It is the responsibility of counsel and the parties to ensure that protected information is omitted or redacted from documents or exhibits filed with the court. The clerk of court will not review filings to determine whether the required omissions or redactions have been made.
Rule 1.422.Protected information
Division IV: Pleadings and Motions · Last amended November 1, 2006 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.422 makes the filer, not the clerk, responsible for stripping Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and other sensitive identifiers out of court filings, while letting parties choose to redact several additional categories of personal information such as medical records, home addresses, and the names of minor children.
Full Text of Rule 1.422
(1) Omission or redaction required. In all civil proceedings and special actions a party shall omit or redact protected information from documents and exhibits filed with the court unless the information is material to the proceedings or disclosure is otherwise required by law.
a. "Protected information" includes the following:
(1) Social security numbers.
(2) Financial account numbers.
(3) Personal identification numbers.
(4) Other unique identifiers.
b. If a social security number must be included in a document only the last four digits of that number should be used. If financial account numbers must be included only incomplete numbers should be recited in the document.
c. Parties are not required to omit or redact protected information from materials or cases deemed confidential by any statute or rule of the supreme court; however, omission or redaction is required for materials that are initially confidential but which later become public, such as records in dissolution proceedings.
(2) Omission or redaction allowed. A party may omit or redact any of the following information from documents and exhibits filed with the court unless the information is material to the proceedings or disclosure is otherwise required by law:
a. Other personal identifying numbers, such as driver's license numbers.
b. Information concerning medical treatment or diagnosis.
c. Employment history.
d. Personal financial information.
e. Proprietary or trade secret information.
f. Information concerning a person's cooperation with the government.
g. Information concerning crime victims.
h. Sensitive security information.
i. Home addresses.
j. Dates of birth.
k. Names of minor children.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 1.422 puts the burden of protecting sensitive personal information squarely on counsel and the parties. The clerk's office does not screen filings for compliance, so nobody should count on the court catching an unredacted Social Security number before it becomes part of the public record. Some categories must be omitted or redacted whenever they appear, unless the information is material to the case or the law otherwise requires disclosure: Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, personal identification numbers, and other unique identifiers. If a Social Security number has to appear at all, only the last four digits belong in the filing; if a financial account number has to appear, only an incomplete version should show up.
The rule carves out an exception for material that's already confidential under some other statute or supreme court rule — parties don't need to separately redact what's already sealed. But it pulls that exception back for material that starts out confidential and later becomes public, such as records in a dissolution proceeding, where redaction is still required going forward.
Beyond the mandatory categories, Rule 1.422 lists several kinds of information a party may choose to redact, again unless the information is material or disclosure is legally required: other personal identifying numbers like a driver's license number, medical treatment or diagnosis information, employment history, personal financial information, trade secret or proprietary information, information about cooperation with the government, information about crime victims, sensitive security information, home addresses, dates of birth, and the names of minor children. Whether to redact those categories is left to the filer's judgment about what the case needs the public record to show.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for redacting sensitive information from a court filing under Rule 1.422?
Counsel and the parties. The rule states directly that the clerk of court will not review filings to determine whether the required omissions or redactions were made.
What information must always be redacted, not just optionally redacted?
Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, personal identification numbers, and other unique identifiers must be omitted or redacted unless the information is material to the proceeding or disclosure is otherwise required by law.
How much of a Social Security number can appear in a filed document?
Only the last four digits, if the number must be included in the document at all.
Can I redact a minor child's name from my filings?
Yes. Rule 1.422 lists the names of minor children among the categories a party may choose to redact, unless that information is material to the proceeding or the law requires its disclosure.
Does Rule 1.422 protect information that's already confidential under another law?
Parties don't need to separately redact material already made confidential by statute or supreme court rule, but redaction is still required for material that starts out confidential and later becomes public, such as records in a dissolution proceeding.
Source & verification. Rule text and the Comment are
reproduced verbatim from the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Iowa Supreme Court. Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
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