The primary purpose of Landowner / Tenant (LOT) registration is to help ensure LOT deer and turkey licenses are obtained only by those who meet the residency and eligibility requirements for these licenses.
All landowners, tenants, and their eligible family members must register with the DNR before obtaining LOT deer and turkey hunting licenses. Go Outdoors Iowa will not issue LOT licenses to unregistered landowners and tenants.
Please note that information used in the registration process will be provided to the Iowa Department of Revenue and/or the federal Internal Revenue Service so that these agencies can verify for tax purposes, including, but not limited to, agricultural status and land rental income, as applicable.
Before registering for LOT licenses, you must review the residency and eligibility requirements for LOT licenses; please see the instructions link below. There is also a link to frequently asked questions and common LOT scenarios which you may also find helpful. Instructions for LOT Registration
If you meet residency and eligibility requirements for LOT licenses there are two registration options: Online Registration and Mail-in Paper Registration Form:
Online Registration: Eligible landowners and tenants may register online at Go Outdoors Iowa. After successfully completing internet registration, you may obtain your LOT license(s) immediately at any license vendor. The DNR encourages internet registration because it is the quickest, easiest, and most reliable form of registration.
Please note that all registrations completed through the internet will be reviewed to ensure eligibility. Incomplete registrations or registrations found to not meet eligibility requirements will be inactivated.
Mail Registration: Eligible landowner and tenants may register by downloading and completing paper registration form 542-8070. After the DNR receives your mailed registration form, up to 10 business days may be required for processing. If your form contains errors, the registration process may be further delayed.
My farm unit consists of both owned and rented land, so should I register as a landowner or a tenant? If your farm unit contains both owned and rented land, and your own land meets eligibility requirements, the DNR suggests that you register as a landowner, spouse of landowner, or child of a landowner. This is because rental contracts can change from year to year, and if you registered as a tenant the information you provide may become outdated more quickly.
My farm unit consists of multiple parcels, how do I list them all? Only one parcel identification number from a qualifying parcel of land is required to demonstrate eligibility. If your farm unit consists of multiple parcels, you do not need to list multiple parcels or submit multiple registration forms. Once you have successfully completed LOT Registration, you may obtain your LOT license(s) and hunt on all parcels of land within your farm unit, regardless of whether you own or rent them.
How long does my LOT registration remain effective? Your registration will remain effective until the registration information you provided is no longer valid. The DNR will periodically review LOT registration information, and those who have obtained LOT licenses illegally may be prosecuted. If the information you initially provided becomes invalid in the future, you must notify the DNR at 515-725-8200 to update your registration information before obtaining any LOT licenses. If the information you provided does not change, you will not need to register again. Once you have registered, you may review your registration information or inactivate your registration by going to the online LOT Registration Page.
To register as a landowner or tenant, you must meet the definition of "resident" as outlined in Iowa Code 483A.1A and summarized below.
Resident means a natural person who meets one of the following criteria during each year in which the person claims status as a resident:
Has physically resided in this state as the person's principal and primary residence or domicile for period of not less than 90 consecutive days immediately before applying for or purchasing a resident license, tag, or permit and has an Iowa driver's license or an Iowa non operator's identification card. A person is not considered a resident under this paragraph if the person is residing in the state only for a special or temporary purpose including but not limited to engaging in hunting, fishing or trapping.
Is a full-time student at an accredited educational institution in Iowa and resides in Iowa while attending the educational institution, or are a full-time student under 25 years of age at an accredited educational institution outside the state as long as at least one parent or legal guardian maintains a principal and primary residence in Iowa.
Is a student who qualifies as a resident pursuant to the above paragraph only for the purpose of purchasing any resident license specified in sec. 483A.1 or 484A.2.
Is a nonresident under 18 years of age with a parent who is a legal resident of Iowa.
Is a member of the armed forces of the United States who is serving on active duty, claims residency in Iowa, and has filed a state individual income tax return for the preceding tax year, or is stationed in this state.
Unless you qualify under 2, 3, 4 or 5 above, a person shall not purchase or apply for any resident license or permit if that person has claimed residency in any other state or country.
An Iowa resident hunting license will be invalid if you:
Obtain the license under false pretenses. Providing false information on a deer or wild turkey hunting license or application invalidates that license and transportation tag and all other deer or turkey licenses/tags obtained during the same year.
Do anything that would forfeit your eligibility for a resident license after the license is obtained, such as moving out of Iowa or purchasing a resident hunting privilege in another state or country.
Landowner/Tenant licenses are valid only on the farm unit of the owner or tenant. The qualifying landowner or tenant does not have to reside on the farm, but must qualify under the following definitions:
List items for Landowner/Tenant Eligibility
A resident of Iowa who is the spouse or child of the owner or tenant and who resides with the owner or tenant.
All parcels of land that are in tracts of 2 or more contiguous acres that are operated as a unit for agricultural purposes and are under the lawful control of the landowner or tenant. Parcels of land in a farm unit need not be contiguous, but all will be considered part of a single farm unit regardless of how those parcels are subdivided for agricultural or business purposes. An owner cannot receive a Landowner-Tenant license on one parcel and a family member receive a Landowner-Tenant License on another, even if the parcels are separate business operations.
An owner of a farm unit who is a resident of Iowa and who is one of the following:
Is the sole operator of the farm unit.
Makes all farm operating decisions but contracts for custom farming or hires labor for all or part of the work on the farm unit.
Participates annually in farm operation decisions or cropping practices on specific fields of the farm unit that are rented to a tenant.
Raises specialty crops on the farm unit including, but not limited to, orchards, nurseries or trees that do not always produce annual income but require annual operating decisions about maintenance or improvement.
Has all or part of the farm unit enrolled in a long-term agricultural land retirement program of the federal government.
Rents the entire farm to an adult child who operates the farm.
An owner does not mean a person who owns a farm unit and who employs a farm manager or third party to operate the farm unit, or a person who owns a farm unit and who rents the entire farm to a tenant who is responsible for all farm operations (unless the renter is the owner’s child).
A person who is a resident of Iowa and who rents and actively farms a farm unit owned by another person. A member of the owner’s family may be a tenant. Rental includes cash rent and share crop arrangements. A person who works on a farm for a wage and is not a family member does not qualify as a tenant.
