Sex Offender Registration

1. Offender Required to Register

  • On or after July 1, 1995, an individual who has been convicted or adjudicated of a criminal offense against a minor, sexual exploitation, or a sexually violent crime or who was on probation, parole, or work release status, or who was incarcerated on or after July 1, 1995 is required to register.
  • Registration includes individuals that have received a deferred sentence or deferred judgments and can include convictions from other jurisdictions such as other states and/or federal convictions, and persons found not guilty by reason of insanity of one of the covered crimes.
  • Persons found not guilty by reason of insanity of one of the covered crimes.

2. Duration of Registration

  • Sex offenders who have committed an Aggravated Offense shall register for life.
  • Sex offenders who have committed more than one offense requiring registration shall register for life.
  • A sex offender sentenced to a special sentence shall register for the duration of that special sentence or 10 years, whichever is longer.
  • Sex offenders who are not required to register for life shall register for a period of 10 years. Any time spent incarcerated does not count as tolled time. Any offender that is required to register for 10 years and is convicted for an offense of non-compliance with the sex offender registry will have 10 years added to the length of registration.

3. Registration Process

  • Notice of duty to register
  • Initial registration
  • Change of address
  • Annual verification of address
  • Application for determination of requirement to register if offender questions their registration requirement

4. Sheriffs' Fees

  • Sex offenders are required to pay an annual fee of $25.00 to the Sheriff's Office

5. Verifications

  • All sex offenders are classified into one of three tiers (Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III) for verification purposes.
  • During verification, sex offenders are required to report in person to the Sheriff’s Office in the county where the offender maintains their principle residence to allow the Sheriff’s Office to verify all relevant information required and to photograph the offenders.
  • Tier I must report annually
  • Tier II must report bi-annually
  • Tier III must report quarterly

6. Relevant Information offenders are required to register

  • Name
  • Social Security Number
  • Principle Address
  • Any additional Addresses an offender has where they sleep, are located habitually, or on a regular basis.
  • All phone numbers
  • Additional relevant material including, but not limited to, fingerprints, palm prints, and photographs
  • All email and internet identifiers
  • Name, gender, and date of birth of each person residing in residence of offender
  • Employment
  • Educational Institutions attended by the offender
  • Vehicles owned or operated by the offender
  • Boats owned or operated by the offender
  • Immigration documents (such as passports, diplomatic identification, work or travel Visas)
  • Professional licenses.
  • DNA
  • Driver license or ID card
  • Tattoos and scars
  • Nick names, aliases, or other names used.

7. Sex Offender Registry Fund Established

  • Fund is established by placing a $200 civil penalty on the crimes covered by this chapter in order to help pay the administrative costs experienced by the Department of Public Safety and to fund research and analysis.

8. Access to Information in the Registry

  • The Sheriff or Department of Public Safety may release information to criminal justice agencies for law enforcement purposes.
  • The Department of Public Safety may disclose information to government agencies which are conducting confidential background investigations.
  • The Department of Public Safety or a criminal justice agency with case specific authorization from the Department may release relevant information that is necessary to protect the public concerning a specific offender.
  • Non-identifying information may be used for bona fide research.
  • Information on the registry may be used by criminal justice agencies as an index to locate a relevant criminal conviction record.
  • Upon inquiry, the Sheriff may release information to a member of the general public regarding a specific person on the registry. This release occurs after a member of the general public makes a case specific, written request for the information.

9. Information available to the Public

  • Photo
  • Date of birth of offender
  • Residential addresses
  • Date of conviction for offense requiring offender to register as a sex offender
  • Age range and gender of victim.

10. Penalties for Failure to Register

  • 1st offense is an aggravated misdemeanor
  • 2nd offense is a Class "D" felony
  • If sex offender is convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor, a sex offense against a minor, or a sexually violent offense committed while in violation of the sex offender registry, the penalty is a Class "C" felony

Iowa Department of Public Safety
Sex Offender Registry
(515) 725-6050