Iowa Permit to Carry: Do You Still Need One, and Is There a Test?

If you searched this, you probably already know Iowa went permitless. The real question is whether the permit is still worth the time and money for you. For a lot of people it is, and it comes down to where you go.

Why Iowans still get the permit

• Leaving Iowa. Permitless carry is Iowa law, so it ends at the border. Another state decides for itself whether to honor an Iowa permit. If you drive into neighboring states, the permit is what you'd be relying on.
• Clarity at home. The permit is valid throughout Iowa except where state or federal law prohibits carrying (§ 724.7), and it's a document you can show rather than an argument you have to make.
• Federal school-zone law. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act has an exception for people licensed by the state the school zone is in. Permitless carry involves no license. This one turns on details, so talk to an Iowa attorney before relying on it.

Is there a test?

Iowa doesn't give a state written exam. What § 724.9 requires, for an initial permit only, is proof that you completed qualifying firearm-safety training. The qualifying options include:

• An NRA handgun safety course, or one taught by an instructor certified by an organization approved by the Department of Public Safety
• A handgun safety course open to the public from a law enforcement agency, college, organization or training school using certified instructors
• Security, investigator or law-enforcement handgun training approved by the Department of Public Safety
• Small-arms training in the U.S. armed forces
• A hunter education program, if it included handgun safety and says so on the certificate

Section 724.9(2) says the course may be taken over the internet, live or web-based, as long as the instructor or provider verifies completion. There's no live-fire requirement in the statute. And § 724.9(3) says renewals don't need training at all. A course may include its own quiz, but that's the provider's, not the state's.

Who's eligible

Under § 724.8, a permit can't be issued to anyone who:

• Is under 18
• Is addicted to alcohol
• Is likely to use a weapon unlawfully or dangerously, based on documented actions, at least one within the past two years
• Was convicted within the past three years of a serious or aggravated misdemeanor under chapter 708 that didn't involve a firearm or explosive
• Is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law or § 724.26

Applying, cost and timing

1. 01Complete the training and keep the certificate.
2. 02Apply to the sheriff of the county where you live (§ 724.11).
3. 03Pay $50 for an initial permit. Renewals and duplicates are $25 if you apply within 30 days before or after expiration; later than that, you pay the initial fee.
4. 04The sheriff must approve or deny within 30 days. If they do neither, the law treats it as approved. A denial can be reviewed under § 724.21A.

The permit lasts five years. One detail people miss: by statute the permit itself states that it's invalid while you're intoxicated.

Iowa and other states

Recognition runs in two directions, and they're different questions.

• Visitors to Iowa: § 724.11A treats a valid permit or license from any other state, held by a nonresident, as a valid Iowa permit to carry.
• Iowans traveling out: whether your Iowa permit is honored is up to each state you enter. Check the law of every state on your route before you go. Don't rely on a map you found once.