Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 692.2 (2026)

Dissemination of criminal history data — fees

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. The department may provide copies or communicate information from criminal history data to the following:

a. Criminal or juvenile justice agencies.

b. A person or public or private agency, upon written application on a form approved by the commissioner of public safety and provided by the department to law enforcement agencies, subject to the following restrictions:

(1) A request for criminal history data must be submitted in writing by mail or as otherwise provided by rule. However, the department shall accept a request presented in person if it is from an individual or an individual’s attorney and requests the individual’s personal criminal history data.

(2) The request must identify a specific person by name and date of birth. Fingerprints of the person named may be required.

(3) Criminal history data that does not contain any disposition data after eighteen months from the date of arrest may only be disseminated by the department to criminal or juvenile justice agencies, to the person who is the subject of the criminal history data or the person’s attorney, or to a person requesting the criminal history data with a signed release from the\n\nTue Dec 09 21:56:59 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 692 (31, 0) 3 CRIMINAL HISTORY AND INTELLIGENCE DATA, §692.2\n\nperson who is the subject of the criminal history data authorizing the requesting person access to criminal history data.

(4) Upon receipt of official notification of the successful completion of probation following a deferred judgment, criminal history data regarding the person who successfully completed the probation shall only be disseminated by the department to a criminal or juvenile justice agency, to the person who is the subject of the criminal history data or the person’s attorney, or to another person with a signed release from the person who is the subject of the criminal history data authorizing the requesting person access to the criminal history data.

(5) Any release of criminal history data by the department shall prominently display the statement: An arrest without disposition is not an indication of guilt.

(6) Records of acquittals or dismissals by reason of insanity and records of adjudications of mental incompetence to stand trial in cases in which physical or mental injury or an attempt to commit physical or mental injury to another was alleged shall not be disseminated to persons or agencies other than criminal or juvenile justice agencies or persons employed in or by those agencies.

(7) Absent an order determining official juvenile court records to be public records entered pursuant to section 232.149B, adjudication and custody data that are deemed or ordered to be confidential pursuant to section 232.147, 232.149, or 232.149A, or that are sealed by court order pursuant to section 232.150, shall not be provided by the department, except as necessary for the purpose of administering chapter 692A.

2. Requests for criminal history data from criminal or juvenile justice agencies shall take precedence over all other requests.

3. A person who requests criminal history data shall not be liable for damages to the person whose criminal history data is requested for actions the person requesting the information may reasonably take in reliance on the accuracy and completeness of the criminal history data received from the department if all of the following are true:

a. The person requesting the criminal history data in good faith believes the criminal history data to be accurate and complete.

b. The person requesting the criminal history data has complied with the requirements of this chapter.

c. The identifying information submitted to the department by the person requesting the criminal history data is accurate regarding the person whose criminal history data is sought.

4. Unless otherwise provided by law, access under this section to criminal history data by a person or public or private agency does not create a duty upon a person, or employer, member, or volunteer of a public or private agency to examine the criminal history data of an applicant, employee, or volunteer.

5. A person other than the department of public safety shall not disseminate criminal history data maintained by the department to persons who are not criminal or juvenile justice agencies, except as set forth in section 692.3.

6. a. The department may charge a fee to any nonlaw-enforcement person or agency to conduct criminal history data checks. Notwithstanding any other limitation, the department may use revenues generated from the fee to administer this section and other sections of the Code providing access to criminal history data and to employ personnel to process criminal history data checks.

b. However, the fee for conducting a criminal history data check for a person seeking release of a certified copy of the person’s own criminal history data to a potential employer, if that employer requests the release in writing, shall not be paid by the person but shall be paid by the employer. [C75, 77, §749B.2; C79, 81, §692.2; 82 Acts, ch 1120, §1] 83 Acts, ch 96, §157, 159; 83 Acts, ch 113, §2, 3; 84 Acts, ch 1061, §1; 84 Acts, ch 1265, §6; 85 Acts, ch 33, §124; 86 Acts, ch 1245, §1605, 1606; 87 Acts, ch 59, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1249, §19; 88 Acts, ch 1252, §3; 89 Acts, ch 10, §1, 2; 89 Acts, ch 283, §32; 90 Acts, ch 1248, §3; 90 Acts, ch 1249, §19; 91 Acts, ch 138, §9; 93 Acts, ch 53, §8; 93 Acts, ch 115, §4; 94 Acts, ch 1130, §16,\n\nTue Dec 09 21:56:59 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 692 (31, 0) §692.2, CRIMINAL HISTORY AND INTELLIGENCE DATA 4\n\n17; 95 Acts, ch 191, §32 – 34; 96 Acts, ch 1150, §3, 4; 98 Acts, ch 1021, §1; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §261; 2018 Acts, ch 1153, §12; 2024 Acts, ch 1104, §4 Referred to in §123.46, 123.47, 155A.40, 523A.501, 523A.502, 543D.22, 543E.20, 692.2A, 692.3, 692.20, 725.1, 901C.3 \n

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 1980–1988 · leading case: State v. Bessenecker, 404 N.W.2d 134 (Iowa 1987).

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State v. Bessenecker, 404 N.W.2d 134 (Iowa 1987). · cites it 30× “See Iowa Code § 692.2 (1)(a). What is disputed is whether obtaining rap sheets on prospective jurors is within the statutory limitation of "official purposes in connection with the prescribed duties" of the county attorney.”

Banos v. Shepard, 419 N.W.2d 364 (Iowa 1988). · cites it 3× “Iowa Code sections 692.2 and 692.3 apply to dissemination of criminal history data.”

Feeney v. Scott Cnty., 290 N.W.2d 885 (Iowa 1980). “3 with § 692.2 (“The department and bureau may provide copies or communicate information from criminal history data only to criminal justice agencies, or such other public agencies as are authorized by the confidential records council.”

State v. Knerr, 426 N.W.2d 654 (Iowa Ct. App. 1988). · cites it 4× “2d 134, 138 (Iowa 1987), the Iowa Supreme Court interpreted Iowa Code section 692.2(3)(a) (1985), which restricts the dissemination of criminal history data to instances in which “[t]he data is for official purposes in connection with prescribed duties — ” In reversing…”

— Iowa Code § 692.2(1) — 1 case

State v. Bessenecker, 404 N.W.2d 134 (Iowa 1987). “See Iowa Code § 692.2 (1)(a). What is disputed is whether obtaining rap sheets on prospective jurors is within the statutory limitation of "official purposes in connection with the prescribed duties" of the county attorney.”

— Iowa Code § 692.2(3)(a) — 2 cases

State v. Knerr, 426 N.W.2d 654 (Iowa Ct. App. 1988). “2d 134, 138 (Iowa 1987), the Iowa Supreme Court interpreted Iowa Code section 692.2(3)(a) (1985), which restricts the dissemination of criminal history data to instances in which “[t]he data is for official purposes in connection with prescribed duties — ” In reversing…”

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