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The License-Plate Reader File · IowaIn reporting · updated Nov. 3, 2026

Who is reading your plate?
County by county.

Iowa law requires plate-reader images and related data to be deleted within 30 days of capture, with an exception for data copied for criminal cases. In 2026 the Iowa House passed a bill to require local ordinances and search logs; it went back to the Senate, and Axios reported in August that plate-reader legislation did not pass. A University of Iowa clinic and ACLU of Iowa records review found Flock the most common vendor among responding agencies, while Des Moines police use Motorola. Coralville ended its Flock contract in February 2026 after the Attorney General's Office objected to its limit on immigration use, and Waukee and Indianola have paused their cameras.

License-plate readers in other states →

A county’s color reflects any documented agency in it: the sheriff’s office or a city police department. “Not yet checked” is not the same as “none”.

Using license-plate readers
In use; some cameras may have been switched off or removed.
Removing or limiting cameras
Removing cameras beyond state roads, or limiting use, while some remain.
Use suspended
Cameras switched off or use paused; no contract termination reported.
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Records or reports show the agency bought or used plate readers, but no source found confirms whether they are still in use.
Ended or removed
Contract terminated, program discontinued, or all cameras removed.

Statewide

  1. Aug. 16, 2012 ACLU records-request letters on plate readers went to the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa DOT. The page lists the letters and no responses. (ACLU, Aug. 16, 2012)
  2. 2024 Iowa Code section 321P.4, added by 2024 Acts chapter 1181, section 4, requires operators of plate readers and associated storage to permanently delete each plate image and related data within 30 days of capture. Police may copy data relevant to an ongoing criminal case and keep it under evidence retention policies. A violation is a simple misdemeanor. The date shown is the year of the act; the code text does not give an effective date. (Iowa Legislature, 2025)
  3. Sept. 12, 2025 Iowa Public Radio reported that at least 29 Iowa cities held Flock contracts, without listing them all. (Iowa Public Radio, Sept. 12, 2025)
  4. Dec. 10, 2025 The University of Iowa Technology Law Clinic and the ACLU of Iowa released a report based on records requests to 48 agencies, some that use the cameras and some that do not; 43 sent records. Among those, Flock was the vendor for 27, Axon for 7 and Motorola Solutions for 4, and Flock contracts averaged $4,404.06 a month. Appendix D lists 62 Iowa agencies known to access the Flock database as of Nov. 21, 2025, and marks those the clinic confirmed have their own readers; it says the others "may or may not have ALPRs." The report says its surveyed agencies are not a list of all Iowa agencies with readers. (University of Iowa College of Law Technology Law Clinic and ACLU of Iowa, Dec. 10, 2025; KJAN, from Radio Iowa, Dec. 10, 2025; The Gazette, Dec. 2025)
  5. 2026 House Study Bill 723, proposed by the House Judiciary chair, would cut the section 321P.4 deletion period from 30 days to 72 hours, generally bar government access to historical location data without a warrant or a listed exception, and limit out-of-state sharing. The bill text is undated; the year shown is its 2026 session. (Iowa Legislature, 2026)
  6. Feb. 2026 The Attorney General's Office told Coralville that its Flock policy barring use "solely for immigration purposes" violated Iowa Code section 27A.4, and asked for a change within 30 days. The Solicitor General wrote that removing the section would "resolve the pending complaint in full." Sources differ on timing and consequence: KCRG says the letter came in December and risked state funding; KCJJ says the complaint arrived in December; IPR reported the letter on Feb. 11 and says it threatened civil action. Month given is the first reporting of the letter. (Iowa Public Radio, Feb. 11, 2026; The Gazette, Feb. 11, 2026; KCJJ, Feb. 12, 2026; KCRG, Feb. 25, 2026)
  7. Feb. 16, 2026 House File 2161 advanced from a subcommittee. As introduced it required a local ordinance and, after 24 hours, a warrant or county attorney subpoena for access. WVIK reports the Transportation Committee passed it 20-0 on Feb. 17 after an amendment removed the warrant or subpoena requirement. (The Gazette, Feb. 16, 2026; WVIK, March 10, 2026)
  8. Feb. 18, 2026 WHO 13 reported that House File 2555 advanced through a subcommittee. It would require a warrant for images older than 24 hours and deletion after 21 days. WVIK reports it was renumbered HF 2701 and passed the Judiciary Committee 20-0 with one member excused. (WHO 13, Feb. 18, 2026; WVIK, March 10, 2026)
  9. Feb. 24, 2026 The Coralville council voted 3-1 to end its Flock contract rather than amend the policy, and the city removed the cameras the next morning. The Gazette reports the city remains liable for the rest of its $36,000 contract, which runs through July 2027. (KCRG, Feb. 25, 2026; The Gazette, Feb. 25, 2026)
