Generally, once you have a PCW, you can carry a weapon anywhere except those places prohibited by any restrictions on your permit and these locations prohibited by law:
- School zones and parks - Illegal to possess a firearm if you commit a public offense (724.4A))
- School grounds - Illegal to carry (724.4A(1) and 724.4B)
- School bus (Administrative rule 281-43.38(2))
- Casinos (Administrative rule 491-5.4(6))
- Capitol Complex (Administrative rule 11-100.2(8A))
- State parks and preserves - Prohibits use, not carry (461A.42)
- State Fair (Administrative rule 371-2.5(173))
- Federal facilities, grounds, and courts
Businesses may also elect to create a "safety-free zone" by requesting that customers do not carry weapons on their property. If you carry a weapon on their property, you may be asked to leave. If you fail to leave, you would be cited with a trespassing charge, NOT a weapons charge.
The law restricting the carrying of weapons does not apply to persons who are in their own dwelling or place of business, or to persons on land owned or possessed by them. Dwelling includes homes, rented apartments, and hotel/motel rooms. Dwelling does not include hallways, lobbies and other common areas outside apartments or hotel/motel rooms.
When a motor home is being used as a means of transportation, a permit to carry is not needed if the weapon is unloaded and in a container or package too large to be concealed on a person or inside a cargo or luggage compartment where the handgun is not readily accessible to any person in the vehicle. When a motor home is used as a residence or place of business, no permit is required.
A person does not need a permit to carry while lawfully engaged in target practice on a range designed for that purpose or while actually engaged in lawful hunting.
Employers may elect to create policies that prohibit their employees from carrying while on the job. There is no criminal penalty for disobeying those policies (unless your place of employment happens to be one of the areas listed above). However, as always, you can be terminated from employment for breaking a company policy.
Iowa residents enjoy "preemption." This means that a local government cannot adopt an ordinance that would be more restrictive than a state ordinance. Therefore, it is illegal for any locality to adopt policies on carrying that are more restrictive than state (or Federal) policies.
It should also be noted that an Iowa PTC is valid across the state. This means that if you have a permit issued by Polk County for example, it is good in every county in the state - including counties like Dubuque, Emmet and Buena Vista which are counties that traditionally do not issue permits to their citizens.