Iowa building permits

Where to get a building permit in Iowa

Apply to the building department of the city, town or county where the property is (the steps).

Iowa state agencies

These offices set statewide codes or license the trades. They do not issue permits for most home projects.

Building code in Iowa

Every code family, edition and effective date is on Iowa building codes.

State rules on which work needs a permit

Iowa Code §§ 103.23, 331.304(2)(b), 335.2; 481 IAC 301.8(2), 404.5

• The state-adopted IRC omits the administrative sections, including R105 permits and exemptions. 301.8(2) Delete sections R103 through R114 and sections therein.⁶
• Local adopters may add administrative provisions. Any local jurisdiction that adopts the state building code by local ordinance may further adopt provisions for the administration and enforcement of the building code by the local jurisdiction.¹³
• County building codes exclude farm houses and farm buildings. A county building code shall not apply to farm houses or other farm buildings which are primarily adapted for use for agricultural purposes, while so used or under construction for that use.²
• County zoning excludes farm buildings. Except to the extent required to implement section 335.27, no ordinance adopted under this chapter applies to land, farm houses, farm barns, farm outbuildings, or other buildings or structures that are primarily adapted, by reason of nature and area, for use for agricultural purposes, while so used.¹⁴
• Small-work electrical exception: licensed work, no panel work, up to 30 A, up to 277 V. Neither a permit nor an inspection is required for an electrical installation that meets all of the following criteria…³
• The installation to be performed does not involve over-current protection of more than 30 amperes.³
• State exception for farm electrical work, except a residence on a farm. Neither a permit nor an inspection is required for any electrical installation on a farm or a farm building if the farm building is not regularly open to the public as a place of business for the retail sale of goods, wares, services, or merchandise.³
• Local programs can require inspection of work the state exempts. The board may by rule exempt specified types of new electrical installations from the state electrical inspection requirements under section 103.23, provided that a political subdivision conducting inspections pursuant to section 103.24 shall not be prohibited from requiring inspection of any new electrical installation exempt by rule from state inspection pursuant to this subsection.¹⁵

Homeowners doing their own work

Iowa Code §§ 91C.1(1)(a), 103.22(7), 105.11(3), 105.11(14)

• Work on your own property is outside contractor registration. However, a person who earns less than two thousand dollars annually or who performs work or has work performed on the person’s own property is not a contractor for purposes of this chapter.¹⁶
• Electrical licensing exemption: owner, principal residence, existing dwelling, single-family size. Prohibit an owner of property from performing work on the owner’s principal residence, if such residence is an existing dwelling rather than new construction and is not an apartment that is attached to any other apartment or building, as those terms are defined in section 499B.2, and is not larger than a single-family dwelling, or require such owner to be licensed under this chapter.¹⁵
• Plumbing and mechanical licensing exemption: owner, principal residence or farm property. Prohibit an owner of property from performing work on the owner’s principal residence, if such residence is an existing dwelling rather than new construction and is not larger than a single-family dwelling, or farm property, excluding commercial or industrial installations or installations in public use buildings or facilities, or require such owner to be licensed under this chapter.¹⁰
• Residence must qualify for the homestead tax credit or exemption. In order to qualify for inapplicability pursuant to this subsection, a residence shall qualify for the homestead tax credit or exemption.¹⁷
• Non-paid helpers on an owner’s principal residence are outside chapter 105. Apply to a person who is performing work on a volunteer, non-paid basis or assisting a property owner performing non-paid work on the owner’s principal residence.¹⁰
• Property owners can request state electrical permits. Prior to commencement of any electrical installation requiring an inspection, the licensee or property owner making such installation shall notify the electrical inspection program of the installation by applying for a permit unless the installation is an emergency installation.³
• Owner-requested inspection minimum fee: $30 plus $5 per branch circuit or feeder. When an inspection is requested by a property owner, the minimum fee shall be thirty dollars plus five dollars per branch circuit or feeder.¹⁵

Contractor licensing

Iowa Code ch. 91C; §§ 103.8, 105.10; 481 IAC ch. 465

• State registration, not a general contractor license, for construction contractors. A contractor doing business in this state shall register with the director and shall meet all of the following requirements as a condition of registration…¹⁶
• Register before performing work. Before performing any construction work in this state, a contractor shall be registered with the department.¹⁸
• “Construction” is broad. The definition of construction is very broad.⁷
• $50 application fee. There is a $50 application fee.⁷
• Fee capped at $50 per year. The director shall prescribe the fee for registration, which fee shall not exceed fifty dollars per year.¹⁶
• $25,000. An out-of-state contractor shall either file a surety bond, as provided in section 91C.7, with the department in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars or shall provide…¹⁶
• Permits cannot be issued to unregistered contractors who must register. However, a permit, certificate, authorization, or other required document for the construction of a building shall not be issued to a contractor who is required and fails to obtain a contractor registration number pursuant to chapter 91C.¹
• Electrical contractors must be licensed. No person, except a person licensed as an electrical contractor, shall engage in the business of providing new electrical installations or any other electrical services regulated under this chapter.¹⁵
• Plumbing and mechanical contractors need a board license. Plumbing and mechanical contractors need a Contractor License.⁷
• Penalty up to $500 first violation, up to $5,000 repeat. The administrative penalties which may be imposed under this section shall be not more than five hundred dollars in the case of a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars for each violation in the case of a second or subsequent violation.¹⁶
• DIAL’s description of penalties. Violators may receive a $500 citation for a first violation.⁷
• Roof and catastrophe-repair contractors: insurance deductible rule. A residential contractor shall not advertise or promise to rebate any insurance deductible or any portion thereof as an inducement to the sale of goods or services.¹

Handyman limits

Iowa Code § 91C.1(1)(a); 481 IAC 465.1

• $2,000. However, a person who earns less than two thousand dollars annually or who performs work or has work performed on the person’s own property is not a contractor for purposes of this chapter.¹⁶
• $2,000. Individuals or businesses making less than $2,000 a year on “construction” work, or who work only on their own real estate or property, are not required to register.⁷
• $2,000. The rules in this chapter apply to all construction contractors, except for a person who earns less than $2,000 annually or who performs work or has work performed on the person’s own property.¹⁸

Deadlines for permit decisions and inspections

Iowa Code §§ 364.3(23)(c), 103.31(1); 481 IAC 300.4(2)(c)

• ADU applications: no longer than the normal single-family review schedule. An accessory dwelling unit permit application shall not have a review timeline or schedule in excess of a city’s normal review schedule for a single family residence.¹⁹
• 3 business days. An inspection shall be made within three business days of the submission of a request for an inspection as provided in section 103.25.¹⁵
• 60 days. A person who has submitted a plan for review for which a fee has been assessed pursuant to paragraph 300.4(2)“b” is eligible to receive a refund of the fee if the plan has not been approved or rejected within 60 calendar days of its receipt by the building code bureau.¹³
• 60 days. Review of the disapproval or failure to approve within sixty days after submission of…¹

Private plan review and inspections

Iowa Code § 103A.10A(1), (3); 481 IAC 300.5(1)

• The state can use independent inspectors on state-owned new construction. All newly constructed buildings or structures subject to the state building code, including any addition, but excluding any renovation or repair of such a building or structure, owned by the state or an agency of the state, except as provided in subsection 2, shall be subject to a plan review and inspection by the commissioner or an independent…¹
• Third parties under contract with the commissioner can inspect projects under state plan review. Any building or facility for which construction is subject to a plan review by the commissioner, except construction involving any building or facility owned by the board of regents or by any institution subject to the authority of the board of regents, is subject to inspection by the commissioner or staff of the bureau or division at the direction of the commissioner or by a third party with whom the commissioner contracts to conduct inspections of buildings and facilities subject to the state building code.¹³

Limits on permit fees

Iowa Code §§ 103.32, 103.29(3), 105.17(2); 481 IAC 300.4(2)(b)

