causes a reportable injury or more than $1,000 in property damage (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(f)).
- If you suspend an employee while waiting for a result and it is not a confirmed positive, you must reinstate them with back pay and 18% interest (Iowa Code 730.5(10)(b)).
- For workers' comp, a positive test at or right after the injury creates a presumption that intoxication caused the injury, which the worker must disprove (Iowa Code 85.16(2)(b)).
- Labs that test for Iowa employers must file an annual report with the state by March 1 (Iowa Code 730.5(16)).
Common questions
Is drug testing legal for employers in Iowa?
Iowa's private sector drug-free workplace law sets detailed rules for any employer that tests, including a written policy, supervisor training, MRO review, and certified mail notice to employees. Random testing is allowed only from set pools picked by an independent party. Iowa's medical cannabidiol program allows limited THC products, but employers who follow the law are protected when they act on a positive test.
Can employers in Iowa test applicants before hiring?
You may drug or alcohol test job applicants, and we found no Iowa rule that requires a job offer first (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(d)).
Is random drug testing allowed in Iowa?
Unannounced testing is allowed only from set pools: everyone at a work site, all full-time active staff at a site, or a safety-sensitive pool at a site (Iowa Code 730.5(8)(a)).
Can a Iowa employer act on a positive marijuana test?
Iowa's medical cannabidiol program allows THC-containing products, limited to 4.5 grams of total THC per patient every 90 days unless an exception applies, so we list it as medical only rather than CBD only (Iowa Code 124E.2, 124E.9(14)-(15)).
Some rules for Iowa weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.
Sources
- Iowa Code 730.5 (Justia, 2025 Code)
- Iowa Code 96.5 (Justia, 2025 Code)
- Iowa Code 85.16 (Justia, 2025 Code)
- Iowa Code 124E.2 (Justia, 2025 Code)
- Iowa Code 124E.9 (Justia, 2025 Code)
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.