21—96.2(204) Licensing. A license to grow hemp shall be obtained from the department. In order to obtain and maintain a license, an applicant shall submit a license application, receive approval from the department, and comply with the standards contained in Iowa Code chapter 204 and these rules.
	96.2(1) A license is nontransferable unless approved by the department.
	96.2(2) In 2020, the license application for an outdoor crop site shall be submitted to the department on or before May 15. Indoor crop site applications may be submitted at any time.
	96.2(3) In 2021 and thereafter, the license application for an outdoor crop site shall be submitted to the department on or before April 15. Indoor crop site license applications may be submitted at any time.
	96.2(4) Failure to include all applicants shall preclude the license application from consideration.
	96.2(5) Applicants shall submit an application form. A complete application form shall include, at a minimum, the following:
	a. 	The authorized representative’s full name and mailing address.
	b. 	A legal description and map of each crop site where the applicant proposes to produce hemp.
	c. 	The geospatial location of the center of the crop site.
	d. 	The number of crop acres intended for hemp production. For fractions of acres, round to the next whole number.
	e. 	The name of the hemp varieties, cultivars or strains proposed to be grown by the applicant.
	f. 	The intended hemp crop to be grown by the applicant; this includes grain, seed, fiber, cannabidiol (CBD), clones, cuttings, plantlets, or other identifying information.
	g. 	The type of crop site (indoor or outdoor).
	h. 	All parties with an ownership interest in the crop site or hemp crop. If the crop site is leased, the name and contact information of all lessors and lessees with any interest in the crop site or hemp crop shall be provided.
	i. 	The destruction method the applicant intends to use to destroy the cannabis if the crop fails to meet the acceptable hemp THC concentration. The destruction method must be approved by the department prior to actual destruction.
	96.2(6) The authorized representative and all applicants shall submit official fingerprints to the department as a part of the application process. All national criminal history record check fees shall be paid to the department.
	96.2(7) All license applications shall be submitted to the department electronically via the online license application portal. An authorized representative may request a waiver from the department to submit an application through an alternative format.
	96.2(8) Real-time information, including but not limited to the status and number of the producer’s license, shall be accessible via the department’s online license application portal. Information submitted to the department via the online license application portal shall be collected, maintained, and reported to the USDA as required by the USDA in 7 CFR Part 990, Subpart C.
	96.2(9) A license expires on December 31 of the year the license is issued.
	96.2(10) An applicant with a state or federal felony conviction relating to a controlled substance is subject to a ten-year ineligibility from the date of the conviction.
	96.2(11) Any applicant who materially falsifies any information contained in an application shall be ineligible for a license.
	96.2(12) The department may implement additional reasonable licensing requirements at its discretion.
[ARC 5050C, IAB 6/17/20, effective 7/22/20]