How to search for sex offenders in Iowa
Two ways to check the Iowa sex offender registry: manually on the official state site, or programmatically across Iowa and every other US registry with a single API call.
Option 1 — Search the official Iowa registry
- Open the official Iowa sex offender registry public search.
- Search by last name (required), first name, or by city / ZIP / address.
- Open a result to see offenses, registration status, and known addresses.
- Note the record URL — it’s the authoritative source for that person.
The public Iowa site is best for a one-off, manual lookup. It won’t scale to bulk screening or cover other states in one search.
Option 2 — Search Iowa with the Offendersearch API
One authenticated request queries the Iowa registry plus the national NSOPW source, de-duplicates people across sources, scores each match, and returns provenance and freshness on every record.
POST /v1/search
{
"query": { "lastName": "Doe", "state": "IA" },
"jurisdictions": ["IA", "NSOPW"],
"locationScoped": true,
"freshness": "standard"
}This is a live demo of the API shape returning sample data. Real, scored results across every registry require a free account with billing enabled.
Iowa search FAQ
Is searching the Iowa sex offender registry free?
Searching the official Iowa public registry directly is free. The Offendersearch API is for teams that need programmatic, scored, multi-source results across Iowa and every other jurisdiction in one call.
Can I search sex offenders near an address in Iowa?
Yes. Provide a city, ZIP, or latitude/longitude with a radius and the API returns registrants near that location in Iowa, each scored and tagged with its source.
How current is Iowa registry data?
Every record returns a lastCheckedAt timestamp. Choose the Standard, Weekly, or Daily freshness tier depending on how recently Iowa data must have been re-verified.