Senate File 281 - Introduced SENATE FILE 281 BY GREEN A BILL FOR An Act prohibiting hunting near public recreation areas, and 1 making penalties applicable. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2587XS (2) 91 sb/js
S.F. 281 Section 1. Section 481A.123, subsections 1, 2, 3, and 4, 1 Code 2025, are amended to read as follows: 2 1. A person shall not discharge a firearm or shoot or 3 attempt to shoot a game or fur-bearing animal within two 4 hundred yards of a building inhabited by people or domestic 5 livestock , within two hundred yards of a public recreation 6 area, or within two hundred yards of a feedlot unless the owner 7 or tenant has given consent. However, within the corporate 8 limits of a city, a person may take deer with a firearm within 9 fifty yards of a building inhabited by people or domestic 10 livestock, or a feedlot pursuant to an approved special deer 11 population control plan, if the person obtains permission of 12 the owner or tenant of the building or feedlot. 13 2. As used in this section , feedlot : 14 a. Feedlot means a lot, yard, corral, or other area in 15 which livestock are present and confined, for the purposes of 16 feeding and growth before slaughter. The term does not include 17 areas which that are used for the raising of crops or other 18 vegetation and upon which livestock are allowed to graze or 19 feed. 20 b. Public recreation area means land acquired or developed 21 for public recreation and identified as a public recreation 22 area by the city, county, state, or federal government, except 23 for public hunting areas, as defined under subsection 4. 24 3. a. This section does not apply to the discharge of a 25 firearm for the purpose of target shooting on premises posted 26 as a target shooting range that is open to the public, if the 27 premises have been used as a target shooting range prior to 28 the erection of a building inhabited by people or domestic 29 livestock, prior to the establishment of a public recreation 30 area, or prior to the construction of a feedlot, located 31 within two hundred yards of the target shooting range. This 32 subsection applies only to the erection of a building inhabited 33 by people or domestic livestock or to the construction of a 34 feedlot located within two hundred yards of a target shooting 35 -1- LSB 2587XS (2) 91 sb/js 1/ 3
S.F. 281 range that is open to the public and that is identified as a 1 target shooting range by the city, county, state, or federal 2 government, which erection or construction occurs on or after 3 May 14, 2004 , and to the establishment of a public recreation 4 area located within two hundred yards of a target shooting 5 range that is open to the public and that is identified 6 as a target shooting range by the city, county, state, or 7 federal government, which establishment occurs on or after the 8 effective date of this Act . 9 b. As used in this subsection , target shooting means the 10 discharge of a firearm at an inanimate object, for amusement or 11 as a test of skill in marksmanship. 12 4. a. This section does not apply to the discharge of a 13 firearm on premises identified as a public hunting area, if the 14 premises have been identified as a public hunting area prior 15 to the erection of a building inhabited by people or domestic 16 livestock, prior to the establishment of a public recreation 17 area, or prior to the construction of a feedlot, located within 18 two hundred yards of the public hunting area. This subsection 19 applies only to the erection of a building inhabited by people 20 or domestic livestock or to the construction of a feedlot 21 located within two hundred yards of a public hunting area, 22 which erection or construction occurs on or after May 14, 2004 , 23 and to the establishment of a public recreation area within two 24 hundred yards of a public hunting area, which establishment 25 occurs on or after the effective date of this Act . 26 b. As used in this subsection , public hunting area means 27 public lands or waters available for hunting by the public, and 28 identified as a public hunting area by the city, county, state, 29 or federal government. 30 EXPLANATION 31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 32 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 33 This bill prohibits hunting near public recreation areas. 34 The bill prohibits a person from discharging a firearm 35 -2- LSB 2587XS (2) 91 sb/js 2/ 3
S.F. 281 or shooting or attempting to shoot a game or fur-bearing 1 animal within 200 yards of a public recreation area. The 2 bill provides exceptions for target shooting ranges and 3 public hunting areas established before the implementation 4 of the bill. The prohibition in the bill does not apply to 5 the discharge of a firearm for the purpose of developing and 6 retaining the shooting proficiency of certified law enforcement 7 officers on premises owned by the state, a county, or a 8 municipality, and operated by a law enforcement agency, that 9 are not open to the general public and that were in operation 10 prior to March 28, 2013. 11 A person who violates the bill commits a simple misdemeanor 12 punishable by a scheduled fine of $35. 13 -3- LSB 2587XS (2) 91 sb/js 3/ 3