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SF260 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
Last action
2025-05-09
Official status
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 654 . S.J. 956 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-09 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 654 . S.J. 956 .

  2. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  3. 2025-03-12 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 03/12/2025 12:30PM Senate Lounge.

  4. 2025-03-11 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee reassigned: Sweeney, Bisignano, and Green. S.J. 491 .

  5. 2025-02-19 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Sweeney, Celsi, and Green. S.J. 314 .

  6. 2025-02-17 Iowa Legislature

    Referred to Ways and Means. S.J. 275 .

  7. 2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 246 .

  8. 2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 239 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, and maximum fur dealer license fees, and making penalties applicable.(Formerly SSB 1093 ; See SF 654 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

260

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

260

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

NATURAL

RESOURCES

AND

ENVIRONMENT

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

1093)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

wildlife,

including

the

treatment

of

beaver

1

dams,

identification

for

traps,

snares,

and

tree

stands,

2

and

maximum

fur

dealer

license

fees,

and

making

penalties

3

applicable.

4

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

5

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260

Section

1.

NEW

SECTION

.

481A.41

Tree

stands

for

hunting

1

deer

on

public

land

——

identification

——

prohibition.

2

1.

A

person

shall

not

place

a

tree

stand

for

hunting

3

deer

on

public

land

unless

the

stand

is

affixed

with

and

4

exhibits

a

metal

plate

that

plainly

shows

the

department-issued

5

identification

number

of

the

owner

of

the

stand.

A

person

who

6

fails

to

properly

identify

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

7

belonging

to

the

person

is

subject

to

a

scheduled

fine

under

8

section

805.8B,

subsection

3,

paragraph

“b”

.

9

2.

An

owner

of

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

shall

not

10

be

held

liable

for

damage

to

personal

property

or

an

injury

11

resulting

from

another

person’s

use

of

the

tree

stand.

12

3.

The

natural

resource

commission

shall

adopt

rules

13

pursuant

to

chapter

17A

to

implement

this

section.

14

Sec.

2.

Section

481A.90,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

15

to

read

as

follows:

16

2.

This

section

does

not

prohibit

the

owner

,

the

owner’s

17

agent,

or

a

drainage

district

from

destroying

a

den

or

18

breaching

or

altering

a

beaver

dam

to

protect

the

owner’s

19

property.

20

Sec.

3.

Section

481A.92,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

21

to

read

as

follows:

22

1.

A

person

shall

not

use

or

attempt

to

use

colony

traps

in

23

taking,

capturing,

trapping,

or

killing

any

game

or

fur-bearing

24

animals

except

muskrats

as

determined

by

rule

of

the

25

commission.

Box

traps

capable

of

capturing

more

than

one

game

26

or

fur-bearing

animal

at

each

setting

are

prohibited.

A

valid

27

hunting

license

is

required

for

box

trapping

cottontail

rabbits

28

and

squirrels.

All

traps

and

snares

used

for

the

taking

of

29

fur-bearing

animals

shall

have

a

metal

tag

attached

plainly

30

labeled

with

the

user’s

department-issued

identification

number

31

or

name

and

address.

All

traps

and

snares,

except

those

which

32

that

are

placed

entirely

under

water,

shall

be

checked

at

33

least

once

every

twenty-four

hours.

Officers

appointed

by

the

34

department

may

confiscate

such

traps

and

snares

found

in

use

35

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260

that

are

not

properly

labeled

or

checked.

1

Sec.

4.

Section

481A.95,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

2

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

3

following:

4

2.

Fees

for

a

license

issued

under

this

section

shall

5

be

no

more

than

fifty

dollars

annually

for

a

resident

or

a

6

nonresident

fur

dealer.

7

Sec.

5.

Section

805.8B,

subsection

3,

paragraph

b,

Code

8

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

9

b.

For

violations

of

section

481A.41,

subsection

1,

sections

10

481A.54

,

481A.69

,

481A.71

,

481A.72

,

482.6

,

483A.3

,

483A.6

,

11

483A.8A

,

483A.19

,

483A.27

,

and

483A.27A

,

the

scheduled

fine

is

12

thirty

dollars.

13

EXPLANATION

14

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

15

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

16

This

bill

relates

to

wildlife,

including

the

treatment

of

17

beaver

dams,

identification

for

traps,

snares,

and

tree

stands,

18

and

maximum

fur

dealer

license

fees.

19

The

bill

requires

that

a

stand

placed

on

public

land

for

20

hunting

deer

be

affixed

with

and

exhibit

a

metal

plate

that

21

plainly

shows

the

department-issued

identification

number

22

of

the

owner

of

the

stand.

An

owner

who

does

not

properly

23

identify

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

belonging

to

the

24

owner

is

subject

to

a

scheduled

fine

of

$30.

The

bill

provides

25

that

an

owner

of

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

shall

not

26

be

held

liable

for

damage

to

personal

property

or

an

injury

27

resulting

from

another

person’s

use

of

the

tree

stand.

The

28

natural

resource

commission

shall

adopt

rules

to

implement

the

29

provisions

of

the

bill

relating

to

tree

stands.

30

Under

current

law,

a

person

is

generally

prohibited

from

31

disturbing,

in

any

manner,

any

den,

lodge,

or

house

of

a

32

fur-bearing

animal

or

beaver

dam

except

with

written

permission

33

of

an

officer

appointed

by

the

director.

The

bill

allows

a

34

property

owner,

the

property

owner’s

agent,

or

a

drainage

35

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260

district

to

breach

or

alter

a

beaver

dam

to

protect

the

1

person’s

property.

2

Under

current

law,

all

traps

and

snares

used

for

the

taking

3

of

fur-bearing

animals

require

a

metal

tag

attached

plainly

4

labeled

with

the

user’s

name

and

address.

The

bill

allows

the

5

user

the

option

of

labeling

the

trap

or

snare

with

the

user’s

6

department-issued

identification

number

instead

of

the

user’s

7

name

and

address.

8

The

bill

creates

a

maximum

fur

dealer

license

fee

of

$50,

9

regardless

of

resident

status.

Under

current

administrative

10

rules,

a

resident

fur

dealer

license

costs

$264

annually

and

11

a

nonresident

fur

dealer

license

costs

$586.50

annually

or

12

$292.50

for

one

day

and

one

location.

Current

law

allows

13

residents

from

another

state

to

purchase

a

fur

dealer

license

14

for

the

set

fee

unless

that

state

has

reciprocity

with

Iowa,

in

15

which

case

the

nonresident

shall

pay

the

reciprocity

fee

amount

16

that

is

less

than

the

nonresident

license

fee

but

more

than

the

17

Iowa

resident

license

fee.

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