Iowa legal term
Sexual assault in Iowa Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Iowa legislative session
In Iowa criminal law, “Sexual assault” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Iowa criminal code.
What does “Sexual assault” mean in Iowa criminal law?
“Sexual assault” means sexual abuse as defined in section 709.1, or any other sexual offense by which a victim has allegedly had sufficient contact with a convicted or an alleged offender to be deemed a significant exposure. 11. “Significant exposure” means contact of the victim’s ruptured or broken skin or mucous membranes with the blood or bodily fluids, other than tears, saliva, or perspiration of the convicted or alleged offender. “Significant exposure” is presumed to have occurred when there is a showing that there was penetration of the convicted or alleged offender’s penis into the vict (Iowa Code § 915.40)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.