  10. Feb. 25, 2026 Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that the Iowa Court of Appeals upheld a district court ruling reversing the Iowa Public Information Board's dismissal of a records complaint against West Des Moines. The court found a Flock deployment plan incorporated in the city's contract is a public record the city has a right to, even though the city did not keep a copy. The case returned to the board. The court did not rule on the complaint's merits or on confidentiality exceptions. The report says the ruling came on a Wednesday; Feb. 25 is the date of that report. (Iowa Capital Dispatch, Feb. 25, 2026)
  11. March 10, 2026 The Senate passed Senate File 2284 as amended. That version added limits on giving plate images to third parties, with exceptions for police, their contractors and insurance fraud or recovery uses, plus provisions on automated noise enforcement and traffic camera citations. (Iowa Legislature, March 10, 2026)
  12. April 16, 2026 The House passed an amended Senate File 2284. The amendment requires a local ordinance naming vendors and authorized users, a Department of Public Safety list of approved readers and vendors, a facial recognition ban, searches tied to a call or case number, logs kept at least a year, audits every four months and 30-day deletion. It would repeal section 321P.4 and replace it. Tom Barton's story gives the vote as 77-11. KCRG, carrying a KWQC report, said the bill went back to the Senate, which had to act before it could reach the governor. (Iowa Legislature, April 2026; Iowa Legislature, April 2026; dbrnews.com e-edition page, byline and email point to The Gazette, April 2026; Iowa Public Radio, April 17, 2026; KJAN, from Radio Iowa, April 17, 2026; KCRG, KWQC staff, April 22, 2026)
  13. Aug. 14, 2026 KCRG reported that Flock now requires a case number for searches, flags emergency searches for review, and recommends seven-day retention instead of 30, with each agency deciding; the rules must be in place by Jan. 1. IPR describes the retention change as a cut from 30 days to seven. The two accounts differ on whether seven days is required. (KCRG, Aug. 14, 2026; Iowa Public Radio, Aug. 27, 2026)
  14. Aug. 27, 2026 Axios reported that a plate-reader bill did not pass and is expected to return in the 2027 session. It describes the bill as restricting access after 24 hours without a warrant, which matches WVIK's account of House File 2701 rather than the House-passed SF 2284 text. We found no record of the Senate's final action on SF 2284. (Axios Des Moines, Aug. 27, 2026)
  15. Aug. 27, 2026 IPR reported that Flock's website says federal agencies are excluded from its statewide and national search networks, and that agencies can switch off federal sharing. No source cited here documents a specific immigration-related search of an Iowa agency's data. The ACLU of Iowa says Flock shared data with ICE, as WVIK reported; that is the group's claim. (Iowa Public Radio, Aug. 27, 2026; WVIK, March 10, 2026)
  16. Nov. 3, 2026 Iowa DOT publishes a GIS dataset titled Automated License Plate Readers. Its summary says it shows reader sites compiled from DOT-related permits, focused on primary highways with some non-primary sites. The summary carries no date; the date shown is when it was checked. The site records are not reflected on this page. (Iowa Department of Transportation GIS, Nov. 3, 2026)

State agencies

Iowa Department of Public Safety (Division of Criminal Investigation, Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, Iowa State Patrol)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count in the cited sources. DPS is not in the report's camera table.
Sources
University of Iowa College of Law Technology Law Clinic and ACLU of Iowa, Dec. 10, 2025; WHO 13, Nov. 28, 2017; Flock Safety, Aug. 12, 2025; Iowa Legislature, April 2026; Axios Des Moines, Aug. 27, 2026
  1. Nov. 28, 2017 WHO 13 reported the State Patrol did not have the technology then. (WHO 13, Nov. 28, 2017)
  2. Aug. 12, 2025 Carlisle PD's Flock portal, page dated this day, lists Iowa Department of Public Safety among agencies with access. (Flock Safety, Aug. 12, 2025)
  3. Nov. 21, 2025 Appendix D of the clinic and ACLU report lists DPS among agencies accessing the Flock database and marks it as confirmed to have its own readers, current as of this date. Appendix C shows one combined DPS row: contracts, MOUs and invoices obtained, no records in the other categories. (University of Iowa College of Law Technology Law Clinic and ACLU of Iowa, Dec. 10, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Latest evidence is dated Nov. 21, 2025.
  • Vendor of DPS's own readers is not stated. Flock is known only as a database DPS can access. The report does not say which division holds the readers.
  • SF 2284 as amended by the House would have made DPS the approver of readers and vendors. Axios reported in August 2026 that plate-reader legislation did not pass; it does not name SF 2284.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Every county

