1. a. A person commits harassment when, with intent to intimidate, annoy, or alarm
another person, the person does any of the following:
(1) Communicates with another by telephone, telegraph, writing, or via electronic
communication without legitimate purpose and in a manner likely to cause the other person
annoyance or harm.
(2) Places a simulated explosive or simulated incendiary device in or near a building,
vehicle, airplane, railroad engine or railroad car, or boat occupied by another person.
(3) Orders merchandise or services in the name of another, or to be delivered to another,
without the other person’s knowledge or consent.
(4) Reports or causes to be reported false information to a law enforcement authority
implicating another in some criminal activity, knowing that the information is false, or reports
the alleged occurrence of a criminal act, knowing the act did not occur.
(5) Disseminates, publishes, distributes, posts, or causes to be disseminated, published,
distributed, or posted a visual depiction as defined in section 728.1 showing another person
in a state of full or partial nudity or engaged in a sex act, to which the other person has
not consented to the dissemination, publication, distribution, or posting. Notwithstanding
subsection 5, a person eighteen years of age or older who commits a violation of this
subparagraph shall be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to the provisions
of chapter 692A. For purposes of this section, “another person” includes an individual,
recognizable by the person’s face, likeness, or other distinguishing features, whose image is\n\nTue Dec 09 21:56:38 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 708 (40, 1)
§708.7, ASSAULT 10\n\nused to create, adapt, or modify a visual depiction to depict that other person in a manner as
described in this subparagraph.
b. A person commits harassment when the person, purposefully and without legitimate
purpose, has personal contact with another person, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or
alarm that other person.
2. a. A person commits harassment in the first degree when the person commits
harassment involving any of the following:
(1) A threat to commit a forcible felony.
(2) A violation of subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5).
(3) Commits harassment and has previously been convicted of harassment three or more
times under this section or any similar statute during the preceding ten years.
(4) Harassment that occurs against another person who is lawfully in a place of public
accommodation as defined in section 216.2.
b. Harassment in the first degree is an aggravated misdemeanor.
3. a. A person commits harassment in the second degree when the person commits
harassment involving a threat to commit bodily injury, or commits harassment and has
previously been convicted of harassment two times under this section or any similar statute
during the preceding ten years.
b. Harassment in the second degree is a serious misdemeanor.
4. a. Any other act of harassment is harassment in the third degree.
b. Harassment in the third degree is a simple misdemeanor.
5. For purposes of determining whether or not the person should register as a sex offender
pursuant to the provisions of chapter 692A, the fact finder shall make a determination as
provided in section 692A.126. However, the fact finder shall not make a determination as
provided in section 692A.126 regarding a juvenile convicted of a violation of subsection 1,
paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), and the juvenile shall not be required to register as a sex
offender with regard to the violation.
6. The following do not constitute harassment under subsection 1, paragraph “a”,
subparagraph (5):
a. A photograph or film involving voluntary exposure by a person in public or commercial
settings.
b. Disclosures made in the public interest, including but not limited to the reporting
of unlawful conduct, disclosures by law enforcement, news reporting, legal proceeding
disclosures, or medical treatment disclosures.
c. Disclosures by an interactive computer service of information provided by another
information content provider, as those terms are defined in 47 U.S.C. §230.
7. A person injured by a violation of subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), may
bring a civil action against the person whose conduct violated subsection 1, paragraph “a”,
subparagraph (4).
8. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
a. “Full or partial nudity” means the showing of any part of the human genitals or pubic
area or buttocks, or any part of the nipple of the breast of a female, with less than fully opaque
covering.
b. “Personal contact” means an encounter in which two or more people are in visual or
physical proximity to each other. “Personal contact” does not require a physical touching or
oral communication, although it may include these types of contacts.
c. “Photographs or films” means the making of any photograph, motion picture film,
videotape, or any other recording or transmission of the image of a person.
d. “Sex act” means the same as defined in section 702.17.
