Iowa Felony Classes and Misdemeanor Penalties (2026)

In Iowa, an offense is a felony when the statute defining it declares it a felony, and every other public offense is a misdemeanor (Iowa Code 701.7, 701.8). Felonies are class A, B, C and D, and misdemeanors are aggravated, serious and simple; unless the offense statute sets its own penalty, a class A felony carries life, class B up to 25 years, class C up to 10 years, class D up to 5 years, and the misdemeanor classes up to 2 years, 1 year and 30 days (Iowa Code 902.1, 902.9, 903.1). Habitual offender and other repeat-offense rules can raise these terms. For how other states compare, see our guide to felony and misdemeanor classes by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-17. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Iowa's offense classes in Iowa Code 701.7 and 701.8, felony and misdemeanor sentencing in chapters 902 and 903, the habitual offender law in 902.8 as amended by 2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1177, mandatory minimum and parole-eligibility rules in 902.7, 902.11, 902.12, 902.13 and 902.14, deferred judgment and suspended sentences in 907.3, and probation and violations under 907.7 and 908.11. It does not cover how individual offenses are graded (see the Iowa theft laws and Iowa assault and battery laws pages for two examples), time limits for charges, record clearing, sentencing of offenders under 18, surcharges and restitution, city and county ordinances, or federal offenses (the state-by-state hub covers the federal classes).

Felony vs misdemeanor in Iowa

Iowa draws the line by how the statute defining the crime labels it, not by a length of sentence. Iowa Code 701.7 provides:

A public offense is a felony of a particular class when the statute defining the crime declares it to be a felony. Felonies are class "A" felonies, class "B" felonies, class "C" felonies, and class "D" felonies. Where the statute defining the offense declares it to be a felony but does not state what class of felony it is or provide for a specific penalty, that felony shall be a class "D" felony.

Everything else is a misdemeanor. Under 701.8, "All public offenses which are not felonies are misdemeanors. Misdemeanors are aggravated misdemeanors, serious misdemeanors, or simple misdemeanors. Where an act is declared to be a public offense, crime or misdemeanor, but no other designation is given, such act shall be a simple misdemeanor."

Iowa felony and misdemeanor classes

These are the ranges for each class when the offense statute sets no other penalty. Iowa's habitual offender law and its mandatory minimum and parole rules set longer or fixed terms for some repeat and aggravated convictions, described below.

The felony ranges come from 902.9(1), which begins: "The maximum sentence for any person convicted of a felony shall be that prescribed by statute or, if not prescribed by statute, if other than a class "A" felony shall be determined as follows." The felony fines are not optional for a class C or D felon who is not an habitual offender: each "in addition shall be sentenced to a fine" within the stated range (902.9(1)(d), (e)).

The misdemeanor ranges come from 903.1. For a simple misdemeanor "there shall be a fine of at least one hundred five dollars but not to exceed eight hundred fifty-five dollars," and "The court may order imprisonment not to exceed thirty days in lieu of a fine or in addition to a fine." For a serious misdemeanor the fine is $430 to $2,560, and "the court may also order imprisonment not to exceed one year." For an aggravated misdemeanor where "a specific penalty is not provided for, the maximum penalty shall be imprisonment not to exceed two years," with a fine of $855 to $8,540.

The top class is life. Under 902.1(1), on a class A conviction the court "shall commit the defendant into the custody of the director of the Iowa department of corrections for the rest of the defendant's life," the deferred judgment, deferred sentence, suspended sentence and reconsideration provisions do not apply, and the person "shall not be released on parole unless the governor commutes the sentence to a term of years." Separate sentencing options apply to offenders under 18 (902.1(2)). Our page on how long a life sentence lasts in Iowa covers what that term means in practice.

How a felony sentence is set

Iowa felony sentences other than class A are indeterminate. Under Iowa Code 902.3, the court commits the person "for an indeterminate term, the maximum length of which shall not exceed the limits as fixed by section 902.9, unless otherwise prescribed by statute, nor shall the term be less than the minimum term imposed by law, if a minimum sentence is provided." Sections 901.5, 902.3 and 902.9 set terms by class and statute, and they do not refer the court to a sentencing guidelines grid.

