Carrying a firearm in Iowa

What state law requires, and what federal law adds on top of it. Every fact below shows where it came from and how far we have verified it.

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Permit required to carry concealed
No — Iowa allows permitless carry from age 18.
Duty to inform law enforcement
Not yet established for this state.
Permits Iowa recognises
We have not yet ingested Iowa's published recognition list. That is a gap in our data, not a statement that it recognises nothing.
Restricted areas mapped in this state
  • Federal school zones (1,000 ft)1,525
  • Corps of Engineers areas99
  • Military installations7
  • Tribal areas2

The federal layer applies regardless

Federal law bars possession within 1,000 ft of a school, and the exemption requires a licence issued by the state the school sits in — a permit Iowa merely honours through reciprocity does not satisfy it. Carrying permitlessly satisfies it even less, because there is no licence at all. This is the trap that catches travellers who correctly concluded their permit was good here.

18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)

Sources and how far we have verified them