Title XI, NATURAL RESOURCES (Ch. 455 - 485)

A person, either singly or as one of a group of persons, shall not intentionally kill or wound, attempt to kill or wound, or pursue any animal, fowl, or fish from or with an aircraft in flight or from or with any self-propelled vehicles designed for travel on snow or ice which ut…

It shall be unlawful for any nonresident or alien to take turtles or crayfish in Iowa, by any means or method, except from the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and the Big Sioux river. [C62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §109.121 ] C93, §481A.121

1. A person shall not hunt deer with firearms unless the person is at the time wearing one or more of the following articles of visible, external apparel, the color and material of which shall be solid blaze orange: A vest, coat, jacket, sweatshirt, sweater, shirt, or coveralls. …

1. A person shall not discharge a firearm or shoot or attempt to shoot a game or fur-bearing animal within two hundred yards of a building inhabited by people or domestic livestock or within two hundred yards of a feedlot unless the owner or tenant has given consent. However, wit…

1. A person shall not take a predominantly white deer in this state. 2. This section only applies to whitetail, other than farm deer that are kept as provided in chapter 170 . 3. A person violating subsection 1 is guilty of a simple misdemeanor. 88 Acts, ch 1184, §1 C89, §109.124…

1. As used in this section , “interfere with hunting, fishing, or fur-harvesting activities” means one or more of the following: a. To intentionally place oneself in a location where a human presence may affect the behavior of a fur-bearing animal, game, bird, or fish or the feas…

1. As used in this section , “remote control or internet hunting” means use of a computer or other electronic device, equipment, or software to remotely control the aiming or discharge of a firearm or other weapon, allowing a person who is not physically present to take a wild an…

1. “Taxidermist” as used in this section means a person engaged in the business of preserving or mounting game, fish, or fur-bearing animals as defined in this chapter . 2. A license is required for the practice of taxidermy. The commission, upon application and payment of the re…

1. Any court having jurisdiction of the offense, upon receiving proof of probable cause for believing that any fish, mussels, clams, frogs, birds, furs, or animals caught, taken, killed, had in possession, under control, or shipped, contrary to the Code, or hidden or concealed in…

1. In addition to the penalties for violations of this chapter and chapters 350 , 461A , 481B , and 482 , a person convicted of unlawfully selling, taking, catching, killing, injuring, destroying, or having in possession any animal, shall reimburse the state for the value of such…

1. In each case of conviction of unlawfully taking, catching, killing, injuring, destroying, or having in possession any fish, game, or fur-bearing animal, the court shall enter a judgment in favor of the state of Iowa for liquidated damages in an amount as provided in section 48…

Service of process upon or arrest of any person charged with provisions of this chapter for which damages may be assessed pursuant to section 481A.130 , shall serve as notice of the pendency of the liquidated damage claim. Trial on the criminal charge may be separated from the de…

A person who is assessed damages pursuant to section 481A.130 shall immediately surrender all licenses, certificates, and permits to hunt, fish, or trap in the state to the department. The licenses, permits, and certificates, and the privileges associated with them shall remain s…

The department shall establish rules pursuant to chapter 17A providing for the suspension or revocation of licenses issued by the department. The rules may include procedures for summary cancellation of a license based on documentation that the licensee failed to pay the applicab…

1. The commission shall establish by rule, a recordkeeping system and other administrative procedures necessary to administer this section . 2. A person who pleads guilty or is convicted of a violation of any provision of this chapter or chapter 481B , 482 , 483A , 484A , or 484B…

1. A person shall not buy or sell a wild animal or part of a wild animal if the wild animal is taken, transported, or possessed in violation of the laws of this state, or a rule adopted by the department. 2. A person violating subsection 1 is guilty of a serious misdemeanor. 92 A…

1. While taking or attempting to take game or fur-bearing animals, a person shall not abandon an injured game or fur-bearing animal without making a reasonable effort to retrieve the animal from the field. A person shall not leave a useable portion of game or a fur-bearing animal…

1. The state shall not confiscate property seized under section 481A.12 or 481A.13 unless the person from whom the property was seized is convicted of the violation for which the property was seized. However, the state shall not return any fish or wildlife that is illegal to poss…

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to place, erect, or cause to be placed or erected, any dam or other device or contrivance in such manner as to hinder or obstruct the free passage of fish up, down, or through such waters, except as otherwise provided in t…

1. A person shall not engage in the business of aquaculture until that person has applied for and has been issued an aquaculture unit license from the department. The application period extends from January 1, or the date of the application, through December 31. A license shall n…

A holder of an aquaculture unit license may: 1. Possess, propagate, buy, sell, deal in, and transport the aquatic organisms produced from breeding stock legally acquired, including minnows. 2. Sell fish for stocking purposes within or outside the state. Fish which are nonindigeno…

1. Each licensed aquaculture unit shall prepare an annual report of all fish bought, sold, and shipped. The records shall include species name as well as the weight, volume, or count of fish involved. Reports shall be filed on or before December 31 of each year for the preceding …

1. A person shall not sell minnows, frogs, crayfish, or salamanders for fish bait without first obtaining a bait dealer’s license from the department upon payment of the license fee. A licensee shall comply with all laws pertaining to taking, possessing, and selling of bait handl…

