Iowa PROSTITUTION LAWS

Iowa Prostitution Laws, based on our non-professional research, can be found in Chapter 725, grouped together with other legislations that relate to gambling, betting and wagers.

In an attempt to clear out the rest and focus purely on the Iowa Prostitution Laws we have compiled the list below to help you find as much information about Iowa Prostitution Laws in one place.

Beyond the laws listed in Chapter 725 we have also included a few other things that relate to Prostitution laws in Iowa, such as human trafficking and solicitation of commercial sexual activity laws.

Prostitution Laws in Iowa | Prostitution and Pimping – §725.1 & §725.2

725.1 Prostitution.

1. a. Except as provided in paragraph “b”, a person who sells or offers for sale the

person’s services as a partner in a sex act commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

b. If the person who sells or offers for sale the person’s services as a partner in a sex act

is under the age of eighteen, the county attorney may elect, in lieu of filing a petition alleging

that the person has committed a delinquent act, to refer that person to the department of

human services for the possible filing of a petition alleging that the person is a child in need

of assistance.

c. If the person who sells or offers for sale the person’s services as a partner in a sex

act is under the age of eighteen, upon the expiration of two years following the person’s

conviction for a violation of paragraph “a” or of a similar local ordinance, the person may

petition the court to expunge the conviction, and if the person has had no other criminal

convictions, other than local traffic violations or simple misdemeanor violations of chapter

321 during the two-year period, the conviction shall be expunged as a matter of law. The

court shall enter an order that the record of the conviction be expunged by the clerk of the

district court. Notwithstanding section 692.2, after receipt of notice from the clerk of the

district court that a record of conviction for a violation of paragraph “a” has been expunged,

the record of conviction shall be removed from the criminal history data files maintained by

the department of public safety.

2. a. Except as provided in paragraph “b”, a person who purchases or offers to purchase

another person’s services as a partner in a sex act commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

b. A person who purchases or offers to purchase services as a partner in a sex act from a

person who is under the age of eighteen commits a class “D” felony.

725.2 Pimping.

1. A person who solicits a patron for a prostitute, or who knowingly takes or shares in the

earnings of a prostitute, or who knowingly furnishes a room or other place to be used for the

purpose of prostitution, whether for compensation or not, commits a class “D” felony.

2. A person who solicits a patron for a prostitute who is under the age of eighteen, or who

knowingly takes or shares in the earnings of a prostitute who is under the age of eighteen,

or who knowingly furnishes a room or other place to be used for the purposes of prostitution

of a prostitute who is under the age of eighteen, whether for compensation or not, commits

a class “C” felony.

3. It shall be an affirmative defense to a prosecution of a person under the age of

twenty-one for a violation of this section that the person was allowed, permitted, or

Fri Dec 03 22:08:42 2021 Iowa Code 2022, Chapter 725 (19, 0)

§725.2, VICE 2

encouraged by an adult having influence or control of the person to engage in acts prohibited

pursuant to section 725.1, subsection 1, while the person was under the age of eighteen.

Prostitution Laws in Iowa | Pandering and Leasing premises for prostitution – §725.3 & §725.4

725.3 – Pandering.

1. A person who persuades, arranges, coerces, or otherwise causes another, not a minor,

to become a prostitute or to return to the practice of prostitution after having abandoned it,

or keeps or maintains any premises for the purposes of prostitution or takes a share in the

income from such premises knowing the character and content of such income, commits a

class “D” felony.

2. A person who persuades, arranges, coerces, or otherwise causes a minor to become

a prostitute or to return to the practice of prostitution after having abandoned it, or keeps

or maintains any premises for the purpose of prostitution involving minors or knowingly

shares in the income from such premises knowing the character and content of such income,

commits a class “C” felony.

725.4 – Leasing premises for prostitution.

A person who has rented or let any building, structure or part thereof, boat, trailer or other

place offering shelter or seclusion, and who knows, or has reason to know, that the lessee or

tenant is using such for the purposes of prostitution, and who does not, immediately upon

acquiring such knowledge, terminate the tenancy or effectively put an end to such practice

of prostitution in such place, commits a serious misdemeanor.

Prostitution Laws in Iowa | Solicitation of commercial sexual activity and human trafficking – §710A.1, §710A.2, & §710A.2A

710A.1 – Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

1. “Commercial sexual activity” means any sex act or sexually explicit performance for

which anything of value is given, promised to, or received by any person and includes, but is

not limited to, prostitution, participation in the production of pornography, and performance

in strip clubs.

2. “Debt bondage” means the status or condition of a debtor arising from a pledge of the

debtor’s personal services or a person under the control of a debtor’s personal services as a

security for debt if the reasonable value of such services is not applied toward the liquidation

of the debt or the length and nature of those services are not respectively limited and defined.

