There is no sexting law in Iowa as of July 2022. However, the below laws may be indirectly or directly implicated.
Obscenity: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ico/chapter/728.pdf
708.7 Harassment. (revenge porn addition in paragraph 5)
(5) Disseminates, publishes, distributes, posts, or causes to be disseminated, published, distributed, or posted a photograph or film showing another person in a state of full or
partial nudity or engaged in a sex act, knowing that the other person has not consented to the dissemination, publication, distribution, or posting.
728.12 Sexual exploitation of a minor.
1. It shall be unlawful to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, coerce, solicit, knowingly
permit, or otherwise cause or attempt to cause a minor to engage in a prohibited sexual act
or in the simulation of a prohibited sexual act. A person must know, or have reason to know,
or intend that the act or simulated act may be photographed, filmed, or otherwise preserved
in a visual depiction. A person who commits a violation of this subsection commits a class
“C” felony. Notwithstanding section 902.9, the court may assess a fine of not more than fifty
thousand dollars for each offense under this subsection in addition to imposing any other
authorized sentence.
2. It shall be unlawful to knowingly promote any material visually depicting a live
performance of a minor engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of a
prohibited sexual act. A person who commits a violation of this subsection commits a class
“D” felony. Notwithstanding section 902.9, the court may assess a fine of not more than
twenty-five thousand dollars for each offense under this subsection in addition to imposing
any other authorized sentence.
3. It shall be unlawful to knowingly purchase or possess a visual depiction of a minor
engaging in a prohibited sexual act or the simulation of a prohibited sexual act. A visual
depiction containing pictorial representations of different minors shall be prosecuted and
punished as separate offenses for each pictorial representation of a different minor in the
visual depiction. However, violations of this subsection involving multiple visual depictions
of the same minor shall be prosecuted and punished as one offense. A person who commits a
violation of this subsection commits an aggravated misdemeanor for a first offense and a class
“D” felony for a second or subsequent offense. For purposes of this subsection, an offense
is considered a second or subsequent offense if, prior to the person’s having been convicted
under this subsection, any of the following apply:
a. The person has a prior conviction or deferred judgment under this subsection.
b. The person has a prior conviction, deferred judgment, or the equivalent of a deferred
judgment in another jurisdiction for an offense substantially similar to the offense defined
in this subsection. The court shall judicially notice the statutes of other states that define
offenses substantially similar to the offense defined in this subsection and that therefore can
be considered corresponding statutes.
4. This section does not apply to law enforcement officers, court personnel, licensed
physicians, licensed psychologists, or attorneys in the performance of their official duties.
[C79, 81, §728.12
