Iowa Prohibited Consensual Sexual Activity Laws

Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated June 20, 2016

Sexual assault has been a prevalent topic in the media recently, and we all know that no means no. But what about voluntary sexual activity? Or maybe something not even that sexual? Are there laws against consensual sexual activity? Let's say you "mooned" your friends -- is that indecent exposure? And what if a friend takes a photo on his or her phone and texts it to another friend? Can they get in trouble for that? This is an introduction to prohibited consensual sexual activity laws in Iowa.

Sexual Activities Laws

Even some voluntary sexual activities are regulated under state consensual sexual activity laws, although Iowa has fewer than most. Normally, these prohibitions reflect the social and political norms of the state population at the time the laws were created. Therefore some sexual activity laws are subject to change over time. As an example, many states still have sodomy laws on the books, most of which were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2003. Iowa has no sodomy laws, but does prohibit indecent exposure and prostitution.

Consensual Sexual Activity Laws in Iowa

The chart below lists the details Iowa's prohibited consensual sexual activity statutes.

Sodomy Laws Applicable to	-
Penalty for Sodomy	-
HIV Exposure and Compelled Testing for Offenders	Iowa Code 915.42: Victim Rights Victim may request HIV testing of defendant convicted of sexual assault
Other Crimes Relating to Consensual Sex Acts	Iowa Code 709.9 Indecent Exposure Serious misdemeanor

For the most part, state legislatures, authorities, and courts have been reluctant to regulate what happens in a private bedroom. But they have shown far less reticence when sexual acts become public. Like many other states, Iowa law prohibits public indecency, and its statute can be read to outlaw everything from flashing and public sex to even non-public exposure if the person intends the act to be seen by other people. Iowa statutes also include victim rights provisions allowing for forced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of convicted sexual abusers at their victim's request.