Iowa Fishing Regulations - Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Requirements for Purchasing Resident Licenses
A nonresident is a person who is not a resident of Iowa. NOTE:
Iowa residents who have previously hunted, fished and/or trapped as
nonresidents are urged to plan ahead to obtain license privileges. The
electronic licensing system for hunting, fishing and trapping automatically
identifies people who have previously obtained licenses as nonresidents.
This law change was made to identify a growing problem
in Iowa of nonresidents falsifying records to illegally obtain (invalid)
resident licenses. Hunters, anglers and trappers who previously held
a nonresident Iowa license but are now eligible for resident licenses,
need to fill out and return a form that can be accessed at http://www.
iowadnr.gov/licenses/. Former nonresidents are encouraged to do this
as soon as possible. License vendors CANNOT make this change at
the point of sale and it cannot be done over the phone. For questions,
contact the local conservation officer.
Resident means a natural person who meets one of the following
criteria.
1. Has physically resided in this state as the person’s principal and
primary residence or domicile for period of not less than 90 consecutive
days immediately before applying for or purchasing a resident
license and has an Iowa driver’s license or non operator’s ID. Factors
to determine the domicile include but are not limited to place of employment,
mailing (street) address, utility records, real estate records,
vehicle registrations, and addresses listed on the state and federal
income tax records.
A person is not considered a resident under this paragraph if the
person is residing in the state only for a special or temporary purpose
including but not limited to engaging in hunting, fishing or trapping.
2. Is a full-time student at an accredited educational institution in
Iowa and resides in Iowa while attending the educational institution,
or are a full-time student under 25 years of age at an accredited educational
institution outside the state as long as at least one parent or
legal guardian maintains a principal and primary residence in Iowa.
3. Is a student who qualifies as a resident pursuant to the above
paragraph only for the purpose of purchasing any resident license
specified in sec. 483A.1 or 484A.2
4. Is a nonresident under 18 years of age with a parent who is a
legal resident of Iowa.
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