All 99 counties
AdairChecked: no program found———
AdamsChecked: no program found———
AllamakeeChecked: no program found———
AppanooseChecked: no program found2——
AudubonChecked: no program found———
BentonChecked: no program found———
Black HawkChecked: no program found1——
BooneChecked: no program found———
BremerChecked: no program found———
BuchananChecked: no program found———
Buena VistaUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety8
ButlerChecked: no program found———
CalhounChecked: no program found———
CarrollProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1Motorola Solutions—
CassChecked: no program found———
CedarChecked: no program found———
Cerro GordoUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety11
CherokeeChecked: no program found———
ChickasawChecked: no program found———
ClarkeChecked: no program found———
ClayChecked: no program found1——
ClaytonChecked: no program found———
ClintonUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety66
CrawfordChecked: no program found———
DallasUse suspended2Flock Safety—
DavisChecked: no program found———
DecaturChecked: no program found———
DelawareChecked: no program found———
Des MoinesUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety—
DickinsonChecked: no program found———
DubuqueUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety22
EmmetChecked: no program found———
FayetteUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety—
FloydChecked: no program found———
FranklinChecked: no program found———
FremontChecked: no program found———
GreeneChecked: no program found———
GrundyChecked: no program found———
GuthrieChecked: no program found———
HamiltonChecked: no program found———
HancockChecked: no program found———
HardinChecked: no program found———
HarrisonChecked: no program found———
HenryChecked: no program found———
HowardChecked: no program found———
HumboldtChecked: no program found———
IdaChecked: no program found———
IowaChecked: no program found———
JacksonChecked: no program found———
JasperUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety10
JeffersonChecked: no program found———
JohnsonUsing license-plate readers5Flock Safety61
JonesChecked: no program found———
KeokukChecked: no program found———
KossuthChecked: no program found———
LeeChecked: no program found———
LinnUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions88
LouisaChecked: no program found———
LucasChecked: no program found———
LyonChecked: no program found———
MadisonChecked: no program found———
MahaskaChecked: no program found1——
MarionUsing license-plate readers1Genetec10
MarshallUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety58
MillsUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety1
MitchellChecked: no program found———
MononaChecked: no program found———
MonroeChecked: no program found———
MontgomeryChecked: no program found———
MuscatineChecked: no program found———
O'BrienChecked: no program found———
OsceolaChecked: no program found———
PageChecked: no program found———
Palo AltoChecked: no program found———
PlymouthUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety4
PocahontasChecked: no program found———
PolkUsing license-plate readers12Axon, Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions315
PottawattamieUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety37
PoweshiekChecked: no program found———
RinggoldChecked: no program found———
SacChecked: no program found———
ScottUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions41
ShelbyChecked: no program found———
SiouxChecked: no program found———
StoryUsing license-plate readers2Flock Safety3
TamaProgram documented, current use unconfirmed1—2
TaylorChecked: no program found———
UnionChecked: no program found———
Van BurenChecked: no program found———
WapelloUse suspended1Flock Safety4
WarrenUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety19
WashingtonUsing license-plate readers1Flock Safety8
WayneChecked: no program found———
WebsterChecked: no program found———
WinnebagoChecked: no program found———
WinneshiekChecked: no program found———
WoodburyUsing license-plate readers3Flock Safety12
WorthChecked: no program found———
WrightChecked: no program found———

How this map is built

We start with each county’s sheriff’s office and its largest city police departments, then work outward. Each agency’s entry says whether it comes from agency records or from news reports, and links every source. Companies are tracked separately, so the map can show one company’s customers or all license-plate readers together.

Have a contract, invoice or records response for an agency here? Send it to tips@signaldata.org.

Sources