Several statutes set minimum time before parole:

• Weapon in a forcible felony (902.7). If the trier of fact finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the person committed a forcible felony and represented immediate possession of a dangerous weapon, displayed one in a threatening manner, or was armed with one, "the convicted person shall serve a minimum of five years of the sentence imposed by law," with no parole until the minimum is served. Under 901.10, the court may reduce that minimum only for a first conviction under 124.406, 124.413 or 902.7, and only on stated mitigating circumstances.
• Seventy percent offenses (902.12). A person serving a sentence for listed felonies, including second-degree murder, attempted murder, second-degree sexual abuse, second-degree kidnapping and second-degree robbery (each subject to the exceptions the section states), "shall be denied parole or work release unless the person has served at least seven-tenths of the maximum term." Other subsections set ranges between one-half and seven-tenths for offenses such as first-degree robbery and first-degree arson.
• Prior forcible felony (902.11). A person serving a felony sentence with one or more prior convictions for a forcible felony or a crime of similar gravity "shall be denied parole or work release unless the person has served at least one-half of the maximum term." This does not apply if the sentences for the prior forcible felonies expired at least five years before the present conviction, or if the present sentence is for operating while intoxicated under chapter 321J.

Habitual offenders and other repeat-offense rules

Iowa's habitual offender penalties changed for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026. Iowa Code 902.8 defines the term: "An habitual offender is any person convicted of a class "C" or a class "D" felony, who has twice before been convicted of any felony in a court of this or any other state, or of the United States."

2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1177 (House File 2542), signed June 2, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, rewrote the sentence. The amended 902.8 provides: "A person convicted of a third qualifying felony shall be sentenced as a habitual offender and shall serve a minimum of seven years of the sentence imposed by law. A person sentenced as a habitual offender shall not be eligible for parole until the person has served the minimum sentence of confinement of seven years. Earned time accrued pursuant to chapter 903A shall not reduce the minimum sentence of confinement of seven years." The amended 902.9(1)(c) provides that "A habitual offender shall be confined for no more than twenty years."

The same act added an offense qualifying the defendant as a habitual offender to the 907.3(2) list of cases in which the court may not defer sentence, and added a 902.8 sentence to the 907.3(3) list of sentences the court may not suspend, so a habitual offender sentence can be neither deferred nor suspended. The act took effect July 1, 2026 (Iowa Code 3.7(1)) and does not say it applies to earlier conduct. Iowa's general savings statute provides that an amendment does not affect a "penalty, forfeiture, or punishment incurred" before it, and applies an amended penalty to a case not yet sentenced only when the penalty is reduced (Iowa Code 4.13). So these terms apply to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, and the earlier 15-year maximum and 3-year parole minimum still govern habitual offender sentences for felonies committed before that date.

Other repeat-offense rules raise the class or the penalty:

• Repeat sex offenses (902.14). "A person commits a class "A" felony if the person commits a second or subsequent offense involving any combination of" second-degree sexual abuse, third-degree sexual abuse, lascivious acts with a child under 709.8(1)(a) or (b), or continuous sexual abuse of a child. A class A felony carries life with no parole unless commuted (902.1(1)).
• Third domestic abuse assault (902.13). A person convicted of a third or subsequent domestic abuse assault under 708.2A(4) "shall be denied parole or work release until the person has served between one-fifth of the maximum term and the maximum term of the person's sentence," with the court setting the minimum within that range, and the sentence cannot be suspended (907.3(3)(g)).
• Repeat drug offenses (124.411). A person convicted of a second or subsequent offense under chapter 124 "may be punished by imprisonment for a period not to exceed three times the term otherwise authorized, or fined not more than three times the amount otherwise authorized, or punished by both such imprisonment and fine," with exceptions in the section.

Offenses with no class stated

Iowa fills gaps with default classes. A felony that does not state its class or a specific penalty "shall be a class "D" felony" (701.7), and an act declared a public offense, crime or misdemeanor "but no other designation is given" is a simple misdemeanor (701.8). The class ranges in 902.9 and 903.1 apply only where the offense statute does not prescribe its own penalty, so an offense statute that sets its own term controls.