[C71, 73, 75, 77, §714.37, 714.42; C79, 81, §708.7; 82 Acts, ch 1209, §19]
83 Acts, ch 96, §157, 159; 86 Acts, ch 1238, §28; 87 Acts, ch 13, §4; 89 Acts, ch 226, §1; 94
Acts, ch 1093, §3; 2000 Acts, ch 1132, §3; 2009 Acts, ch 119, §53; 2017 Acts, ch 117, §2; 2021
Acts, ch 101, §1; 2021 Acts, ch 183, §41, 43; 2022 Acts, ch 1032, §106, 111; 2024 Acts, ch 1065,
§3
Referred to in §232.8, 664A.2, 692A.102, 692A.126, 720.4, 720.7, 901C.3
Harassment with intent to interfere with official judicial acts, see §720.7\n\nTue Dec 09 21:56:38 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 708 (40, 1)
11 ASSAULT, §708.11
\n
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
145
cases (
40 in the last 5 years), 1955–2026 · leading case:
State v. Wiederien, 709 N.W.2d 538 (Iowa 2006).
State v. Wiederien, 709 N.W.2d 538 (Iowa 2006).
· cites it 24× “The Code provides: When a person arrested for harassment in violation of section 708.7 . . . is brought before a magistrate for initial appearance .”
State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr., 898 N.W.2d 801 (Iowa 2017).
· cites it 9× “An all-white jury in Black Hawk County convicted the defendant, a black man, of one count of harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa Code section 708.7(1)(6) (2015). On appeal, the defendant raises several claims of error, including that the district…”
State of Iowa v. Tina Lynn Thacker, 862 N.W.2d 402 (Iowa 2015).
· cites it 9× “See Iowa Code § 708.7 (2) (2013); id. § 723.4(2). On February 7, 2014, the charges were disposed of when Thacker pled guilty to the lesser included offense of second-degree harassment, a serious misdemeanor, and received a one-year suspended sentence and probation.”
State v. Baker, 688 N.W.2d 250 (Iowa 2004).
· cites it 30× “Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)( a )(1) (emphasis added).”
State v. Stephenson, 608 N.W.2d 778 (Iowa 2000).
· cites it 26× “Iowa Code § 708.7 (2). “When a judgment of a conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement for a period of more than one year the term shall be an indeterminate term.”
State v. Evans, 671 N.W.2d 720 (Iowa 2003).
· cites it 12× “Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6). Evans claims that, as a published photographer, his sole purpose in contacting Arnold was to take her picture.”
State v. Button, 622 N.W.2d 480 (Iowa 2001).
· cites it 11× “Iowa Code § 708.7 (l)(b) (1997). The challenged portions are emphasized below: b.”
State v. Reynolds, 670 N.W.2d 405 (Iowa 2003).
· cites it 11× “See Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6) (2001) (harassment); id.”
State v. Fratzke, 446 N.W.2d 781 (Iowa 1989).
· cites it 12× “Defendant William Fratzke stands convicted of the crime of harassment, Iowa Code § 708.7 (1) (1987), because he wrote a nasty letter to a state highway patrolman to protest a speeding ticket.”
State v. Evans, 672 N.W.2d 328 (Iowa 2003).
· cites it 4× “Iowa Code § 708.7 (l)(b). Although defendant concedes that physical touching is not an element of the offense, he maintains that the evidence does not support an intent to threaten, intimidate, or alarm the subject of the contact.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1) — 21 cases
State v. Baker, 688 N.W.2d 250 (Iowa 2004).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)( a )(1) (emphasis added).”
State v. Fratzke, 446 N.W.2d 781 (Iowa 1989).
“Defendant William Fratzke stands convicted of the crime of harassment, Iowa Code § 708.7 (1) (1987), because he wrote a nasty letter to a state highway patrolman to protest a speeding ticket.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(5) — 2 cases
State v. Evans, 671 N.W.2d 720 (Iowa 2003).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6). Evans claims that, as a published photographer, his sole purpose in contacting Arnold was to take her picture.”
State v. Reynolds, 670 N.W.2d 405 (Iowa 2003).
“See Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6) (2001) (harassment); id.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(6) — 5 cases
State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr., 898 N.W.2d 801 (Iowa 2017).
“An all-white jury in Black Hawk County convicted the defendant, a black man, of one count of harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa Code section 708.7(1)(6) (2015). On appeal, the defendant raises several claims of error, including that the district…”
State v. Reynolds, 670 N.W.2d 405 (Iowa 2003).
