Consumer Credit Security (security freeze law)
Iowa Security Freeze Law
Credit reporting · Financial · Children
Iowa's security freeze law lets residents block release of their credit reports, free of charge, and lets parents and guardians place a protected-consumer freeze for children under 16 and incapacitated adults, even creating a record if none exists. It sets short deadlines for credit bureaus to place, lift, and remove freezes.
- Where
- Iowa
- Citation
- Iowa Code ch. 714G (714G.1 to 714G.11)
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2008-07-01
- Last amended
- 2019-01-01
- Enforced by
- Iowa Attorney General (violation of Consumer Fraud Act 714.16(2)(a))
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- A violation is a consumer fraud violation under 714.16; the Attorney General may obtain injunctions, civil penalties, fees and costs, plus the greater of $500 or actual damages for each injured customer (714G.11).
- Applies to
- Consumer reporting agencies holding credit files on Iowa residents aged 16 or older (714G.1, 714G.2)
- Protected consumers: Iowa residents under 16 or incapacitated or protected persons with a guardian or conservator, through a representative (714G.1, 714G.8A)
What a privacy notice must say
- While a freeze is in effect, send written confirmation within 30 days of posting a change to name, date of birth, SSN, or address (to both old and new addresses for address changes).Iowa Code 714G.9
Rights it gives people
- Consumers may request a security freeze by mail, telephone, or secure electronic method; the agency must place it within three business days and send confirmation and a PIN or password within three business days after that.Iowa Code 714G.2(1)
- Place a protected consumer security freeze within 30 days of a representative's request, creating a record if the agency has no file, and release nothing from it while in effect.Iowa Code 714G.8A(1)-(2) · Only if: Protected consumer (under 16 or incapacitated)
- Temporarily lift a freeze within 15 minutes for online or phone requests during normal business hours (three business days for written requests).Iowa Code 714G.3(1)
- Remove a freeze within three business days of a proper request.Iowa Code 714G.4
Practices it requires
- Do not charge any fee for placing, lifting, removing, or reinstating a freeze.Iowa Code 714G.5
- Any consumer waiver of the chapter is void.Iowa Code 714G.10
Sources
- Official text
- Iowa Code ch. 714G (Iowa Code 2026, Iowa Legislature)
- 2018 Iowa Acts ch. 1091 (SF 2177), freeze amendments effective January 1, 2019
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: 2008-07-01 effective date (2008 Acts ch. 1063) inferred from the Iowa Code 3.7 default July 1 rule; the 2008 session law was not opened. 714G.8 was also amended by 2023 Acts ch. 19 (state government reorganization), a technical change not separately reviewed.
Research reference, not legal advice.