Workplace Drug Testing Issues – Iowa State Laws
Use caution when drug testing in Iowa, have a written policy and follow Iowa laws carefully. Iowa Code section 730.5, is a complex statute that contains numerous application pitfalls for employers. All employment drug testing programs should be reviewed by an expert in drug testing or legal counsel.
These categories do not affect DOT-regulated drug testing. Government employers should always call for potential additional restrictions on employee drug testing.
Under the Iowa drug testing statute, employers are required to provide:
- Written notice to employees who test positive for drugs or alcohol; and
- For applicants and employees who are minors, a copy of the employer’s drug testing policy and written notice of positive test results to their parent.
Split specimen testing is required. Testing is allowed with the following specimens – urine, blood, hair and oral fluid.
Post-accident testing may occur only when administered by a person providing treatment, not at the request of the employer.
Employers are not required to permit or accommodate the use, consumption, possession, transfer, display, transportation, distribution, sale, or growing of marijuana in the workplace.
Effective July 1, 2025 safety-sensitive sensitive position is now defined as “a position designated by the employer as one wherein an accident could cause loss of human life, serious bodily injury, or significant property or environmental damage, including a job with duties that include immediate supervision of a person in a safety-sensitive position.”
On 02/26/2021 Iowa passed a law making it a criminal offense with penalties for cheating or defrauding a drug or alcohol test. See House Bill 283.
