Iowa pay transparency law: no range rule, SF 187 and SF 502 stalled, and cities cannot add one (2026)

Iowa has no law that requires employers to put a pay range in job postings, as of November 2026, and its cities and counties cannot add one: Iowa Code 364.3(12) and 331.304(12) bar local rules on "hiring practices" that go beyond state or federal law. Two 2025 bills would have created a posting duty, Senate File 187 and Senate File 502, and both stalled in a Senate Workforce subcommittee. What applies is Iowa Code 216.6A on wage discrimination, federal equal pay law, and the posting laws of Minnesota and Illinois when a job reaches into those states.

Does Iowa require a salary range in job postings?

No. Nothing in the Iowa Code tells an employer what a job advertisement must say about pay, and there is no on-request or after-interview disclosure duty. A Des Moines, Cedar Rapids or Davenport employer may post without a range and, under Iowa law, may ask what a candidate earns now; our Iowa salary history guide covers that question and the 2025 bill that would have banned it. The rest of the state's hiring rules are in our guide to hiring employees in Iowa.

Other Iowa screening rules have their own pages: background checks, criminal history questions and E-Verify.

What would SF 187 and SF 502 have required?

The two bills took different routes to the same goal.

Neither bill came out of subcommittee in the 91st General Assembly (2025–2026). A bill not enacted in a General Assembly has to be filed again in the next, so any Iowa posting rule would start over in the 92nd General Assembly in 2027.

Can an Iowa city or county require pay ranges?

No. Iowa Code 364.3(12)(a) says a city "shall not adopt, enforce, or otherwise administer an ordinance, motion, resolution, or amendment providing for any terms or conditions of employment that exceed or conflict with the requirements of federal or state law relating to a minimum or living wage rate, any form of employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits, scheduling practices, or other terms or conditions of employment." Paragraph (b) voided earlier ordinances that conflict with it as of March 30, 2017, and 331.304(12) applies the same text to counties. A pay range requirement in job ads is a rule on hiring practices that state law does not impose, so Iowa is one of the few states where the answer for local rules is settled by statute rather than by a search of city codes.

What does Iowa's wage discrimination law require?

Iowa Code 216.6A(2)(a) makes it an unfair or discriminatory practice "for any employer or agent of any employer" to pay an employee less than others in the same establishment for equal work because of age, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion or disability. It applies to employers that regularly employ four or more individuals, not counting family members. Three details matter when you set offers:

• Each paycheck counts. Under 216.6A(2)(b) a violation occurs when a discriminatory pay decision is adopted, when someone becomes subject to it, or when someone is affected by it, "including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid."
• Agents are named. The words "agent of any employer" reach recruiters and staffing firms that shape an offer.
• Defenses. Seniority, merit, production-based systems, or "any other factor other than" a protected characteristic, which the employer must prove.

One more Iowa rule touches pay disclosure. Iowa Code 91A.6 requires an employer to notify employees in writing at hiring of the wages and regular paydays it designates, but only after the labor director notifies the employer to comply, which follows a paid wage claim or a civil penalty. For most employers it is a good habit rather than a duty.

Which federal rules apply to Iowa employers?

• Equal Pay Act and Title VII. The EEOC's equal pay page says the Equal Pay Act covers virtually all employers and requires equal pay for "substantially equal" jobs; Title VII and the ADA add pay claims at 15 or more employees.
• Prior pay in the Eighth Circuit. Iowa is in the Eighth Circuit, which in Taylor v. White (2003) called for "a case-by-case analysis of reliance on prior salary or salary retention policies with careful attention to alleged gender-based practices," as quoted in Rizo v. Yovino (9th Cir. 2020, en banc). The EEOC's compliance manual section on compensation says "Prior salary cannot, by itself, justify a compensation disparity."
• Pay discussions. The NLRB lists "talking with one or more co-workers about your wages and benefits" as protected concerted activity.
• Federal contractors. OFCCP's pay transparency provision, 41 CFR 60-1.35, is not in force. Executive Order 14173 revoked Executive Order 11246 on January 21, 2025, and the Labor Department's final rule rescinded part 60-1 effective October 26, 2026 (91 FR 54444).

When do Minnesota or Illinois rules reach an Iowa job?

Iowa shares a metro area with Illinois, the Quad Cities on both banks of the Mississippi, and Iowa employers also recruit in the Twin Cities and for remote roles open to Minnesotans.

Details for each are in the Minnesota and Illinois guides; for roles open anywhere, see pay transparency for remote jobs.

What should recruiters and staffing agencies hiring in Iowa do?

1. Check for an Illinois or Minnesota link on every req: an Illinois or Minnesota worksite, work days there, or a manager in Illinois.
2. Keep a range ready anyway. SF 502's definition, the range "the employer reasonably expects to pay," is a sensible internal standard; see how to set salary ranges for job postings.
3. Agencies: remember 216.6A names agents. Pass on the candidate's expectations, not their pay history, and get the client's range in writing. Iowa agency rules are in staffing agency license in Iowa.
4. Write down the reason for each offer in terms of seniority, merit, production or another job-related factor.
5. Do not rely on a city rule. State law preempts them, so the state and federal rules above are the whole Iowa picture.

Example only: a Davenport manufacturer posts "Quality engineer, Davenport or Moline plant, $82,000 to $96,000, medical, dental, 401(k)." Iowa does not require the range, but the Moline option can put the job in Illinois, so the pay scale and benefits are required if the employer has 15 or more employees.

Iowa pay rules at a glance

An Iowa posting checklist

IOWA POSTING CHECKLIST (as of November 2026)

[ ] Any Illinois worksite, work days or manager? Pay scale + benefits
[ ] Minnesota job with an employer of 30+ there? Starting range
    (not open ended) + benefits
[ ] Remote role: check each state the ad is open to
[ ] Iowa-only role: range optional; no city rule can require it
[ ] Screen asks about expectations, not current pay
[ ] Offer reason written down (seniority, merit, job-related factor)
[ ] No pay-secrecy language in the offer letter or handbook
[ ] Agency: client's range and benefits received in writing