Iowa — Registry Rules

• Adults and qualifying juveniles convicted of a tier I, II, or III sex offense — and anyone required to register elsewhere who resides, works, or attends school in Iowa — must register with the sheriff where they live, work, or study. See Iowa Code §692A.103.
• Initial deadline: Register in person within 5 business days of becoming required to register or upon any change in residence, employment, student status, or other relevant information. See §692A.104.
• Verification: Tier I: annual; Tier II: semiannual; Tier III: quarterly, all in person with the county sheriff. See §692A.108.
• Primary method: Registration and verification are in person at the county sheriff; public searching is via the state’s online registry. See DPS SOR site.
• ⚠️ Only 5 business days to report most changes (residence, employment, school, many other data). §692A.104
• ⚠️ If away from your principal residence >5 days, you must report the temporary lodging location and dates within 5 business days. §692A.105
• ⚠️ Tier rules set in-person verification frequency (up to quarterly for Tier III). §692A.108
• ⚠️ Some persons with offenses against minors face 2,000-ft residency restrictions from schools/child care facilities. §692A.114
• ⚠️ Violations carry criminal charges (often aggravated misdemeanor, then Class D felony), with enhanced penalties in some circumstances. §692A.111

Anyone convicted of a tier I, II, or III offense or required to register in another jurisdiction who resides, is employed, or attends school in Iowa must register; certain juveniles are included unless waived or modified by court order. See §692A.103(1)–(5).

Duration: Registration typically lasts 10 years, but can be lifetime for sexually violent predators, repeat offenses, or aggravated crimes; violations can extend by 10 years. Duration is set by offense type, not tier. Iowa Code §692A.106

• Initial and most change events: within 5 business days in person with the county sheriff. §692A.104(1)–(3)
• Temporary lodging away from principal residence >5 days: report within 5 business days with location and dates. §692A.105
• Move to another jurisdiction: notify Iowa sheriff within 5 business days, and register in the new jurisdiction within 5 business days if required there. §692A.104(5)

• Verification is in person with the sheriff where the principal residence is maintained. §692A.104(4)
• Frequency by tier: annual (Tier I), semiannual (Tier II), quarterly (Tier III). §692A.108

Persons convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor may not reside within 2,000 feet of a school or child care facility, subject to specific exceptions. See §692A.114 and federal case upholding the law, Doe v. Miller.

• Presence/loitering and employment prohibitions at places used primarily by minors (e.g., schools, child care, libraries, fairs/carnivals, arcades) apply to offenders with offenses against minors. See §692A.113.
• Employment and student information are collected; some details are not posted online but may be available to the public upon request at a sheriff’s office. See §692A.121(2)(c), (5)(b).
• Internet identifiers are part of registrant data and may be used for verification by the public through law enforcement; see §692A.121(5)(a).

• DPS must maintain a public website searchable by name, county, city, ZIP, and radius. Posted data include DOB, photos, physical description, residence, offense citation/text, and flags for residency/exclusion restrictions. §692A.121(1)–(2).
• Certain data are withheld online (e.g., employer name/address; school name/address; some juvenile exceptions), though more can be provided by sheriffs upon request. §692A.121(2)(c), (5).
• Public search portal: Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

• If establishing residence, employment, or student status in another jurisdiction, the registrant must (1) notify the Iowa sheriff within 5 business days and (2) register with the new jurisdiction within 5 business days if required there. §692A.104(5).
• Duration continues while subject to Iowa’s requirements; time can be affected by violations or special sentences. §692A.106.

• If away from the principal Iowa residence more than 5 days, registrant must report temporary lodging address and dates to the sheriff within 5 business days of the change. §692A.105.
• Non-Iowa registrants who reside, work, or attend school in Iowa must register here for the longer of Iowa’s or the other jurisdiction’s period. §692A.103(1); §692A.106(8).

Failure to comply with core duties (e.g., §§692A.104, .105, .108, .112–.115) is an aggravated misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class D felony for subsequent offenses; additional enhancements can apply. The court may not defer judgment or sentence for registry violations. See §692A.111.

• Courts may modify (reduce) the registration period on application if strict criteria are met. For requirements starting before July 1, 2022: possible at 2 years (Tier I) or 5 years (Tier II/III) with treatment completion, low-risk assessment, supervision stipulation, and other conditions. For starts on/after July 1, 2022: 10 years (Tier I) — or 5 years for a specified youthful Tier I offense — and 15 years (Tier II/III), plus the same prerequisites. See §692A.128(2)–(3).
• General duration is 10 years unless otherwise provided; lifetime applies for sexually violent predators, aggravated offenses, repeaters, or special circumstances. Violations add 10 years. See §692A.106.
• Iowa appellate decisions clarify modification standards (e.g., Fortune v. State, 957 N.W.2d 696 (Iowa 2021)). See summary and opinion at Justia.

• Juveniles generally must register unless the juvenile court waives, modifies, or suspends the requirement under specified findings; different rules apply for certain forcible cases age 14+. See §692A.103(3)–(5).
• Persons with offenses against minors may face exclusion zones and employment bans at child-focused locations. See §692A.113.
• Residency restriction applies only to those convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor, with enumerated exceptions (e.g., established residence pre-2002). See §692A.114.

• $25 annual fee to the sheriff of principal residence; sheriff may allow time to pay, installments, or waive. §692A.110(1)
• A civil penalty is assessed at conviction for covered offenses (payable through the clerk). §692A.110(2)

• Statute: Iowa Code §692A.128 (as amended 2022 & 2023) — Acts 2022 ch. 1063; 2023 chs. 64 & 66; effective 2022-07-01 (key changes), later technical updates in 2023. Significantly revised modification timelines: for requirements starting on/after 7/1/2022, Tier I generally after 10 years (5 years for a specific youthful offense), Tier II/III after 15 years; retains treatment/low-risk prerequisites and supervision stipulation. link
• Case: Doe v. Miller, 405 F.3d 700 — U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit (2005-04-29) — Upheld Iowa’s 2,000-ft residency restriction against constitutional challenges. link
• Case: Fortune v. State, 957 N.W.2d 696 — Iowa Supreme Court (2021-04-16) — Clarified standards for modification of registration obligations under §692A.128; error to deny by penalizing successful adjustment alone. link
• Case: Olsen v. State (modification challenges) — Iowa appellate courts (2024-06-28) — Discussed strict statutory prerequisites for §692A.128 modification petitions after 2022 amendments. link