3. “Forced labor or services” means labor or services that are performed or provided by

another person and that are obtained or maintained through any of the following:

a. Causing or threatening to cause serious physical injury to any person.

b. Physically restraining or threatening to physically restrain another person.

c. Abusing or threatening to abuse the law or legal process.

d. Knowingly destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any actual or

purported government identification of another person.

e. Knowingly providing or facilitating the provision of a forged, altered, or fraudulent

license purportedly issued pursuant to chapter 152C or 157, or a forged, altered, or fraudulent

government identification, to another person in order to force, coerce, entice, assist, facilitate,

or permit the other person to perform labor or services.

f. Knowingly forcing, coercing, enticing, assisting, facilitating, or permitting another

person in possession of a forged, altered, or fraudulent license purportedly issued pursuant

to chapter 152C or 157, or a forged, altered, or fraudulent government identification, to

produce such license or government identification to a peace officer upon request of the

peace officer pursuant to section 152C.5B or 157.4A.

g. Knowingly forcing, coercing, intimidating, or compelling another person to perform an

act in violation of state or federal law through the use of debt bondage or servitude or as a

condition of being allowed to remain in the United States.

4. a. “Human trafficking” means participating in a venture to recruit, harbor, transport,

supply provisions, or obtain a person for any of the following purposes:

(1) Forced labor or service that results in involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage,

or slavery.

(2) Commercial sexual activity through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, except that if

the trafficked person is under the age of eighteen, the commercial sexual activity need not

involve force, fraud, or coercion.

b. “Human trafficking” also means knowingly purchasing or attempting to purchase

services involving commercial sexual activity from a victim or another person engaged in

human trafficking.

5. “Involuntary servitude” means a condition of servitude induced by means of any

scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that if the person did not enter

into or continue in such condition, that person or another person would suffer serious harm

or physical restraint or the threatened abuse of legal process.

6. “Labor” means work of economic or financial value.

7. “Maintain” means, in relation to labor and services, to secure continued performance

thereof, regardless of any initial agreement on the part of the victim to perform such type of

services.

8. “Obtain” means, in relation to labor or services, to secure performance thereof.

9. “Peonage” means a status or condition of involuntary servitude based upon real or

alleged indebtedness.

10. “Services” means an ongoing relationship between a person and the actor in which the

person performs activities under the supervision of or for the benefit of the actor, including

commercial sexual activity and sexually explicit performances.

11. “Sexually explicit performance” means a live or public act or show intended to arouse

or satisfy the sexual desires or appeal to the prurient interest of patrons.

12. “Venture” means any group of two or more persons associated in fact, whether or not

a legal entity.

13. “Victim” means a person subjected to human trafficking.

710A.2 – Human trafficking.

1. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking is guilty of a class “D” felony,

except that if the victim is under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

2. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by causing or threatening to

cause serious physical injury to another person is guilty of a class “C” felony, except that if

the victim is under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “B” felony.

3. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by physically restraining or

threatening to physically restrain another person is guilty of a class “D” felony, except that if

the victim is under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

4. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by soliciting services or

benefiting from the services of a victim is guilty of a class “D” felony, except that if the victim

is under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

5. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by abusing or threatening to

abuse the law or legal process is guilty of a class “D” felony, except that if the victim is under

the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

6. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by knowingly destroying,

concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any actual or purported government

identification of another person is guilty of a class “D” felony, except if that other person is

under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

7. A person who benefits financially or by receiving anything of value from knowing

participation in human trafficking is guilty of a class “D” felony, except that if the victim is

under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “C” felony.

8. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by knowingly providing or

facilitating the provision of a forged, altered, or fraudulent license purportedly issued

pursuant to chapter 152C or 157, or a forged, altered, or fraudulent government identification

to another person, to force, coerce, entice, assist, facilitate, or permit the other person to

perform labor or services is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor, except if that other person

is under the age of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “D” felony.

9. A person who knowingly engages in human trafficking by knowingly forcing,

coercing, enticing, assisting, facilitating, or permitting another person in possession of a

forged, altered, or fraudulent license purportedly issued pursuant to chapter 152C or 157,

or a forged, altered, or fraudulent government identification, to produce such license or

government identification upon request of a peace officer pursuant to section 152C.5B or

157.4A, is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor, except if that other person is under the age

of eighteen, the person is guilty of a class “D” felony.

10. A person’s ignorance of the age of the victim or a belief that the victim was older is

not a defense to a violation of this section.

11. A person who is found guilty, enters a plea of guilty, receives a deferred judgment, or

receives a deferred or suspended sentence for a violation of this chapter shall be ineligible

for a license pursuant to chapter 152C or 157 for a period of not less than five years from the

date of conviction, plea, judgment, or sentence.

710A.2A – Solicitation of commercial sexual activity.

A person shall not entice, coerce, or recruit, or attempt to entice, coerce, or recruit, either

a person who is under the age of eighteen or a law enforcement officer or agent who is

representing that the officer or agent is under the age of eighteen, to engage in a