IOWA RESIDENCY
To register as a landowner or a tenant, you must be a resident of Iowa. If you do not meet at least one of the following criteria, you are not eligible to register for, or obtain, landowner/tenant licenses.
1. Have an Iowa driver’s license or Iowa non-operator’s identification card and have physically resided in Iowa at least 30 consecutive days immediately before applying for or purchasing a resident license.
2. Be registered to vote in Iowa. In order to do so, you must meet all of the qualifications to register to vote as outlined in Iowa Code chapter 48A.5.
3. Be a full-time student at an educational institution located in Iowa and reside in Iowa while attending the educational institution.
4. Be a nonresident under 18 years of age whose parent is a resident of Iowa.
5. Be a member of the armed forces of the United States serving on active duty, and: (a) is stationed in Iowa or (b) is stationed outside of Iowa, claims residency in Iowa, and has filed an Iowa income tax return for the preceding tax year.

If you qualify under “1” or “2” above, you may not register for, or obtain, landowner/tenant licenses if you have done any of the following:
• Have a currently valid resident hunting, fishing, trapping or other recreational license issued in another state or country
• Have a currently valid driver’s license issued in another state or country
• Are legally registered to vote in another state or country
• Claim a homestead or other state tax exemption in another state or country
• Are receiving public assistance in another state or country
This is not a complete list. Other privileges claimed as a resident of another state or country may also be disqualifying.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR LANDOWNER/TENANT LICENSES?
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:

“Family member” means a resident of Iowa who is the spouse or child of the owner or tenant and who resides with the owner or tenant.

“Farm unit / Qualifying parcel” means 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.

“Owner” means an owner of a farm unit who is a resident of Iowa and who is one of the following:

A. Is the sole operator of the farm unit.

B. Makes all farm operating decisions but contracts for custom farming or hires labor for all or part of the work on the farm unit.

C. Participates annually in farm operation decisions or cropping practices on specific fields of the farm unit that are rented to a tenant.

D. 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.

E. Has all or part of the farm unit enrolled in a long-term agricultural land retirement program of the federal government.

F. Rents the entire farm to an adult child who operates the farm.

G. 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).

“Tenant” means 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.

See Common Landowner/Tenant Scenarios if you are unsure of your eligibility for Landowner/Tenant licenses.