Privacy · Recording Consent
Is It Legal to Record a Call in Iowa?
Whether you can record a conversation in Iowa, whether everyone must consent, the exceptions, the criminal penalty, and the trap that catches interstate calls. Cited to the statute.
The rules and exceptions in Iowa
Whose consent you need, when the rule does not apply, and the penalty for getting it wrong.
| The rule in this state | What it means |
|---|---|
| Participant may record | Section 727.8(3)(a) exempts "the recording by a sender or recipient of a message or one who is openly present and participating in or listening to a communication." A participant may record the conversation. |
| Party or prior consent under chapter 808B | Section 808B.2(2)(c) is a party-status safe harbor, permitting interception where the person is a party or one party gave prior consent, so long as the purpose is not criminal, tortious, or otherwise injurious. |
| Phone and in-person covered | Section 727.8 reaches taps on any communication wire and any electronic or mechanical means used to intercept "a conversation or communication of any kind." Chapter 808B covers wire, oral, or electronic communication. |
| Two overlapping statutes, different penalties | Section 727.8 is a serious misdemeanor carrying up to one year, while chapter 808B is a class D felony carrying up to five years. They are not identical in scope, and which applies materially changes exposure. |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Doorbell and monitoring devices | Section 727.8(3)(c) exempts a "monitoring device," a digital video or audio recording device placed outside a person's dwelling on their own property to prove or prevent criminal activity, so long as it is not in a shared hallway. |
| Property-owner surveillance systems | Section 808B.2(2)(d) lets an owner or lessee intercept oral communications via a surveillance system on their own real property, installed with the consent of all lawful owners or lessees, to detect or prevent crime. |
| Radio and television receivers | Section 727.8(3)(b) exempts the use of any radio or television receiver to receive a communication transmitted by radio or wireless signal, a publicly audible exception. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps before you record a conversation in Iowa. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Confirm you are a participant or a party
If you are a sender, recipient, or openly present and participating, § 727.8 exempts your recording, and § 808B.2 covers a party or party-consented interception. You do not have to tell the others.
- Know your camera is likely covered
Since 2018, a monitoring device outside your dwelling on your own property to deter or prove crime is exempt, and owner-installed surveillance systems that pick up audio are blessed too. Confirm your setup fits.
- Keep your purpose lawful
Iowa defeats the consent safe harbor for a criminal, tortious, or any other injurious purpose. An improper purpose removes the protection, so record only for legitimate reasons.
- Talk to an Iowa attorney if you are accused
Exposure can be a misdemeanor under § 727.8 or a felony under chapter 808B. A licensed Iowa attorney can sort out which statute applies. The Iowa Attorney General's office can point you to resources.
Illegal recording can be a felony. If you have been recorded without consent, or are accused of it, this resource can connect you with a licensed attorney.
→ Iowa Attorney GeneralThis is general legal information, not legal advice. The expectation of privacy, the purpose of a recording, and interstate calls can change the answer, so confirm your situation with a licensed attorney.
What people get wrong about recording in Iowa
Iowa answers the same question twice, with a one-year misdemeanor in the criminal code and a five-year felony in the criminal-procedure code. Section 727.8 exempts recording by a sender, recipient, or one who is openly present and participating, while chapter 808B permits interception where the person is a party or a party has given prior consent, so both roads lead to one-party consent for participants. The two statutes are not identical in scope, and which one applies materially changes the exposure, from a serious misdemeanor up to one year to a class D felony up to five years. Iowa is also one of the few states to have written a doorbell-camera exception into statute. Since a 2018 amendment, a "monitoring device," a digital video or audio device placed outside your dwelling on your own property to deter or prove crime, is exempt outright under § 727.8(3)(c), so long as it is not in a shared hallway, and a matching provision in § 808B.2(2)(d) blesses owner-installed surveillance systems that pick up audio. Those changes legalized outdoor home-security cameras that capture audio, a point many summaries of Iowa law still omit. Iowa's consent carve-out is also broader than the federal template. It defeats the safe harbor for a criminal, tortious, or "any other injurious" purpose, and it reaches purposes that violate another state's law, not just Iowa's or federal law.
Common questions
Can I record my own phone call or conversation in Iowa without telling anyone?
Is my Ring or outdoor security camera that records audio legal in Iowa?
Why does Iowa have two different eavesdropping laws, and which one applies?
Iowa addresses similar conduct in § 727.8, a serious misdemeanor up to one year, and chapter 808B, a class D felony up to five years. They differ in scope, so which applies depends on the facts and materially changes your exposure.
What can I recover if someone recorded me illegally in Iowa?
Under § 808B.8 you may recover actual damages or at least $100 a day or $1,000, whichever is higher, plus punitive damages for a willful, malicious, or reckless violation, and a reasonable attorney fee and litigation costs.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.