Iowa Knife Laws: No Carry Offense Since 2021, the 5-Inch Dangerous Weapon, and the Intoxication Rule

The Short Version

Until July 1, 2021, Iowa made it an aggravated misdemeanor to go armed with a dangerous weapon concealed, and "dangerous weapon," under Iowa Code 702.7, includes "any dagger, razor, stiletto, switchblade knife, or knife having a blade exceeding five inches in length." The permitless carry act of 2021 rewrote 724.4 so that it now provides only that "a person who goes armed with a dangerous weapon on or about the person, and who uses the dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime, commits an aggravated misdemeanor." The carrying offense is gone. An Iowan may carry any knife, of any length and mechanism, openly or concealed, with no permit.

The dangerous weapon label still does three things. Carrying one while intoxicated, or keeping one within reach in a car while intoxicated, is a serious misdemeanor under 724.4C. Going armed with one with intent to use it unlawfully is a class D felony under 708.8. And a government building that screens and posts armed security may bar them under 724.28(4). The ballistic knife is the one banned knife, as an "offensive weapon" under 724.1 and 724.3. For a TEKTO customer every knife we make is lawful to own and carry in Iowa, OTF automatics and the double-edged A7 Zastava included.

The 2021 Change: 724.4 Rewritten

The pre-2021 version of 724.4 was a classic concealed weapons statute with a long list of exceptions, and the professional permit to carry weapons was the way around it. House File 756, effective July 1, 2021, made the permit optional for handguns and, as part of the same rewrite, replaced the carrying offense with a use offense. The current 724.4, as amended by 2021 Acts, chapter 35, is a single sentence, quoted above, and its only cross-reference is to 708.8, going armed with intent. AKTI's summary still describes concealed carry of a dangerous weapon without a license as unlawful. That was the law when the summary was written and is not the law now. The statute on the books today does not restrict carrying a knife at all.

The Dangerous Weapon Definition: 702.7 and the 5-Inch Line

Section 702.7 defines a dangerous weapon two ways: "any instrument or device designed primarily for use in inflicting death or injury upon a human being or animal, and which is capable of inflicting death upon a human being when used in the manner for which it was designed," and "any instrument or device of any sort whatsoever which is actually used in such a manner as to indicate that the defendant intends to inflict death or serious injury upon the other, and which, when so used, is capable of inflicting death." It then lists examples: "any offensive weapon, pistol, revolver, or other firearm, dagger, razor, stiletto, switchblade knife, knife having a blade exceeding five inches in length, or any portable device or weapon directing an electric current" to immobilize a person. The listed knives are dangerous weapons as a matter of law. Any other knife is one only by the manner it is used. AKTI notes that Iowa has no rule for measuring the 5 inches and that a 4-inch dagger is a dangerous weapon regardless. Since 2021 the definition no longer decides whether you may carry. It decides the three questions in the next section.

When the Definition Matters: Intoxication, Intent and Crime

Section 724.4C makes it a serious misdemeanor to carry a dangerous weapon on or about the person, or to have one "within the person's immediate access or reach while in a vehicle," while intoxicated under the standards of the drunk-driving statute, a .08 blood alcohol concentration or impairment. It exempts weapons at home, at your business, on your own land, and brief possession in justified self-defense. The vehicle clause applies to passengers, not only drivers, so a dagger in the door pocket on the way home from the bar is an offense for whoever is sitting next to it. Section 708.8 makes it a class D felony to go armed "with any dangerous weapon with the intent to use without justification such weapon against the person of another." And 724.4 adds an aggravated misdemeanor when a dangerous weapon is used in any crime. A folder under 5 inches is outside all three unless it is used as a weapon. A Spry with a 3.5-inch blade is a switchblade and inside all three by name, which is the one reason an Iowan might prefer the F2 Bravo on a night out.

Offensive Weapons: The Ballistic Knife

Iowa's banned list, 724.1, is a list of "offensive weapons": machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, large-bore weapons, destructive devices, explosive bullets and "a ballistic knife," defined as "a knife with a detachable blade which is propelled by a spring-operated mechanism, elastic material, or compressed gas." Under 724.3 possessing an offensive weapon is a class D felony, up to five years and a fine of $1,025 to $10,245. The OTF is not a ballistic knife. Its blade travels out of the handle and stays attached. No other knife appears in the section, and the definition excludes collector's items and antiques.

