House File 622
HOUSE FILE
BY MASCHER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the issuance of deer hunting licenses to
2 nonresident landowners and providing a fee and penalties.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2758YH 80
5 av/pj/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 483A.8, subsection 5, Code 2003, is
1 2 amended by striking the subsection and inserting in lieu
1 3 thereof the following:
1 4 5. a. Upon written application on forms furnished by the
1 5 department, the department shall issue annually without fee
1 6 one deer hunting license to a nonresident owner of a farm unit
1 7 or to a member of the nonresident owner's family, but not to
1 8 both. The deer hunting license issued shall be valid only on
1 9 the farm unit for which an applicant qualifies pursuant to
1 10 this subsection and shall be equivalent to the least
1 11 restrictive license issued under section 481A.38. A free deer
1 12 hunting license issued pursuant to this subsection shall be
1 13 valid during all shotgun deer seasons. If one or more parcels
1 14 of land have multiple nonresident owners, only one of the
1 15 nonresident owners is eligible for the free nonresident deer
1 16 hunting license. If a nonresident owner jointly owns land in
1 17 this state with a resident, only one joint owner or member of
1 18 a joint owner's family shall receive a free deer hunting
1 19 license and preference shall be given to the resident owner or
1 20 the resident owner's family member who applies for the
1 21 license.
1 22 b. In addition to the free deer hunting license received,
1 23 a nonresident owner of a farm unit or a member of the
1 24 nonresident owner's family may purchase a deer hunting license
1 25 through any option offered to paying nonresident deer hunting
1 26 licensees. A nonresident owner of a farm unit or a member of
1 27 the nonresident owner's family may also purchase two
1 28 additional antlerless deer hunting licenses which are valid
1 29 only on the farm unit owned for a fee of ten dollars each.
1 30 c. If the commission establishes a deer hunting season to
1 31 occur in the first quarter of a calendar year that is separate
1 32 from a deer hunting season that continues from the last
1 33 quarter of the preceding calendar year, each nonresident owner
1 34 of a farm unit located within a zone where a deer hunting
1 35 season is established, upon application, shall be issued a
2 1 free deer hunting license for each of the two calendar
2 2 quarters. Each license is valid only for hunting on the farm
2 3 unit of the nonresident owner.
2 4 d. Deer hunting licenses issued to nonresidents who own
2 5 farm units in this state or to members of nonresident owners'
2 6 families pursuant to this subsection are exempt from the
2 7 limitations and allocations specified in subsections 3 and 4.
2 8 e. As used in this subsection:
2 9 (1) "Family member" means a person who is not a resident
2 10 of Iowa and who is the spouse or child of the nonresident
2 11 owner and who resides with the nonresident owner.
2 12 (2) "Farm unit" means all parcels of land, not necessarily
2 13 contiguous, which are operated as a unit for agricultural
2 14 purposes and which are under the lawful control of the
2 15 nonresident owner.
2 16 (3) "Nonresident owner" means an owner of a farm unit who
2 17 is not a resident of Iowa.
2 18 EXPLANATION
2 19 This bill provides that a nonresident who owns a farm unit
2 20 in this state or a member of the nonresident's family who
2 21 resides with the nonresident may apply annually for one free
2 22 deer hunting license. The deer hunting license issued is
2 23 valid only on the farm unit for which the applicant qualifies
2 24 pursuant to this subsection and is equivalent to the least
2 25 restrictive license issued under Code section 481A.38. A free
2 26 deer hunting license issued pursuant to the bill is valid for
2 27 all shotgun deer seasons. If one or more parcels of land have
2 28 multiple nonresident owners, only one of the nonresident
2 29 owners is eligible for the free deer hunting license. If a
2 30 nonresident landowner jointly owns land in this state with a
2 31 resident, only one joint owner or member of a joint owner's
2 32 family shall receive a free deer hunting license and
2 33 preference shall be given to the resident owner or the
2 34 resident owner's family member who applies for the free
2 35 license.
3 1 The bill provides that in addition to the free deer hunting
3 2 license received, a nonresident owner of a farm unit or a
3 3 member of the nonresident owner's family may purchase a deer
3 4 hunting license by any option offered to paying nonresident
3 5 deer hunting licensees. A nonresident owner of a farm unit or
3 6 a member of the nonresident owner's family may also purchase
3 7 two additional antlerless deer hunting licenses which are
3 8 valid only on the farm unit owned for a fee of $10 each.
3 9 The bill provides that if the commission establishes a deer
3 10 hunting season to occur in the first quarter of a calendar
3 11 year that is separate from a deer hunting season that
3 12 continues from the last quarter of the preceding calendar
3 13 year, each nonresident owner of a farm unit located within a
3 14 zone where a deer hunting season is established, upon
3 15 application, shall be issued a free deer hunting license for
3 16 each of the two calendar quarters. Each license issued is
3 17 valid only for hunting on the farm unit of the nonresident
3 18 owner.
3 19 The bill provides that deer hunting licenses issued to
3 20 nonresidents who own farm units in this state or to members of
3 21 nonresident owners' families pursuant to the bill are exempt
3 22 from the limitations and allocations that limit the number of
3 23 nonresident deer hunting licenses to 8,500.
3 24 The bill also defines "nonresident owner" as an owner of a
3 25 farm unit who is not a resident of Iowa and "family member" as
3 26 a person who is not a resident of Iowa who is the spouse or
3 27 child of the nonresident owner and who resides with the
3 28 nonresident owner. The bill defines "farm unit" as all
3 29 parcels of land, not necessarily contiguous, which are
3 30 operated as a unit for agricultural purposes and which are
3 31 under the lawful control of the nonresident owner.
3 32 A violation of this Code section is a scheduled violation,
3 33 punishable by a scheduled fine of $25.
3 34 LSB 2758YH 80
3 35 av/pj/5