Iowa Code ch. 216 § 216.8A

Additional unfair or discriminatory practices — housing

In Force
Verified 10/18/2026 · Next check 10/25/2026
IowaReasonable Accommodations/Modifications

Operative Text

Iowa Code ch. 216 § 216.8A
1. A person shall not induce or attempt to induce another person to sell or rent a dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into a neighborhood of a person of a particular race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status.

2. A person shall not represent to a person of a particular race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status that a dwelling is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when the dwelling is available for inspection, sale, or rental.

3.
a. A person shall not discriminate in the sale or rental or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to a buyer or renter because of a disability of any of the following persons:

1. That buyer or renter.

2. A person residing in or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented, or made available.

3. A person associated with that buyer or renter.

b. A person shall not discriminate against another person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with the dwelling because of a disability of any of the following persons:

1. That person.

2. A person residing in or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented, or made available.

3. A person associated with that person.

c. For the purposes of this subsection only, discrimination includes any of the following circumstances:

1. A refusal to permit, at the expense of the person with a disability, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by the person if the modifications are necessary to afford the person full enjoyment of the premises. However, it is not discrimination for a landlord, in the case of a rental and where reasonable to do so, to condition permission for a modification on the renter’s agreement to restore the interior of the premises to the condition that existed before the modification, reasonable wear and tear excepted.

2. A refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when the accommodations are necessary to afford the person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

3. In connection with the design and construction of covered multifamily dwellings for first occupancy after January 1, 1992, a failure to design and construct those dwellings in a manner that meets the following requirements:

a. The public use and common use portions of the dwellings are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.

b. All doors designed to allow passage into and within all premises within the dwellings are sufficiently wide to allow passage by persons with disabilities in wheelchairs.

c. All premises within the dwellings contain the following features of adaptive design:

i. An accessible route into and through the dwelling.

ii. Light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, and other environmental controls in accessible locations.

iii. Reinforcements in bathroom walls to allow later installation of grab bars.

iv. Usable kitchens and bathrooms so that a person in a wheelchair can maneuver about the space.

d. Compliance with the appropriate requirements of the American national standard for buildings and facilities providing accessibility and usability for persons with disabilities, commonly cited as “ANSI A 117.1”, satisfies the requirements of paragraph “c”, subparagraph (3), subparagraph division (c).

e. Nothing in this subsection requires that a dwelling be made available to a person whose tenancy would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other persons or whose tenancy would result in substantial physical damage to the property of others.

4.
a. A person whose business includes engaging in residential real estate related transactions shall not discriminate against a person in making a residential real estate related transaction available or in terms or conditions of a residential real estate related transaction because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status.

b. For the purpose of this subsection, “residential real estate related transaction” means any of the following:

1. To make or purchase loans or provide other financial assistance to purchase, construct, improve, repair, or maintain a dwelling, or to secure residential real estate.

2. To sell, broker, or appraise residential real estate.

5. A person shall not deny another person access to, or membership or participation in, a multiple-listing service, real estate brokers’ organization or other service, organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, or discriminate against a person in terms or conditions of access, membership, or participation in such organization because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Iowa Code ch. 216 § 216.8A prohibits a broad range of discriminatory practices in housing beyond basic sale and rental decisions. The law bars blockbusting tactics, false statements about dwelling availability, discrimination against people with disabilities (including failures to allow reasonable modifications or accommodations), discriminatory terms in real estate financing and appraisal, and exclusion from real estate industry organizations. Covered characteristics include race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, and familial status. Multifamily buildings first occupied after January 1, 1992, must also meet specific accessibility design standards outlined in the provision.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 18, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under Iowa Code ch. 216 § 216.8A, compliant housing operators avoid any representations designed to exploit neighborhood demographic change, accurately disclose dwelling availability to all prospective buyers and renters regardless of protected characteristics, and permit tenants with disabilities to make reasonable modifications at their own expense. Landlords may, where reasonable, condition modification approval on an agreement to restore the interior upon move-out, excluding normal wear and tear. Operators of covered multifamily properties built for first occupancy after January 1, 1992, generally ensure their designs meet the accessibility standards referenced in the provision, including ANSI A117.1 compliance for adaptive design features.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Iowa Code ch. 216 § 216.8A gives tenants and prospective renters protection against a wide range of discriminatory housing practices, including being falsely told a unit is unavailable, being steered based on protected characteristics, and being denied reasonable modifications or accommodations related to a disability. Tenants who believe a violation has occurred may consider filing a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which administers the state's civil rights laws, or consulting a tenant-rights organization familiar with § 216.8A. Raising a violation of this provision may also be relevant as a defense or claim in civil proceedings, and multiple enforcement paths exist depending on the nature of the alleged discrimination.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

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References Out

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References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Iowa Code § 216.15
Iowa Code § 216.15
Iowa Code § 216.16A
Iowa Code § 216.15A
Iowa Code § 216.17
Iowa Code § 216.16
Iowa Code § 216.8C
Iowa Code § 216.8B
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.16
Iowa Code § 216.16A
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.11
Iowa Code § 216.15
Iowa Code § 216.16
Iowa Code § 216.15
Iowa Code § 216.17A
Iowa Code § 216.15A
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.11
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.11
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.11
Iowa Code § 216.12
Iowa Code § 216.2
Iowa Code § 216.15A
Iowa Code § 216.16A
Iowa Code § 216.19
Iowa Code § 216.8
Iowa Code § 216.11
Iowa Code § 216.16A
Iowa Code § 216.17A
Iowa Code § 216.15
Iowa Code § 216.15A
Iowa Code § 216.16
Iowa Code § 216.8B

Related Rules

§ 966.7
§ 966.7 Accommodation of persons with disabilities.
§ 982.316
§ 982.316 Live-in aide.
§ 2.6
Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

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