Finding Iowa Regulations

The Iowa General Assembly has created many agencies to administer various areas of law, such as agriculture, education, public health, and human services.  These agencies create regulations to supplement the statutes passed by the legislature.   

The current text of the regulations, arranged by subject, is published in the Iowa Administrative Code.  Proposed rules and agency announcements are arranged by date in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin.  When working with an Iowa agency, please remember to find both the Iowa statutes in the Iowa Code and the Iowa regulations in the Iowa Administrative Code to have a complete understanding of the law.  The Iowa Legislature's website offers access to all of these publications.

Access through agency websites 

You have choices for accessing the Iowa regulations from a particular agency.   One of the best options is to access the agency’s webpage.  Each agency website will have different links, but most agencies will have a link that says either “Administrative Regulations” or “Rules.”  The agencies will also have other useful links, including forms and guidance documents. 

Find an Iowa Agency’s website   

Access through the Iowa Legislature website 

Most research for Iowa regulations begins in the Iowa Administrative Code, to see the current text, arranged by subject.  The Iowa Legislature website offers online access to the entire Iowa Administrative Code.    

You can also access older versions of the Iowa Administrative Code from the same page.  The Iowa Administrative Code is updated with new regulations every two weeks.  You can choose to see the regulations on a specific date by clicking the pull-down menu labeled “Year: . . .,” selecting the year you need, then choosing the best “Publication Date.” 

The Iowa Administrative Bulletin publishes the proposed rules and notices from Iowa agencies every two weeks.  You can access the current version and older issues back to 1975 by clicking the pull-down menu labeled “Year: . . .,” selecting the year you need, then choosing the best “Publication Date.” 

Searching for Iowa regulations 

The Iowa Legislature website has several options for finding regulations.   

• Have a citation?   

  • Use the “Quick Search” for the Iowa Administrative Code.   

• Know the agency?  

  • The table of contents for the Iowa Administrative Code is organized by agency.  Open “Chapters” to see individual subjects within the agency’s regulations.  Select the PDF icon to retrieve a document with all the agency’s regulations.  Select “Analysis” to see a detailed list (table of contents) for the agency’s chapters and individual regulations. 

• Need to search by subject? 

  • Use the “Iowa Administrative Code Index” for an A-Z list of subjects with links to relevant regulations 

  • Visit the Main Search with the search limited to Iowa Laws & Rules>Iowa Administrative Code in the left column.  If you click into “Advanced Search” above the left column, you will need to reset the Iowa Laws & Rules > Iowa Administrative Code limit before using the search boxes on the right. 

For all search methods, always look at the table of contents for the chapter to explore the surrounding sections.  You often need an entire chapter of regulations, not just one individual section. 

For instructions on using the Iowa Legislature website’s search options, please watch the Video Tutorials created by the Legislative Service Agency and Drake Law Library.