the topics of the law changes?

ANSWER: House File 517 was passed by the Iowa General Assembly during the 2017 legislative session and was signed into

law on April 13, 2017. The law changes relate to weapons permits and other topics, including but not limited to possession

of certain firearms, supervised possession of handguns by minors, government authority relating to firearms, and selfdefense.

ANSWER: Most of the law changes in HF 517 have an effective date of July 1, 2017, however, two provisions have an

effective date of April 13, 2017. It is important to note that one provision of HF 517 related to uniform permit cards cannot

be fully implemented on July 1, 2017. Often when a new law takes effect, it is necessary for affected units of government

to adopt new rules, develop new procedures, reprogram computer systems, and sometimes purchase new equipment and

materials, and then implementation of the law change follows after the effective date of the law change. This is the case

for the uniform permit card provisions of HF 517.

ANSWER: One provision relates to supervised possession of a handgun by a minor. For many years, Iowa law has required

that a person under the age of 21 must, in most circumstances, have parent or guardian approval and supervision to

possess a handgun. The minimum age for supervised possession of a handgun by a minor had been 14. The new law

eliminates the minimum age provision, and more explicitly states that the required supervision must be direct supervision,

and the person who is supervising possession of a handgun by a minor must not be intoxicated or impaired by alcohol or

drugs. The second provision relates to permit confidentiality. Under prior law, most permit related information, including

the application form, was a public record. The new law makes permit information confidential and therefore not available

for general release to the public.

ANSWER: The new law requires that weapons permits be of uniform appearance, size, and content. For decades, Iowa’s

standard permits have been large paper tear‐off forms that are not durable or convenient to carry. A number of years ago,

rules adopted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety allowed Sheriffs Offices to develop and print wallet size permit

cards of their own design and content. While this allowed many counties to develop better quality permits, it also resulted

in wide variation in permit appearance and type. In passing HF 517, Iowa’s elected officials established a requirement that

permit cards be standardized.

ANSWER: As soon as HF 517 was signed into law, work began to identify the options to have truly uniform, durable, and

secure permit cards. The Iowa Department of Public Safety has been working closely with Iowa’s 99 Sheriffs Offices to

identify a method to generate uniform permit cards, while still allowing Sheriffs Offices to use their existing systems and

procedures for processing applications, issuing permits, and storing permit records. To become operational with a system

to print uniform permit cards, it is necessary to design the various permit card types (permit to acquire, nonprofessional

permit to carry, professional permit to carry, etc…), acquire printing services and materials, provide measures to protect

confidential permit related data, and develop rules and procedures for issuance of the permits. Despite the complexity of

the initiative, DPS and Sheriffs Offices have been working diligently to become operational with a new permit printing

system in just a few months following the law change. Though Sheriffs Offices and DPS are working cooperatively on the

uniform permit card project, ultimately, each individual Sheriffs Office will have to proceed according to the statewide rollout

schedule specified by DPS. When the new permit cards are available, a public announcement will be made.

take effect, or before the law changes are fully implemented – do I have to get a new permit card when they are ready?

ANSWER: No, a permit issued prior to the change in law or during the transition period to the new cards will remain a valid

permit, unless suspended, revoked, or cancelled as provided by law.

Prepared by the Iowa Department of Public Safety 2 Version 1: June 28, 2017

Can I obtain a duplicate of a current permit, but printed on the new uniform wallet size card?

ANSWER: Yes, once the printing of NEW and RENEWAL uniform permit cards becomes operational, a person who wishes to

able correctly process a “no fee” card exchange for those people issued permits on or after July 1 but before the uniform

permit cards are available.

necessary to print the cards, could the information simply be added to my driver’s license or non‐operator ID file?

ANSWER: The new law does not provide for integrating weapons permit issuance with driver’s license or non‐operator IDs,

and doing so would have presented a number of issues, including the fact that there are people who are eligible for certain

types of weapons permits, but who are not required to have an Iowa driver’s license or non‐operator ID card. Iowa’s

weapons permit information will remain separate from driver’s license and non‐operator ID information.

Weapons?

ANSWER: Under Iowa law, the Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons is issued to residents of Iowa by the Sheriff of the

applicant’s county of residence. Several Iowa Sheriff’s Office (including Black Hawk, Dallas, Dubuque, Polk, and Scott

Counties) are using an online version of the application form. An applicant should check with the Sheriff’s Office of the

applicant’s county of residence to obtain details about the application procedure, including hours of operation, office

location, and forms of payment accepted.

permit?

ANSWER: Effective July 1, 2017, there is a 60 day renewal window. A person wishing to renew a Permit to Carry Weapons

must apply within 30 days before the permit expires, or within 30 days after the permit expires, otherwise the higher NEW

permit fee must be charged. Please note that while a permit can be renewed within 30 days after it expires, a person

whose permit has expired should not go armed in a fashion that requires a permit until a person has renewed their permit.

Weapons?

ANSWER: No. A person who holds (or held) a permit issued on or after 1/1/2011 is not required to complete another

training course to renew or obtain a new permit to carry weapons, however, please note that even though re‐training is

not required, completing another training course or taking other steps to learn about law changes could be highly

beneficial to a person who intends to go armed.

notify anyone of the change of address and am I required to obtain an permit showing my new address?

ANSWER: Iowa DPS has long been recommending that a person notify the Sheriff’s Office that issued a permit when a

person has a change of address. However, if a person moved from one county to another, a person has needed to start

over to get a permit showing their new address, as the Sheriff of the new county of residence cannot issue a duplicate or

renew a permit that the Sheriff did not issue. Under the new law, there will be a procedure to allow a person to transfer

their permit from one county to another after a move. This transfer process is currently being developed and should be

available once the new permit cards are available.

How can I get a copy of the law and where can I learn more about the law?

ANSWER: Most of the changes were made in House File 517. However, there were also some highly technical changes

made in another bill, Senate File 516. To see the actual wording of the new laws, it would be necessary to read both House

File 517 and Division V of Senate File 516. Both bills are available online at the following web addresses: