TickZone

Checked against CDC guidance, sources cited on this page. Last reviewed July 1, 2026. Who makes TickZone

Tick Identification in Iowa

The ticks you are most likely to find in Iowa, with photos and the size, color, and markings that tell them apart. Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. Below the chart, see which types live in your county.

Female deer tick (blacklegged tick) on a green leaf, with a reddish-orange body, dark shield, and black legs, no white markings

Deer tick

Ixodes scapularis

Carries Lyme

Established in Iowa

Size:
Small, a sesame seed (nymph: a poppy seed)
Look for:
Reddish-orange body, solid dark shield, black legs, no pattern
Carries:
Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan
Full deer tick guide →
Female American dog tick with an ornate off-white and brown mottled shield behind the head

American dog tick

Dermacentor variabilis

Established in Iowa

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rare)
Full american dog tick guide →
Female lone star tick on a green blade of grass, reddish-brown with a single bright white dot in the center of its back

Lone star tick

Amblyomma americanum

Established in Iowa

Size:
Medium, rounded
Look for:
Reddish-brown; female has a single white dot on the back
Carries:
Ehrlichiosis, STARI, alpha-gal syndrome
Full lone star tick guide →
Female brown dog tick, uniform reddish-brown with no distinct markings

Brown dog tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Found nationwide, the one tick that infests homes and kennels indoors

Size:
Medium, narrow body that tapers toward the head
Look for:
Uniform reddish-brown, no ornate markings
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine diseases
Full brown dog tick guide →
Female Gulf Coast tick with an ornate silvery patterned shield

Gulf Coast tick

Amblyomma maculatum

A southern tick spreading north into the mid-Atlantic

Size:
Large, bigger than a lone star
Look for:
Silvery ornate markings on the shield, no single dot
Carries:
Rickettsia parkeri spotted fever
Full gulf coast tick guide →
Female Asian longhorned tick, small and uniform reddish-brown with no markings

Asian longhorned tick

Haemaphysalis longicornis

A newer arrival, established in the mid-Atlantic and spreading north

Size:
Small and plain, often found in large numbers
Look for:
Reddish-brown with no markings
Carries:
Mainly a livestock threat; human disease risk under study
Full asian longhorned tick guide →
Rocky Mountain wood tick, brown-bodied with an ornate off-white and gray marbled shield behind the head, resembling the American dog tick

Rocky Mountain wood tick

Dermacentor andersoni

Not established in Iowa

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white and gray marbled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia
Full rocky mountain wood tick guide →
Pacific Coast tick, brown with a marbled silvery and gray ornate shield and long mouthparts

Pacific Coast tick

Dermacentor occidentalis

Not established in Iowa

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with a marbled silvery-gray ornate shield
Carries:
Pacific Coast tick fever, tularemia
Full pacific coast tick guide →

Iowa establishment is shown for the three ticks CDC tracks by county; the others carry a regional range note. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025. County surveillance is coarse: “not established” is a lack of records, not proof a tick is absent.

Deer, dog and lone star ticks by Iowa county

These are the three ticks CDC maps county by county, not the only ticks in Iowa: the brown dog, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks are in the chart above. Tap a county for its daily tick-risk detail.

CountyDeer tickAmerican dog tickLone star tick
Adair CountyReportedReportedReported
Adams CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Allamakee CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Appanoose CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Audubon CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Benton CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Black Hawk CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Boone CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Bremer CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Buchanan CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Buena Vista CountyReportedReportedNot established
Butler CountyReportedReportedNot established
Calhoun CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Carroll CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Cass CountyNot establishedEstablishedReported
Cedar CountyReportedReportedNot established
Cerro Gordo CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Cherokee CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Chickasaw CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Clarke CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clay CountyNot establishedEstablishedNot established
Clayton CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Clinton CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Crawford CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Dallas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Davis CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Decatur CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Delaware CountyEstablishedReportedNot established
Des Moines CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dickinson CountyNot establishedEstablishedNot established
Dubuque CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Emmet CountyNot establishedNot establishedNot established
Fayette CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Floyd CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Franklin CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Fremont CountyNot establishedReportedEstablished
Greene CountyReportedReportedReported
Grundy CountyNot establishedEstablishedNot established
Guthrie CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Hamilton CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Hancock CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Hardin CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Harrison CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Henry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Howard CountyReportedNot establishedNot established
Humboldt CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Ida CountyNot establishedEstablishedNot established
Iowa CountyEstablishedReportedNot established
Jackson CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Jasper CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Jefferson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Johnson CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Jones CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Keokuk CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Kossuth CountyReportedReportedEstablished
Lee CountyReportedEstablishedEstablished
Linn CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Louisa CountyEstablishedReportedNot established
Lucas CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lyon CountyNot establishedEstablishedNot established
Madison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Mahaska CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Marion CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Marshall CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Mills CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Mitchell CountyEstablishedReportedReported
Monona CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Monroe CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Montgomery CountyNot establishedReportedEstablished
Muscatine CountyEstablishedReportedEstablished
O'Brien CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Osceola CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Page CountyReportedReportedEstablished
Palo Alto CountyReportedReportedNot established
Plymouth CountyNot establishedEstablishedReported
Pocahontas CountyReportedReportedNot established
Polk CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pottawattamie CountyNot establishedEstablishedReported
Poweshiek CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Ringgold CountyNot establishedReportedEstablished
Sac CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Scott CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Shelby CountyNot establishedEstablishedReported
Sioux CountyNot establishedEstablishedReported
Story CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Tama CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Taylor CountyReportedReportedReported
Union CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Van Buren CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wapello CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Warren CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Washington CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Wayne CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Webster CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Winnebago CountyReportedReportedReported
Winneshiek CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Woodbury CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Worth CountyNot establishedReportedNot established
Wright CountyReportedEstablishedReported

Lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome

The lone star tick is established in Iowa in 28 of 99 counties (see the table above). Its bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.

Do not overlook the tiny ones

Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and cause most Lyme cases in Iowa because they are so easy to miss. When you check for ticks, look for the small ones too, especially in June and July.

Iowa tick risk by town

A daily 0–100 tick-risk score for every town in Iowa.

See Iowa →

Tick identification chart

The national chart, plus identification for other states.

All states →

Frequently asked questions

What types of ticks live in Iowa?
Iowa has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease and is established across the state; the American dog tick, which is established; and the lone star tick, which is established and causes alpha-gal syndrome. County-level presence is shown in the table above.
Which Iowa tick carries Lyme disease?
The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Iowa. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme, though they can transmit other illnesses.
Are there lone star ticks in Iowa?
Yes. The lone star tick is established in Iowa, in 28 of the state's 99 counties (Appanoose County, Black Hawk County, Clarke County and more, listed in the table above). It causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy.
How can I tell these ticks apart?
Use size, color, and legs. The deer tick is small with a reddish-orange body, a solid dark shield, and black legs. The American dog tick is larger and brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield. The female lone star tick has a single white dot on her back. The chart above shows each one.

Tick risk where you live

Tick activity is local and changes daily. Pick your state for tick season dates, the species that live there, and a daily tick-risk score for every town.