1. Except for species listed as threatened or endangered under chapter 481B , a licensed bait dealer may take sufficient bait from lakes and streams of this state that are not closed to the taking of bait, to supply the licensee’s customers for hook and line fishing if the licens…

The director may take any fish from the public waters of the state, at any time and in any manner, for the purpose of propagation or restocking other waters, or exchanging with fish and wildlife agencies of other states, the federal government, or licensed aquaculture units. 92 A…

All fish in an aquaculture unit are private property and are not the property of the state, and the theft of fish from an aquaculture unit is punishable as provided in section 714.2 . 92 Acts, ch 1216, §9

It is unlawful for any owner or the owner’s agent to remove or destroy any existing dam, or alter it in a way so as to lower the water level, without having received written approval from the environmental protection commission of the department. [C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 1742; C46…

1. A person who is liable for polluting a water of this state in violation of state law, including this chapter , shall also be liable to pay restitution to the department for injury caused to a wild animal by the pollution. The amount of the restitution shall also include the de…

The director may take from the public waters of the state, at any time and in any manner, any fish for the purpose of propagating or restocking other waters, or exchanging with fish and wildlife agencies of other states, the federal government, or private fish hatcheries. [C97, §…

The department shall establish a target shooting sports program to promote recreational target shooting sports. The purposes of the program shall be to introduce more Iowans to target shooting sports, promote existing target shooting programs, provide more target shooting facilit…

This section applies to a person who is involved in a hunting incident with a firearm or a fall from a device that allows or assists a person to hunt from an elevated location, if the hunting incident results in an injury to a person, or property damage exceeding one hundred doll…

1. a. Any person licensed by the authority of Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, or South Dakota to take fish, game, mussels, or fur-bearing animals from or in the waters forming the boundary between such state and Iowa, may take such fish, game, mussels, or fur-…

The title and ownership of all fish, mussels, clams, and frogs in any of the public waters of the state, and in all ponds, sloughs, bayous, or other land and waters adjacent to any public waters stocked with fish by overflow of public waters, and of all wild game, animals, and bi…

This chapter shall not be construed to forbid the selling or shipping of parrots, canaries, or any other cage birds which are imported from other countries or not native to any part of the United States. [S13, §2563-r; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 1777; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73,…

A person shall not keep or use any live pigeon or other bird as a target, to be shot at for amusement or as a test of skill in marksmanship, or shoot at a bird kept or used for such purpose, or be a party to such shooting, or lease any building, room, field, or premises, or knowi…

1. a. All officially sanctioned field meets or trials and retriever meets or trials where the skill of dogs is demonstrated in pointing, retrieving, trailing, or chasing any game bird, game animal, or fur-bearing animal shall require a field trial permit. Except as otherwise prov…

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation, except as otherwise provided, to offer for transportation or to transport by common carrier or vehicle of any kind, to any place within or without the state, for the purposes of sale, any of the fish, game, animals, or bi…

1. For the purposes of this section : a. “One-way mobile radio transmitter” means a radio capable of transmitting a signal only but not capable of transmitting a voice signal. The signal may be tracked or located by radio telemetry or located by an audible sound. b. “Two-way mobi…

Except as otherwise provided, in any one day, a person shall not ship, carry, or transport game, fish, birds, or animals, except fur-bearing animals, in excess of the number the person is legally permitted to possess. [C97, §2555; SS15, §2555; C24, 27, 31, §1783; C35, §1782-e1; C…

Any person catching, taking, killing, or having in possession any of such fish, mussels, clams, frogs, game, animals, or birds, their nests or eggs, or other wildlife in violation of the provisions of this chapter , shall be held to consent that the title to the same shall be and…

In the shipping of fish, game, animals, birds, or furs, whenever a container includes one or more fish, game, animals, birds, or furs that are contraband, the entire contents of the container shall be deemed contraband and shall be seized by the director or the director’s officer…

It shall be lawful for any person, firm, or corporation to possess any fish or game lawfully taken outside the state and lawfully brought into the state, but the burden of proof shall be upon the person in possession of the fish or game to show that the fish or game was lawfully …

1. A person who does any of the following is guilty of a simple misdemeanor and shall be assessed a minimum fine of twenty dollars for each offense for which no other punishment is provided: a. Takes, catches, kills, injures, destroys, has in possession, buys, sells, ships, or tr…

1. A person who erects any dam or other obstruction prohibited by this chapter or at a place or in a manner prohibited shall be guilty of a simple misdemeanor. 2. A person who injures or destroys any dam lawfully erected shall be guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. [C97, §2548, …

A common carrier, and any agent, employee, or servant of a common carrier, which violates any of the provisions of this chapter relating to receiving, having in possession, shipping, or delivering any fish, fowl, birds, birds’ nests, eggs, or plumage, fur, raw pelts, game, or ani…

It shall be the duty of the attorney general, when requested by the director, to give the attorney general’s opinion in writing upon any question of law arising under this chapter ; and it shall be the duty of all county attorneys in this state when requested by the director or a…