• $25 per separate state electrical inspection (cap). For each separate inspection of an installation, replacement, alteration, or repair, twenty-five dollars.¹⁵
• Reinspection caps: $50, $75, then $100. For the first reinspection required as a result of a correction order, fifty dollars; a second reinspection required as a result of noncompliance with the same correction order, seventy-five dollars; and subsequent reinspections associated with the same correction order, one hundred dollars for each reinspection.¹⁵
• State fees do not apply in subdivisions with their own program. Inspection fees provided in this section shall not apply within the jurisdiction of any political subdivision if the political subdivision has adopted an ordinance or resolution pursuant to this chapter.¹⁵
• Local electrical programs set their own permit fees. A political subdivision that performs electrical inspections may set appropriate permit fees to pay for such inspections.¹⁵
• Electrical Service(s) 0-100amp rated, $25. Electrical Service(s) 0-100amp rated, $25…²⁰
• Electrical Service(s) 101-200amp rated, $35. Electrical Service(s) 101-200amp rated, $35…²⁰
• Local plumbing and mechanical permit fees are allowed. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a governmental subdivision from assessing and collecting permit fees or inspection fees related to work performed by plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic professionals.¹⁰

Selling a home with unpermitted work

Iowa Code ch. 558A; 481 IAC 2014.1

• Written disclosure statement required. A person interested in transferring real property, or a broker or salesperson acting on behalf of the person, shall deliver a written disclosure statement to a person interested in being transferred the real property.²¹
• Covers 1 to 4 dwelling units. “Transfer” means the transfer or conveyance by sale, exchange, real estate contract, or any other method by which real estate and improvements are purchased, if the property includes at least one but not more than four dwelling units.²¹
• Content: condition, characteristics, structural defects, lead service lines. The disclosure statement shall include information relating to the condition and important characteristics of the property and structures located on the property, including significant defects in the structural integrity of the structure…²¹
• Sample statement tells the seller to disclose known conditions. Disclose all known conditions materially affecting this property…²²
• Sample statement asks about zoning classification. Zoning: Do you know the zoning classification of the property? Yes [ ] No [ ]…²²
• Sample statement asks about structural damage. Structural Damage: Any known structural damage? Yes [ ] No [ ]…²²
• Liability for actual damages. A person who violates this chapter shall be liable to a transferee for the amount of actual damages suffered by the transferee, but subject to the following limitations…²¹
• Liability limited unless actual knowledge or lack of ordinary care. The transferor, or a broker or salesperson, shall not be liable under this chapter for the error, inaccuracy, or omission in information required in a disclosure statement, unless that person has actual knowledge of the inaccuracy, or fails to exercise ordinary care in obtaining the information.²¹

What local governments may change

Iowa Code §§ 103A.22(1), 103.1C (HF2800 § 37), 105.4(1)(b)

• Subdivisions accepting the state code cannot make it more restrictive. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting any governmental subdivision from adopting or enacting any building regulations relating to any building or structure within its limits, but a governmental subdivision in which the state building code has been accepted and is applicable shall not have the power to supersede, void, or repeal or make more restrictive any of the provisions of this chapter or of the rules adopted by the commissioner.¹
• Local electrical code cannot be more restrictive than the NEC. A political subdivision shall not adopt a local electrical code that is more restrictive than the national electrical code.²³
• Local plumbing: no other code, stricter amendments allowed. Local jurisdictions may not adopt other plumbing codes. Local jurisdictions may adopt additional amendments provided they are stricter than the UPC as amended by this chapter and copies of any local amendments are provided to the board.⁹
• Local mechanical: stricter amendments allowed. Local jurisdictions may adopt additional amendments to the state mechanical code if the additional amendments are stricter than the state mechanical code as set forth in this chapter.¹¹
• ADU rules conflicting with the statute are void. Acityordinance, motion, resolution, oramendmentregulatingaccessorydwellingunits in a manner that conflicts with this subsection is void.¹⁹

