483A.27  Hunter safety and ethics education program — license requirement.
  1.  A person born after January 1, 1972, shall not obtain a hunting license unless the person has satisfactorily completed a hunter safety and ethics education course approved by the commission. A person who is eleven years of age or more may enroll in an approved hunter safety and ethics education course, but a person who is eleven years of age and who has successfully completed the course shall be issued a certificate of completion which becomes valid on the person’s twelfth birthday. A certificate of completion from an approved hunter safety and ethics education course issued in this state, or a certificate issued by another state, country, or province for completion of a course that meets the standards adopted by the international hunter education association, is valid for the requirements of this section.
  2.  A certificate of completion shall not be issued to a person who has not satisfactorily completed a minimum of ten hours of training in an approved hunter safety and ethics education course. The department shall establish the curriculum for the first ten hours of an approved hunter safety and ethics education course offered in this state. Upon completion of the ten-hour curriculum, each person shall pass an individual oral test or a written test provided by the department. The department shall establish the criteria for successfully passing the tests. Based on the results of the test and demonstrated safe handling of a firearm, the instructor shall determine the persons who shall be issued a certificate of completion.
  3.  The department shall provide a manual regarding hunter safety and ethics education which shall be used by all instructors and persons receiving hunter safety and ethics education training in this state. The department may produce the manual in a print or electronic format accessible from a computer, including from a data storage device or the department’s internet site.
  4.  The department shall provide for the certification of persons who wish to become hunter safety and ethics instructors. A person shall not act as an instructor in hunter safety and ethics education as provided in this section without first obtaining an instructor’s certificate from the department.
  5.  An officer of the department or a certified instructor may issue a certificate to a person who has not completed the hunter safety and ethics education course but meets the criteria established by the commission.
  6.  A public or private school accredited pursuant to section 256.11 or an organization approved by the department may cooperate with the department in providing a course in hunter safety and ethics education or shooting sports activities as provided in this section.
  7.  A hunting license obtained under this section by a person who gave false information or presented a fraudulent certificate of completion shall be revoked and a new hunting license shall not be issued for at least two years from the date of conviction. A hunting license obtained by a person who was born after January 1, 1972, but has not satisfactorily completed the hunter safety and ethics education course or has not met the requirements established by the commission, shall be revoked.
  8.  The commission shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 17A as necessary to carry out the administration of this section.
  9.  The initial hunter safety certificate shall be issued without cost. A duplicate certificate shall be issued at a cost of three dollars.
  10.  A person under eighteen years of age who is required to exhibit a valid hunting license, shall also exhibit a valid certificate of completion from a state approved hunter safety and ethics education course upon request of an officer of the department. A failure to carry or refusal to exhibit the certificate of completion as provided in this subsection is a violation of this chapter. A violator is guilty of a simple misdemeanor as provided in section 483A.42.
  11.  An instructor certified by the department shall be allowed to conduct a department-approved hunter safety and ethics education course or shooting sports activities course on public school property with the approval of a majority of the board of directors of the school district. Conducting an approved hunter safety and ethics education course or shooting sports activities course is not a violation of any public policy, rule, regulation, resolution, or ordinance which prohibits the possession, display, or use of a firearm, bow and arrow, or other hunting weapon on public school property or other public property in this state.
[82 Acts, ch 1035, §1]
C83, §110.27
85 Acts, ch 104, §1; 86 Acts, ch 1240, §8; 86 Acts, ch 1245, §1877; 91 Acts, ch 235, §1, 2
C93, §483A.27
97 Acts, ch 96, §1, 2; 2001 Acts, ch 176, §43; 2007 Acts, ch 28, §19; 2008 Acts, ch 1161, §19; 2009 Acts, ch 133, §159
For applicable scheduled fines, see §805.8B, subsection 3, paragraph b