Iowa Concealed Carry Reciprocity Map & Gun Laws

Yes. There is no statute prohibiting the purchase or use of pepper spray in Iowa.

No. There are no magazine capacity restrictions for handguns in Iowa.

Yes. Iowa prohibits the possession of any bullet or projectile containing any chemical compound or mixture designed to explode or detonate upon impact.

[Iowa Code § 724.1(7)]

Yes. As of July 1, 2021, Iowa is a permitless carry state for anyone at least 21 years old that may lawfully possess a handgun.

[Iowa Code § 724.5]

No.

Yes, without a permit for anyone at least 21 years old that may lawfully possess a handgun.

[Iowa Code § 724.5]

Yes, without a permit, but the use of that firearm is prohibited. Use includes brandishing, displaying, bartering, striking with, and, most obviously, firing or attempting to fire the weapon.

[Iowa Code § 461A.42]

Not addressed in Iowa state law, although employers may have a policy.

No. Your Iowa driver’s license is not linked to your Iowa carry permit. Therefore, a law enforcement officer (LEO) will not be notified that you are a concealed carry license holder immediately when they run your driver’s permit. However, LEOs may have access to other databases where they can obtain this information.

No. Iowa does not have a red flag law.

No definition of brandishing was found in Iowa law. However, a person commits assault when they intentionally point a firearm toward another, or display a dangerous weapon in a threatening manner with the intention of placing another in fear of immediate physical contact.

[Iowa Code § 708.1]

Yes. There is full state preemption of all gun laws. No municipality may have any ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carry, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms, firearms attachments, or other weapons. However, municipalities may restrict firearms in government buildings provided there is appropriate screening as well as armed security personnel present.

In addition, Iowa Code § 724.28(3) authorizes any “person adversely affected” by the regulation to file suit in court for “declaratory and injunctive relief for damages.”

[Op. Att’y Gen. No. 03-4-1 (2003)][Iowa Code § 724.28]

Yes. Applications for a Nonresident Professional Permit for a state employee whose need to go armed is employment based are filed with the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

[Iowa Code §§ 724.6, 724.7 and 724.11]

Yes/No. As of July 1, 2021, purchase permits are not required in order to acquire a pistol or revolver from a federally licensed firearms dealer. There are now several options, including obtaining a purchase permit, having a valid permit to carry weapons or completing a satisfactory national instant criminal background check.

[Iowa Code 724.15]

Yes.

No. Handguns do not need to be registered in Iowa.

21 years old (there are exceptions for anyone who is at least 18 years old whose duty requires the possession of such a weapon)

A parent (or guardian or spouse who is 21 years of age or older) of a person under the age of 21 may allow the person, while under direct supervision, to possess a pistol or revolver or handgun ammunition for any lawful purpose.

A parent (guardian or spouse who is 21 years of age or older) of a minor under the age of 14 years who allows that minor to possess a pistol or revolver or handgun ammunition is strictly liable to an injured party for all damages resulting from the possession of the pistol or revolver or ammunition therefor by that minor.

[Iowa Code § 724.22]

In order to purchase a handgun in Iowa, whether through a licensed firearms dealer or a private transaction (unless between family members), either a Permit to Acquire a pistol or revolver or a Permit to Carry Weapons is required. The application for a Permit to Acquire is processed at the county level and is valid for 5 years after the date it is issued. Some counties accept online applications, others accept them by mail, but most require an application to be submitted at the county sheriff’s office in person. To see if your county of residence accepts online permits, check the county sheriff’s office website directly.

In order to obtain a Permit to Acquire, you will need a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID and will have to pay a fee. A National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check will be processed. The processing time to obtain a Permit to Acquire will differ county by county and may take up to 10 days. The permit itself is not valid until 3 days after the date it is issued.

Link to application

Moving to Iowa and interested in applying for a permit? How soon can you apply?Iowa issues permits to residents, members of the military and limited non-residents who work or go to school in Iowa. You can apply for a resident permit with the sheriff of your county once you have established your residence in that county and have an Iowa Driver's license or state-issued ID.

Moving from Iowa and have an Iowa resident permit? Does that permit transfer to your new state? Is there a grace period during which your Iowa permit remains valid?If a person with an Iowa permit to concealed carry establishes residency in another state, he or she should contact the issuing authority for a determination as to how long the permit remains valid.

30 days

Apply to the Sheriff in the county of your residence for a duplicate, replacement or renewal.

An applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years of age for a professional permit;
• Be at least 21 years of age for a non-professional permit;
• Complete a firearms training course;
• Not be "addicted to the use of alcohol" per Iowa Admin. Code r. 661-91.1;
• Have no pending charges;
• Have no felony convictions;
• Have no outstanding arrest warrants;
• Not be subject to the firearm possession, receipt, transportation or control prohibitions;
• Not have been convicted within the previous 3 years in any court of a serious or aggravated misdemeanor not involving a firearm or explosives for which the court could have imprisoned him or her for more than 1 year, even if he or she received a shorter sentence, including probation;
• Not bear probable cause to use a weapon unlawfully or in such other manner as would endanger the person’s self or others based on prior actions in the last 2 years; and
• Meet federal law requirements.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, take the Carry Eligibility Quiz on the Iowa Department of Public Safety website and consult an attorney.

• Weapons-free zones defined as in, on or within 1,000' of property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary schools (defined by the IA Supreme Court In December of 2019 as owned and used by the school district, including athletic complexes) [Iowa Code §§ 724.4A and 724.4B];
• School buses [281.43.38(285)];
• On a campus or at a university-authorized function or event at the three Iowa State Universities [681.13.14(5)];
• Courtroom, court office, or courthouses used only for judicial branch functions, if posted [724.32];
• Public buildings that are posted and have security guards, such as the Dubuque County Courthouse;
• Casinos [IAC 491.5];
• Iowa State Fair [IAC 371.2.5(173)];
• Anywhere while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or other drug or a combination of such substances [Iowa Code § 724.4C]; and
• Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law or state law or regulation.

The only knives that are illegal are ballistic knives. It is legal to open carry any legal knife. It is legal to concealed carry a balisong, dagger, stiletto, razor, switchblade or knife with a blade longer than 5 inches only with a permit. Based on the current wording of the statute, state preemption only applies to firearms. Therefore, local ordinances may restrict the possession of knives, swords or other types of weapons that are not firearms.

[Iowa Code §§ 724.1(e) & 702.7]

Yes. A person in possession of a valid permit to carry weapons may carry a handgun while hunting. However, only handguns as described in Iowa Admin. Code 571.106.7(3) may be used to hunt deer and only when a handgun is a lawful method of take, except where the possession or carrying of a firearm is prohibited by state or federal law.

Yes. Intentional interference with lawful hunting, fishing, or fur-harvesting activities is illegal. A person shall not interfere with the lawful hunting, fishing, or fur-harvesting activities of another person in an area where hunting, fishing, or fur harvesting is authorized by a custodian of public property or an owner or lessee of private property.

[IA Code 481A.125]