Schools and Weapons-Free Zones

Section 724.4B makes it a class D felony to go armed with, carry or transport "a firearm of any kind, whether concealed or not," on school grounds, with exceptions for school-authorized persons, licensed security and unloaded firearms in closed containers in vehicles. It says nothing about knives. Every Iowa district fills the gap with its own policy, and a student with a knife is suspended or expelled under it. AKTI adds 724.4A, the weapons-free zone statute: a weapons offense committed on school grounds, on a school bus or within 1,000 feet of a school, or in a public park, is punished by "a fine of twice the maximum amount which may otherwise be imposed." For an adult with a lawful knife, the school statute does not apply. For a student, the handbook does. For anyone intoxicated or going armed with intent near a school, the fine doubles.

Preemption and Government Buildings: 724.28

Section 724.28(2) provides that a city, county or township "shall not enact an ordinance, motion, resolution, policy, or amendment regulating the ownership, possession, carrying, legal transfer, lawful transportation, modification, registration, or licensing of firearms, firearms attachments, or other weapons when the ownership, possession, carrying, transfer, transportation, modification, registration, or license is otherwise lawful under the laws of this state," and the Legislature added "other weapons" to make clear that knives are covered. Subsection (4) is the exception: a political subdivision "may restrict the carrying, possession, or transportation of firearms or other dangerous weapons" in a building it controls, but only if it screens entrants for weapons and "provides armed security personnel inside the building or physical structure." Courthouses and some city halls meet the test. A library with a sign does not. 724.32 separately addresses county courthouses. An Iowa city may not pass a knife ordinance, and a building that bars your knife must have a metal detector and an armed guard to do it.

Where You Cannot Carry

• School groundsFirearms are a felony under 724.4B. Knives are barred by every district's policy, and weapons offenses within 1,000 feet of a school carry double fines under 724.4A.
  724.4B
• Courthouses and government buildings with screening and armed securityBarred under 724.28(4) and 724.32 where the building meets the screening and security conditions. Leave it in the car.
  724.28(4)
• Anywhere, while intoxicatedA dangerous weapon on the person or within reach in a vehicle at .08 or impaired is a serious misdemeanor, except at home, at work or on your own land.
  724.4C
• Airports and federal propertyNo knives past the checkpoint at Des Moines International or Eastern Iowa under federal rules, and none in a federal building or courthouse under 18 U.S.C. 930.
  TSA
• Tribal landThe Meskwaki Settlement near Tama governs its own land and casino. Check before you carry.
  Tribal codes
• Private property and workplacesAn owner may bar knives and an employer may set a policy. The remedy is being asked to leave or being disciplined, and after that, trespass.
  Trespass

Penalties

Misdemeanor and felony ranges are set by 903.1 and 902.9. The fine figures are the 2025 statutory amounts.

What the Internet Gets Wrong

Three things. First, that a knife over 5 inches, or a switchblade, cannot be carried concealed in Iowa. That was true until July 1, 2021. The carrying offense in 724.4 was replaced with a use offense, and the summaries that still say otherwise, including AKTI's, predate the change or did not catch it. Second, that you need a permit to carry weapons to conceal a dangerous weapon. The permit is optional for handguns and was never required for a knife that is not a dangerous weapon. After 2021 it is not required for one that is. Third, that Iowa cities can regulate knives. 724.28 says "other weapons," and the only local power left is over screened, guarded buildings. The rule that does catch people is 724.4C, a knife in reach in the car on a night out, because a Spry is a switchblade and a switchblade is a dangerous weapon by name.

TEKTO Knives for Iowa

Every TEKTO knife is an Iowa knife. The A5 Spry in any blade style and the A7 Zastava are lawful in a pocket since 2021. Both are "dangerous weapons" by name, which matters only if you are intoxicated or intend harm, and on those nights the F2 Bravo, a 3.30-inch folder that is not a dangerous weapon unless used as one, is the knife to have. The X1 Atlas fixed blade in MagnaCut, at 3.30 inches, is under the 5-inch line and belongs on a belt or in a pack for the Loess Hills and the river. Nothing goes to school, and nothing rides in reach when you have been drinking.