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

Iowa Code §§ 364.3(23), 331.301(29), as amended by 2026 Iowa Acts ch. 1013 (S.F. 2369); enacted by 2025 Iowa Acts ch. 38 (S.F. 592)

• A city shall allow a minimum of one accessory dwelling unit on the same lot as a single family residence within a zoning district where a single family residence is an allowed principal use, in accordance with the following conditions…²⁴
• A county shall allow a minimum of one accessory dwelling unit on the same lot as a single family residence within a zoning district where a single family residence is an allowed principal use, in accordance with the following conditions…²⁴
• Must meet building regulations. An accessory dwelling unit shall comply with all applicable building regulations as defined in chapter 103A.²⁴
• 1,000 square feet. An accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed one thousand square feet or fifty percent of the size of the single family residence, whichever is larger.²⁴
• Unfinished basements are excluded from ADU size. The size calculation of an accessory dwelling unit shall exclude unfinished basements.²⁴
• “Size” of the primary dwelling excludes garages, decks and unheated porches. “Size” means the gross living area of the primary dwelling unit excluding garages, decks, and unheated porches.²⁴
• Only historic code restrictions, deed restrictions and common interest community rules can limit ADUs. An accessory dwelling unit shall be prohibited or limited only to the extent that a state historic building code restriction, as adopted by a city in accordance with section 103A.43, subsection 3, a deed restriction, or a rule of a common interest community, as defined in section 499C.1, limits or prohibits the construction or use of an accessory dwelling unit.²⁴
• Historic areas: city or commission can regulate if incongruous. An accessory dwelling unit proposed for a lot within an area designated as an area of historical significance shall be regulated to the extent that the city or commission, pursuant to section 15.459, subsection 3, determines that the proposed accessory dwelling unit would be incongruous with the historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural aspects of the area, and enters into its records the reasons for such determination.²⁴
• Manufactured or mobile home ADU must go on a permanent foundation. If a manufactured home as defined in section 435.1, subsection 3, or a mobile home as defined in section 435.1, subsection 5, is used as an accessory dwelling unit, the manufactured home or mobile home shall be converted to real property by being placed on a permanent foundation and assessed for real estate taxes pursuant to section 435.26.²⁴
• No placement or appearance rules stricter than for the house. Requirements related to the placement or appearance of an accessory dwelling unit that are more restrictive than those imposed on a single family residence including but not limited to the following: maximum building heights; minimum setback requirements; minimum lot sizes; minimum building frontages; maximum lot coverages; density requirements; and aesthetic or architectural standards or requirements.¹⁹
• No extra parking or fee in lieu. A requirement that the lot containing a single family residence and an accessory dwelling unit have additional parking beyond that required for a single family residence or payment of a fee in lieu of providing additional parking.¹⁹
• No owner-occupancy or relationship requirement. Restrictions on the occupancy of either the single family residence or the accessory dwelling unit by any of the following manners: requiring the property owner to be a resident; requiring a familial, marital, or employment relationship to exist between the occupants of the single family residence and the occupants of the accessory dwelling unit; or restricting the occupancy of an accessory dwelling unit based on income or age.¹⁹
• No required new or separate utility lines, unless separate metering is not possible. A requirement of new or separate utility lines between the accessory dwelling unit and public utility service connections.¹⁹
• Approval without discretionary review. A city shall approve an accessory dwelling unit permit application that meets the requirements set forth in paragraph “a” and by state law without discretionary review or hearing and consistent with the time frame assigned to the approval of a single family residence.¹⁹
• Denial must be written with a remedy. If the city denies an accessory dwelling unit permit, the reason for denial shall be provided in writing to the applicant and include any remedy necessary to secure approval.¹⁹
• ADU may be attached or detached. “Accessory dwelling unit” means an additional residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single family residence that is either attached to or detached from the single family residence.¹⁹
• Original act approved May 1, 2025. Approved May 1, 2025…²⁵

Applies to

Cities and counties, in zoning districts where a single family residence is an allowed principal use²⁴

Can local rules be stricter?

No; a city may only be more permissive¹⁹