Iowa Code § 523A.502 — IA Code / Title XIII / Chapter 523A / Section 523A.502
Sales agents — licenses.
Status: in_force

(1) A person shall not advertise, sell, promote, or offer to furnish cemetery merchandise, funeral merchandise, funeral services, or a combination thereof when performance or delivery may be more than one hundred twenty days following initial payment on the account unless the person has a sales license and is a sales agent of a person holding a preneed seller’s license. The preneed seller licensee is liable for the acts of its sales agents performed in advertising, selling, promoting, or offering to furnish, upon the future death of a person named or implied in a purchase agreement, cemetery merchandise, funeral merchandise, funeral services, or a combination thereof.

(2) This chapter does not permit a person to practice mortuary science without a license. A person holding a current sales license may advertise, sell, promote, or offer to furnish a funeral director’s services as an employee or agent of a funeral establishment furnishing the funeral services under chapter 156.

(3) An application for a sales license shall be filed on a form prescribed by the commissioner and be accompanied by a filing fee in an amount set by the commissioner by rule. The fees collected under this subsection shall be deposited as provided in section 505.7.

(4) (a) The commissioner shall request and obtain, notwithstanding section 692.2, subsection 5, criminal history data for any applicant for an initial license issued pursuant to this section, any applicant for reinstatement of a license issued pursuant to this section, or any licensee who is being monitored as a result of an order of the commissioner or agreement resolving an administrative disciplinary action, for the purpose of evaluating the applicant’s or licensee’s eligibility for licensure or suitability for continued practice as a sales agent. The commissioner shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to implement this section. The commissioner shall inform the applicant or licensee of the criminal history requirement and obtain a signed waiver from the applicant or licensee prior to submitting a criminal history data request.

(4) (b) A request for criminal history data shall be submitted to the department of public safety, division of criminal investigation, pursuant to section 692.2, subsection 1. The commissioner may also require such applicants or licensees, to provide a full set of fingerprints, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. Such fingerprints may be submitted to the federal bureau of investigation through the state criminal history repository for a national criminal history check. The commissioner may authorize alternate methods or sources for obtaining criminal history record information. The commissioner may, in addition to any other fees, charge and collect such amounts as may be incurred by the commissioner, the department of public safety, or the federal bureau of investigation in obtaining criminal history information. Amounts collected shall be considered appropriated receipts as defined in section 8.2.

(4) (c) Criminal history information relating to an applicant or licensee obtained by the commissioner pursuant to this section is confidential. The commissioner may, however, use such information in a license denial proceeding.

(5) A sales license shall expire annually on April 30. If a sales agent has filed an annual report pursuant to section 523A.502A, subsection 1, and has fulfilled the continuing education requirements pursuant to subsection 6, the commissioner shall renew the sales agent’s sales license until April 30 of the following year.

(6) A sales agent licensed pursuant to this section shall satisfactorily fulfill continuing education requirements for the license as prescribed by the commissioner by rule. However, this continuing education requirement is not applicable to a sales agent who is also a licensed insurance producer under chapter 522B or a licensed funeral director under chapter 156.

(7) A sales licensee shall inform the commissioner of changes in the information required to be provided in the application within thirty days of the change.

(8) A sales license is not assignable or transferable.

(9) If no denial order is in effect and no proceeding is pending under section 523A.503, the application becomes effective at noon of the thirtieth day after a completed application or an amendment completing the application is filed, unless waived by the applicant. The commissioner may specify an earlier effective date. Automatic effectiveness under this subsection shall not be deemed approval of the application. If the commissioner does not grant the license, the commissioner shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons for the denial.

(10) The commissioner may by rule create or accept a multijurisdiction sales license. If the sales license is issued by another jurisdiction, the rules shall require the filing of an application or notice form and payment of the applicable filing fee. The application or notice form utilized and the effective dates and terms of the license may vary from the provisions set forth in subsections 3 and 5.

2001 Acts, ch 118, §34; 2002 Acts, ch 1119, §83; 2004 Acts, ch 1104, §3; 2007 Acts, ch 175, §17; 2008 Acts, ch 1103, §7; 2008 Acts, ch 1123, §49, 50; 2009 Acts, ch 181, §93; 2015 Acts, ch 128, §39, 50, 51; 2021 Acts, ch 181, §37; 2024 Acts, ch 1185, §183