A bill for an act relating to wildlife, including the treatment of beaver dams, identification for traps, snares, and tree stands, maximum fur dealer license fees, and deer depredation, and making penalties applicable. (Formerly SF 260 , SSB 1093 .) Effective date: 07/01/2026

Senate

File

654

-

Enrolled

Senate

File

654

AN

ACT

RELATING

TO

WILDLIFE,

INCLUDING

THE

TREATMENT

OF

BEAVER

DAMS,

IDENTIFICATION

FOR

TRAPS,

SNARES,

AND

TREE

STANDS,

MAXIMUM

FUR

DEALER

LICENSE

FEES,

AND

DEER

DEPREDATION,

AND

MAKING

PENALTIES

APPLICABLE.

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

Section

1.

NEW

SECTION

.

481A.41

Tree

stands

for

hunting

deer

on

public

land

——

identification

——

prohibition.

1.

A

person

shall

not

place

a

tree

stand

for

hunting

deer

on

public

land

unless

the

stand

is

affixed

with

and

exhibits

a

metal

plate

that

plainly

shows

the

department-issued

identification

number

of

the

owner

of

the

stand.

A

person

who

fails

to

properly

identify

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

belonging

to

the

person

is

subject

to

a

scheduled

fine

under

section

805.8B,

subsection

3,

paragraph

“b”

.

2.

An

owner

of

a

tree

stand

placed

on

public

land

shall

not

be

held

liable

for

damage

to

personal

property

or

an

injury

resulting

from

another

person’s

use

of

the

tree

stand.

3.

The

natural

resource

commission

shall

adopt

rules

pursuant

to

chapter

17A

to

implement

this

section.

Sec.

2.

Section

481A.90,

subsection

2,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2.

This

section

does

not

prohibit

the

owner

,

the

owner’s

agent,

or

a

drainage

district

from

destroying

a

den

or

breaching

or

altering

a

beaver

dam

to

protect

the

owner’s

property.

Senate

File

654,

p.

2

Sec.

3.

Section

481A.92,

subsection

1,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

1.

A

person

shall

not

use

or

attempt

to

use

colony

traps

in

taking,

capturing,

trapping,

or

killing

any

game

or

fur-bearing

animals

except

muskrats

as

determined

by

rule

of

the

commission.

Box

traps

capable

of

capturing

more

than

one

game

or

fur-bearing

animal

at

each

setting

are

prohibited.

A

valid

hunting

license

is

required

for

box

trapping

cottontail

rabbits

and

squirrels.

All

traps

and

snares

used

for

the

taking

of

fur-bearing

animals

shall

have

a

metal

tag

attached

plainly

labeled

with

the

user’s

department-issued

identification

number

or

name

and

address.

All

traps

and

snares,

except

those

which

that

are

placed

entirely

under

water,

shall

be

checked

at

least

once

every

twenty-four

hours.

Officers

appointed

by

the

department

may

confiscate

such

traps

and

snares

found

in

use

that

are

not

properly

labeled

or

checked.

Sec.

4.

Section

481A.95,

subsection

2,

Code

2026,

is

amended

by

striking

the

subsection

and

inserting

in

lieu

thereof

the

following:

2.

Fees

for

a

license

issued

under

this

section

shall

be

no

more

than

fifty

dollars

annually

for

a

resident

or

a

nonresident

fur

dealer.

Sec.

5.

Section

481C.2,

subsections

1

and

2,

Code

2026,

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

1.

The

director

of

the

department

of

natural

resources

shall

enter

into

a

memorandum

of

agreement

with

the

United

States

department

of

agriculture,

animal

damage

control

division.

The

wild

animal

depredation

unit

shall

serve

and

act

as

the

liaison

to

the

department

for

the

producers

in

the

state

who

suffer

crop,

horticultural

product,

tree,

or

nursery

damage

an

economic

loss

to

agriculture,

horticulture,

or

silviculture

operations

due

to

wild

animals.

2.

The

department

shall

issue

depredation

permits

and

deer

shooting

permits

to

any

landowner

or

tenant,

as

defined

under

section

483A.24,

subsection

2,

upon

receiving

written

approval

from

the

landowner,

who

incurs

crop,

horticultural

product,

tree,

or

nursery

damage

suffers

an

economic

loss

of

one

thousand

dollars

or

more

to

agriculture,

horticulture,

or

silviculture

operations

due

to

wild

animals.

The

department

Senate

File

654,

p.

3

shall

allow

any

conservation

officer

to

issue

permits

pursuant

to

this

chapter.

Sec.

6.

Section

481C.2A,

subsection

2,

paragraph

a,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

a.

Deer

shooting

permits

shall

be

available

for

issuance

to

landowners

or

tenants,

as

defined

under

section

483A.24,

subsection

2,

upon

receiving

written

approval

from

the

landowner,

who

incur

crop,

horticultural

product,

tree,

or

nursery

damage

suffer

an

economic

loss

to

agriculture,

horticulture,

or

silviculture

operations

as

provided

in

section

481C.2

and

shall

be

available

for

issuance

for

use

on

areas

where

public

safety

may

be

an

issue.

Sec.

7.

Section

805.8B,

subsection

3,

paragraph

b,

Code

2026,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

b.

For

violations

of

section

481A.41,

subsection

1,

sections

481A.54

,

481A.69

,

481A.71

,

481A.72

,

482.6

,

483A.3

,

483A.6

,

483A.8A

,

483A.19

,

483A.27

,

and

483A.27A

,

the

scheduled

fine

is

thirty

dollars.

______________________________

AMY

SINCLAIR

President

of

the

Senate

______________________________

PAT

GRASSLEY

Speaker

of

the

House

I

hereby

certify

that

this

bill

originated

in

the

Senate

and

is

known

as

Senate

File

654,

Ninety-first

General

Assembly.

______________________________

W.

CHARLES

SMITHSON

Secretary

of

the

Senate

Approved

_______________,

2026

______________________________

KIM

REYNOLDS

Governor