Can a felony be reduced to a misdemeanor in Iowa?

The class is fixed by the statute defining the crime (701.7, 701.8), and the sentencing provisions in 901.5, 902.3, 902.9 and 903.1 contain no procedure for reducing a felony conviction to a misdemeanor. Iowa's closest mechanism is deferred judgment, which does not change the class: under 907.3(1), "With the consent of the defendant, the court may defer judgment and may place the defendant on probation upon conditions as it may require."

Deferred judgment is limited. None of the 907.3 options, including deferred judgment and a suspended sentence, is available in some cases: the section "does not apply to a forcible felony, to a violation of chapter 709 committed by a person who is a mandatory reporter of child abuse under section 232.69 in which the victim is a person who is under the age of eighteen, or to a violation of section 718C.2 or 718C.5." The court also "shall not defer judgment" if, among other listed reasons, "The defendant previously has been convicted of a felony" (907.3(1)(a)). Separately, 907.3(3) lists sentences that "The court shall not suspend," which for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026 include "A sentence imposed pursuant to section 902.8."

Is there an infraction tier in Iowa?

Not in the criminal classification. Under 701.8, every public offense that is not a felony is a misdemeanor, so the simple misdemeanor (fine of $105 to $855, up to 30 days) is the lowest class of crime.

Cities and counties can create a separate civil category. County infractions under Iowa Code 331.307(1) carry the same civil penalty limits as city municipal infractions. Under Iowa Code 364.22(1)(a), "A municipal infraction is a civil offense punishable by a civil penalty of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars for each violation or if the infraction is a repeat offense, a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars for each repeat offense."

Probation in Iowa

Iowa Code 907.7 sets both a ceiling and a floor:

The length of the probation shall be for a period as the court shall fix but not to exceed five years if the offense is a felony or not to exceed two years if the offense is a misdemeanor. The period of probation may be extended for up to one year including one year beyond the maximum period as provided in section 908.11. 2. The length of the probation shall not be less than one year if the offense is a misdemeanor and shall not be less than two years if the offense is a felony.

Probation is not available in every case. A class A felony cannot be deferred or suspended (902.1(1)). None of the options in 907.3 (deferred judgment, deferred sentence or suspended sentence with probation) applies to a forcible felony as defined in 702.11, to a chapter 709 offense committed by a mandatory reporter of child abuse against a person under 18, or to a violation of 718C.2 or 718C.5. Deferred judgment is also barred for listed defendants, for example one with a prior felony conviction (907.3(1)(a)), and 907.3(2) and (3) list further offenses and sentences that may not be deferred or suspended, among them a third-or-subsequent domestic abuse assault sentence under 902.13, a habitual offender sentence for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026 (2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1177), and a sentence for sexual exploitation of a minor under 728.12 (2026 House File 2515, effective July 1, 2026). Since the same date, 907.2(3) provides that "Probation officers shall report probation violations to the proper authorities."

What happens after a probation violation

Iowa Code 908.11(4) lists the court's options once a violation is established:

If the violation is established, the court may continue the probation or youthful offender status with or without an alteration of the conditions of probation or a youthful offender status. If the defendant is an adult or a youthful offender the court may hold the defendant in contempt of court and sentence the defendant to a jail term while continuing the probation or youthful offender status, order the defendant to be placed in a violator facility established pursuant to section 904.207 while continuing the probation or youthful offender status, extend the period of probation for up to one year as authorized in section 907.7 while continuing the probation or youthful offender status, or revoke the probation or youthful offender status and require the defendant to serve the sentence imposed or any lesser sentence, and, if imposition of sentence was deferred, may impose any sentence which might originally have been imposed.

The last clause matters for deferred judgments: where judgment was deferred, a revocation allows the court to impose any sentence that might originally have been imposed.

