RENEWALS
QUESTION: I have a Nonprofessional Permit to Carry Weapons that will be expiring in the next 12 months. What
do I need to do to renew the permit?
ANSWER: Iowa law specifies that an application to renew a permit must be submitted AT LEAST 30 days prior to
the expiration of the current permit. An application submitted LESS THAN 30 days prior to the expiration of the
current permit, or after the permit expires, cannot be accepted as a “renewal” application. Instead, it would need
to be submitted and processed as a “new” application, which carries a higher fee.
QUESTION: Do I need to complete another training course to renew my Nonprofessional Permit to Carry
Weapons?
ANSWER: Iowa law specifies that to renew a Permit to Carry Weapons, a person must complete any of the
acceptable forms of training, OR, at the discretion of the applicant, the applicant may instead choose to qualify
on a range under the supervision of a certified instructor. Iowa law does not prescribe a particular course of fire,
so the instructor determines what constitutes qualification. The completion of another training course OR
qualification on a range must occur within the 12 months prior to the expiration of the current permit. Since an application for a renewal must be submitted AT LEAST 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit, this
effectively leaves an 11 month window in which a person must complete training OR qualify on a range.
QUESTION: What happens if I do not submit my application for renewal AT LEAST 30 days prior to the
expiration of the current permit?
ANSWER: If a person waits until LESS THAN 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit, or after the
permit expires, the application will need to be submitted and processed as a “new” application. In such case, a
person would be required to submit proof of training. There is no timeframe specified for when the training must
have occurred. A person who misses the “renewal” window and files an application as a “new” application
cannot present proof of qualification on a range to satisfy the training requirement, unless qualification is part of
a training course. In other words, the option to simply qualify without completing a training course is ONLY
available to those who are renewing a permit.
