FFL Dealers in Iowa
1,094 federally licensed firearms dealers across Iowa, from the ATF’s published licensee list. Pick a city for names, addresses and phone numbers.
This is the ATF licensee list — who holds a licence and where. It is not opening hours, not transfer fees, and not a guarantee that a given dealer handles private-party transfers. Call before you drive.
What Iowa requires for a private transfer
- Iowa does not require a private sale to go through a licensed dealer. Using one anyway is what puts a background check and a paper trail behind the sale — which is the part that protects the seller if the firearm later turns up somewhere it should not.
- Iowa requires a permit to purchase for some firearms.
- Transfers between immediate family members are generally exempt in Iowa, though documenting one is still worth doing.
- Permit-to-purchase repealed 2021. Permitless carry.
Cities in Iowa
- Cedar Rapids20
- Des Moines20
- Ankeny17
- Sioux City17
- Burlington14
- Cedar Falls14
- Mason City13
- Davenport12
- Dubuque12
- Iowa City12
- Council Bluffs11
- Osage11
- Fort Dodge10
- Spencer10
- Waterloo10
- Ames9
- Decorah9
- Glenwood9
- Grinnell9
- Keokuk9
- Newton9
- Bettendorf8
- Maquoketa8
- Oskaloosa8
- Pleasant Hill8
Another 805 Iowa dealers are in towns with fewer than 8 licensees each, so they do not have a page of their own. Search by ZIP code to find those.
Doing the transfer itself
A dealer handles the background check. The bill of sale, both parties’ records and a permanent copy of the paperwork are what Gun Transfer does — $50 flat, about ten minutes.
How it works