Recent changes

• 2026 Iowa Acts chapter 1177 (House File 2542), effective July 1, 2026: for offenses committed on or after that date, raised the habitual offender minimum to seven years (not reducible by earned time) and the maximum to 20 years (902.8, 902.9(1)(c)); barred deferring or suspending a habitual offender sentence (907.3(2)(a), (3)); it also added the probation-officer reporting duty in 907.2(3).
• House File 2515, signed April 9, 2026, effective July 1, 2026: barred deferring or suspending a sentence for sexual exploitation of a minor under 728.12 (907.3(2)(a), (3)).
• Unchanged in 2025 and 2026: no act in either session amended 701.7, 701.8, 902.1, 902.3, 903.1, 907.7 or 908.11.

Related legal issues

Specific offenses are placed into these classes by their own statutes. The Iowa theft laws page explains how theft is graded into these classes, and the Iowa assault and battery laws page does the same for assault.

For clearing a record, see Iowa expungement laws. Time limits for bringing felony and misdemeanor charges are on the Iowa statute of limitations page.

Iowa's class labels matter under federal firearm law. 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) makes it unlawful for a person convicted of "a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" to possess any firearm or ammunition in or affecting commerce, but 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(20)(B) excludes "any State offense classified by the laws of the State as a misdemeanor and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less." An Iowa aggravated misdemeanor sentenced under the general two-year maximum in 903.1(2) falls within the wording of that exclusion. Separately, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9) bars possessing a firearm or ammunition after a conviction in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, as 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(33) defines it, whatever the misdemeanor's maximum sentence. The felony and misdemeanor classes hub covers the federal classes.

Related

• Felony and misdemeanor classes by state
• Iowa theft laws
• Iowa assault and battery laws
• Iowa expungement laws
• How long is a life sentence in Iowa
• Minnesota felony and misdemeanor classes
• Illinois felony and misdemeanor classes

This article provides general legal information about Iowa law as of 2026-10-17. It is not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Iowa.

Last updated: 2026-10-17.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor in Iowa?

Under Iowa Code 701.7, an offense is a felony when the statute defining it declares it a felony, and under 701.8 every other public offense is a misdemeanor. Felonies are classes A to D; misdemeanors are aggravated, serious and simple.

How much time is a class D felony in Iowa?

Unless the offense statute prescribes otherwise, a class D felony carries an indeterminate term of up to 5 years and, for a person who is not a habitual offender, a fine of $1,025 to $10,245 (902.9(1)(e)). Habitual offender, weapon and parole-eligibility rules can change the term.

How much time is a class C felony in Iowa?

Unless the offense statute prescribes otherwise, a class C felony carries an indeterminate term of up to 10 years and, for a person who is not a habitual offender, a fine of $1,370 to $13,660 (902.9(1)(d)). A habitual offender faces up to 20 years with a 7-year minimum for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, and up to 15 years with a 3-year minimum for earlier offenses.

What is an aggravated misdemeanor in Iowa?

It is the highest misdemeanor class. Where no specific penalty is provided, it carries up to 2 years and a fine of $855 to $8,540, and a term over one year is indeterminate (903.1(2)).

What is a habitual offender in Iowa?

Under Iowa Code 902.8, it is a person convicted of a class C or D felony who has twice before been convicted of any felony in Iowa, another state or federal court. For offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, the sentence is up to 20 years with at least 7 years before parole that earned time cannot reduce, and it cannot be deferred or suspended (2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1177). For earlier offenses the earlier limits of 15 years and a 3-year parole minimum still apply (Iowa Code 4.13).

Does Iowa have infractions?

Not in the criminal classes: every public offense that is not a felony is a misdemeanor (701.8), and the simple misdemeanor is the lowest. Cities may create municipal infractions and counties may create county infractions, which are civil offenses with a civil penalty of up to $750, or $1,000 for a repeat offense (364.22, 331.307).

How long is probation in Iowa?

Under Iowa Code 907.7, felony probation is at least 2 and no more than 5 years, and misdemeanor probation is at least 1 and no more than 2 years. The period may be extended by up to one year, including one year beyond the maximum.

What happens if you violate probation in Iowa?

If the violation is established, Iowa Code 908.11(4) lets the court continue probation, hold the person in contempt and impose jail while continuing it, order a violator facility, extend probation up to one year, or revoke it and require service of the sentence or a lesser one.