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Iowa Drone Privacy & Surveillance (2026)

Info: Iowa has no statute criminalizing private drone surveillance; Iowa Code 808.15 only makes warrantless drone-gathered information inadmissible as evidence.

InfoVerified Jul 7, 2026

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Official source: legis.iowa.gov →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Drone Privacy & Surveillance in states bordering Iowa

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

IllinoisInfo
Illinois has no statute criminalizing private drone surveillance; its Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act restricts only law-enforcement drone use (725 ILCS 167).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ilga.gov · Full Illinois rule →
MinnesotaInfo
Minnesota's UAV statute (626.19) restricts only law-enforcement drone use; no MN law criminalizes a private person's drone surveillance. General privacy law (609.746) may apply.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: revisor.mn.gov · Full Minnesota rule →
MissouriInfo
Missouri has no drone-specific privacy crime; the general invasion-of-privacy law (565.252) bars nonconsensual nude imaging but does not mention drones.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: revisor.mo.gov · Full Missouri rule →
NebraskaRestricted
In Nebraska, causing a drone over another's property to observe a person in a place of solitude/seclusion is second-degree criminal trespass (Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-521).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: nebraskalegislature.gov · Full Nebraska rule →
South DakotaRestricted
South Dakota (SDCL 50-15-5): a Class 1 misdemeanor to use a drone to photograph, record or observe a person in a private place with a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: sdlegislature.gov · Full South Dakota rule →
WisconsinRestricted
Wisconsin (Wis. Stat. 942.10) makes it a Class A misdemeanor to use a drone to photograph, record or observe another person where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: docs.legis.wisconsin.gov · Full Wisconsin rule →

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