1. An assault as defined in this section is a general intent crime.
2. A person commits an assault when, without justification, the person does any of the
following:
a. Any act which is intended to cause pain or injury to, or which is intended to result in
physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, coupled with the apparent
ability to execute the act.
b. Any act which is intended to place another in fear of immediate physical contact which
will be painful, injurious, insulting, or offensive, coupled with the apparent ability to execute
the act.
c. Intentionally points any firearm toward another, or displays in a threatening manner
any dangerous weapon toward another.
d. (1) (a) Intentionally points a laser emitting a visible light beam toward another person
with the intent to cause pain or injury to another, or toward an aircraft.
(b) For purposes of this paragraph “d”:
(i) “Aircraft” means any contrivance intended for and capable of transporting persons
through the airspace.
(ii) “Laser” means a device that emits a visible light beam amplified by the stimulated
emission of radiation and any light which simulates the appearance of a laser.
(2) This paragraph does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A law enforcement officer who uses a laser in discharging or attempting to discharge
the officer’s official duties.
(b) A health care professional who uses a laser in providing services within the scope of
practice of that professional or any other person who is licensed or authorized by law to use
a laser or who uses a laser in the performance of the person’s official duties.
(c) A person who uses a laser to play laser tag, paintball, and other similar games using
light-emitting diode technology.
3. An act described in subsection 2 shall not be an assault under the following
circumstances:
a. If the person doing any of the enumerated acts, and such other person, are voluntary
participants in a sport, social or other activity, not in itself criminal, and such act is a\n\nTue Dec 09 21:56:38 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 708 (40, 1)
§708.1, ASSAULT 2\n\nreasonably foreseeable incident of such sport or activity, and does not create an unreasonable
risk of serious injury or breach of the peace.
b. If the person doing any of the enumerated acts is employed by a school district or
accredited nonpublic school, or is an area education agency staff member who provides
services to a school or school district, and intervenes in a fight or physical struggle, or
other disruptive situation, that takes place in the presence of the employee or staff member
performing employment duties in a school building, on school grounds, or at an official
school function regardless of the location, whether the fight or physical struggle or other
disruptive situation is between students or other individuals, if the degree and the force of
the intervention is reasonably necessary to restore order and to protect the safety of those
assembled.
[C51, §2594, 2597; R60, §4217, 4220; C73, §3875, 3878, 3879; C97, §4771, 4774, 4775; S13,
§4771; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §12929, 12930, 12934; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §694.1,
694.2, 694.6; C79, 81, §708.1]
95 Acts, ch 191, §49; 2002 Acts, ch 1094, §1; 2013 Acts, ch 90, §183; 2021 Acts, ch 183, §39,
43; 2024 Acts, ch 1008, §1; 2025 Acts, ch 30, §99
Referred to in §9E.2, 135.108, 232.52, 236.2, 282.4, 671A.2, 707.2, 708.2, 708.2A, 708.2B, 708.2C, 708.2D, 708.2E, 708.3, 708.3A, 708.3B,
709.11, 711.3B, 719.1, 720.4, 724.26, 811.1, 907.3
Subsection 2, paragraph d, subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (b), unnumbered paragraph 1 amended
\n
Notes of Decisions
State of Iowa v. Travis Howard Richard Beck, 854 N.W.2d 56 (Iowa Ct. App. 2014).
· cites it 36× “1245(1), § 801 (codified at Iowa Code § 708.1 (1979)). The 1976 act defined assault, as relevant here, as conduct done with the intent to cause pain or injury to another, or conduct intended to result in physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, or…”
State v. Heard, 636 N.W.2d 227 (Iowa 2001).
· cites it 54× “Iowa Code § 708.1 (2). We follow the definition of assault in Iowa Code section 708.”
State v. Fountain, 786 N.W.2d 260 (Iowa 2010).
· cites it 19× “1245(1), § 801 (codified at Iowa Code § 708.1 (1979)). This section became effective January 1, 1978.”
State v. Taylor, 689 N.W.2d 116 (Iowa 2004).
· cites it 18× “See Iowa Code § 708.1 (1) (2001) (defining "assault” to require that defendant intend his act to cause physical contact that will be insulting or offensive to victim).”
State of Iowa v. Owen F. Benson, 919 N.W.2d 237 (Iowa 2018).
· cites it 15× “], coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act," Iowa Code § 708.1 (2)( a ), and the act caused "bodily injury" to Z.”
State of Iowa v. Randy Mitchell Copenhaver, 844 N.W.2d 442 (Iowa 2014).
· cites it 14× “” Iowa Code § 708.1 (2). Therefore, Copenhaver must have intended to cause each bank teller to fear immediate painful, injurious, insulting, or offensive physical contact.”
State v. Ceaser, 585 N.W.2d 192 (Iowa 1998).