“See Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6) (2001) (harassment); id.”
State v. Evans, 671 N.W.2d 720 (Iowa 2003).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6). Evans claims that, as a published photographer, his sole purpose in contacting Arnold was to take her picture.”
State v. Baker, 688 N.W.2d 250 (Iowa 2004).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)( a )(1) (emphasis added).”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(a) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(a)(1) — 4 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(a)(5) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(b) — 19 cases
State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr., 898 N.W.2d 801 (Iowa 2017).
“An all-white jury in Black Hawk County convicted the defendant, a black man, of one count of harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa Code section 708.7(1)(6) (2015). On appeal, the defendant raises several claims of error, including that the district…”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(¾) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.7(1)(⅞) — 2 cases
State v. Evans, 671 N.W.2d 720 (Iowa 2003).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6). Evans claims that, as a published photographer, his sole purpose in contacting Arnold was to take her picture.”
State v. Reynolds, 670 N.W.2d 405 (Iowa 2003).
“See Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6) (2001) (harassment); id.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(2) — 29 cases
State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr., 898 N.W.2d 801 (Iowa 2017).
“An all-white jury in Black Hawk County convicted the defendant, a black man, of one count of harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa Code section 708.7(1)(6) (2015). On appeal, the defendant raises several claims of error, including that the district…”
State of Iowa v. Tina Lynn Thacker, 862 N.W.2d 402 (Iowa 2015).
“See Iowa Code § 708.7 (2) (2013); id. § 723.4(2). On February 7, 2014, the charges were disposed of when Thacker pled guilty to the lesser included offense of second-degree harassment, a serious misdemeanor, and received a one-year suspended sentence and probation.”
State v. Stephenson, 608 N.W.2d 778 (Iowa 2000).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (2). “When a judgment of a conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement for a period of more than one year the term shall be an indeterminate term.”
State v. Evans, 671 N.W.2d 720 (Iowa 2003).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)(6). Evans claims that, as a published photographer, his sole purpose in contacting Arnold was to take her picture.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(2)(a) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(3) — 9 cases
State of Iowa v. Tina Lynn Thacker, 862 N.W.2d 402 (Iowa 2015).
“See Iowa Code § 708.7 (2) (2013); id. § 723.4(2). On February 7, 2014, the charges were disposed of when Thacker pled guilty to the lesser included offense of second-degree harassment, a serious misdemeanor, and received a one-year suspended sentence and probation.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(3)(a) — 3 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(4) — 8 cases
State v. Wiederien, 709 N.W.2d 538 (Iowa 2006).
“The Code provides: When a person arrested for harassment in violation of section 708.7 . . . is brought before a magistrate for initial appearance .”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(5) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(7) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.7(8)(b) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.7(a)(1) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l) — 1 case
State v. Baker, 688 N.W.2d 250 (Iowa 2004).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (1)( a )(1) (emphasis added).”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(a) — 2 cases
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(a)(2) — 1 case
State v. Stephenson, 608 N.W.2d 778 (Iowa 2000).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (2). “When a judgment of a conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement for a period of more than one year the term shall be an indeterminate term.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(a)(l) — 3 cases
State v. Stephenson, 608 N.W.2d 778 (Iowa 2000).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (2). “When a judgment of a conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement for a period of more than one year the term shall be an indeterminate term.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(b) — 5 cases
State v. Evans, 672 N.W.2d 328 (Iowa 2003).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (l)(b). Although defendant concedes that physical touching is not an element of the offense, he maintains that the evidence does not support an intent to threaten, intimidate, or alarm the subject of the contact.”
State v. Button, 622 N.W.2d 480 (Iowa 2001).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (l)(b) (1997). The challenged portions are emphasized below: b.”
State v. Stephenson, 608 N.W.2d 778 (Iowa 2000).
“Iowa Code § 708.7 (2). “When a judgment of a conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement for a period of more than one year the term shall be an indeterminate term.”
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(fc) — 1 case
— Iowa Code § 708.7(l)(ó) — 1 case
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.