· cites it 20× “Iowa Code section 708.1 defines an assault in part as "[a]ny act which is intended to cause pain or injury to, or which is intended to result in physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act" when done…”
State v. Keeton, 710 N.W.2d 531 (Iowa 2006).
· cites it 14× “Iowa Code § 708.1 . In this case, the State relied upon the first two alternatives of assault, and the district court found Kee-ton committed assault under both alternatives.”
State v. Heemstra, 721 N.W.2d 549 (Iowa 2006).
· cites it 8× “, an act intended to cause injury, satisfied the definition of assault embodied in Iowa Code section 708.1(1). The jury could certainly have found from the evidence that in killing Lyon defendant performed an act with the intent to cause him serious injury.”
State v. Collier, 372 N.W.2d 303 (Iowa Ct. App. 1985).
· cites it 34× “The defense's theory was that this incident was a social activity within the meaning of Iowa Code section 708.1. The trial court refused to submit the instruction on the ground that the legislature did not intend the statutory defense of consent to an assault to include the…”
United States v. Jacob Boots, 816 F.3d 971 (8th Cir. 2016).
· cites it 10× “And previously, Boots was convicted of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, in violation of Iowa Code §§ 708.1 and 708.2(3). In February 2015, Boots appeared before the district court for sentencing.”
State v. Braggs, 784 N.W.2d 31 (Iowa 2010).
· cites it 12× “Iowa Code § 708.1 (1). 5 Our review of the offenses reveals that to commit attempted murder a person must do an act by which the person intends to set in motion a course of events that will result in the death of another, Iowa Code section 707.”
— Iowa Code § 708.1(1) — 69 cases
State v. Taylor, 689 N.W.2d 116 (Iowa 2004).
“See Iowa Code § 708.1 (1) (2001) (defining "assault” to require that defendant intend his act to cause physical contact that will be insulting or offensive to victim).”
State v. Heemstra, 721 N.W.2d 549 (Iowa 2006).
“, an act intended to cause injury, satisfied the definition of assault embodied in Iowa Code section 708.1(1). The jury could certainly have found from the evidence that in killing Lyon defendant performed an act with the intent to cause him serious injury.”
State of Iowa v. Travis Howard Richard Beck, 854 N.W.2d 56 (Iowa Ct. App. 2014).
“1245(1), § 801 (codified at Iowa Code § 708.1 (1979)). The 1976 act defined assault, as relevant here, as conduct done with the intent to cause pain or injury to another, or conduct intended to result in physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, or…”
State v. Braggs, 784 N.W.2d 31 (Iowa 2010).
“Iowa Code § 708.1 (1). 5 Our review of the offenses reveals that to commit attempted murder a person must do an act by which the person intends to set in motion a course of events that will result in the death of another, Iowa Code section 707.”
— Iowa Code § 708.1(2) — 63 cases
State v. Heard, 636 N.W.2d 227 (Iowa 2001).
“Iowa Code § 708.1 (2). We follow the definition of assault in Iowa Code section 708.”
State of Iowa v. Randy Mitchell Copenhaver, 844 N.W.2d 442 (Iowa 2014).
“” Iowa Code § 708.1 (2). Therefore, Copenhaver must have intended to cause each bank teller to fear immediate painful, injurious, insulting, or offensive physical contact.”
State of Iowa v. Owen F. Benson, 919 N.W.2d 237 (Iowa 2018).
“], coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act," Iowa Code § 708.1 (2)( a ), and the act caused "bodily injury" to Z.”
State of Iowa v. Travis Howard Richard Beck, 854 N.W.2d 56 (Iowa Ct. App. 2014).
“1245(1), § 801 (codified at Iowa Code § 708.1 (1979)). The 1976 act defined assault, as relevant here, as conduct done with the intent to cause pain or injury to another, or conduct intended to result in physical contact which will be insulting or offensive to another, or…”
State v. Fountain, 786 N.W.2d 260 (Iowa 2010).
“1245(1), § 801 (codified at Iowa Code § 708.1 (1979)). This section became effective January 1, 1978.”
— Iowa Code § 708.1(2)(a) — 39 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.1(2)(b) — 19 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.1(2)(c) — 24 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.1(3) — 6 cases
State v. Heemstra, 721 N.W.2d 549 (Iowa 2006).
“, an act intended to cause injury, satisfied the definition of assault embodied in Iowa Code section 708.1(1). The jury could certainly have found from the evidence that in killing Lyon defendant performed an act with the intent to cause him serious injury.”
— Iowa Code § 708.1(3)(a) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.1(a)(1) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.1(b) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.1(l) — 2 cases
State v. Keeton, 710 N.W.2d 531 (Iowa 2006).
“Iowa Code § 708.1 . In this case, the State relied upon the first two alternatives of assault, and the district court found Kee-ton committed assault under both alternatives.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.