Appanoose County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

Outside its cities, Appanoose County’s new-construction page lists no building permit. The county’s new-construction checklist runs in order: a $50 driveway (entrance) permit from the County Engineer at 1200 Highway 2 West, Centerville (641-856-6193); a 911 address through the Sheriff’s Office once the driveway is in; a septic permit from ADLM Environmental Public Health in Moravia (641-724-3511); any right-of-way permit; and, only if the land lies in the Rathbun Reservoir zoning district, a zoning certificate from the Zoning Administrator (641-437-4529).

What requires a permit in unincorporated Appanoose County?

Appanoose County’s only zoning ordinance is the Rathbun Reservoir Zoning District Ordinance, revised in June 2020. It covers privately owned land around Rathbun Lake inside a boundary the ordinance describes section by section, excluding federal land and incorporated towns. Elsewhere in the rural county there is no zoning certificate to obtain, though the driveway, address and septic steps still apply to every new home.

Inside the Rathbun district, a house that is not part of a farm needs a lot of at least five acres and 200 feet wide in the Agricultural district, set back 50 feet from the road right of way, 25 feet from the sides and 50 feet from the rear. Stables and kennels must sit 200 feet from every lot line. In county-approved subdivisions an accessory building cannot be permitted before the house, and may not stand more than 18 months before house construction begins.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The Board of Supervisors adopts the zoning ordinance and its district map; the Zoning Commission recommends changes and the Board of Adjustment hears appeals and variances. The ordinances the county posts include no building code, so in the rural area the state’s electrical program, the statewide energy, fire and accessibility rules and the state septic rules are the construction standards that apply. Farm buildings are exempt from the zoning ordinance, but its rules on structures, dams, deposits or excavation in flood plains still reach them.

Appanoose County building department: who handles permitting

Four offices share the work. The Zoning Administrator, Beth Burgin, handles the Rathbun district; the County Engineer’s Secondary Roads Department handles driveways and the right of way; the Sheriff’s Office takes 911 address requests; and ADLM Environmental Public Health, a four-county agency, handles septic and wells.

Cities in Appanoose County

The county’s instructions stop at city limits: construction inside a city follows that city’s rules.

Appanoose County permit types

The county’s permit set is short: an entrance (driveway) permit, a right-of-way use permit, a utility permit and oversize permits from the County Engineer; a new address acquisition form for the 911 address; septic and well permits from ADLM; and, in the Rathbun district, a zoning certificate, recreational vehicle permits, sign approvals, Board of Adjustment cases and zoning amendments.

Residential permits

For a new house in the Rathbun district, the zoning certificate application asks for the owner and builder, the 911 address, parcel and legal description, the structure’s type, dimensions, foundation and yard depths, and its improvement value. It must come with a copy of the deed, an aerial map, a copy of the septic permit, two copies of the construction plan or sketch and the county’s plot plan form; lot dimensions must rest on an actual survey, and the lot and building must be staked out before work starts. Outside the district the same house needs only the driveway, address and septic approvals.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial uses in the Rathbun district need a zoning certificate in the Commercial or Industrial district, and a rezoning or Board of Adjustment approval where the use is not permitted outright. Wind energy systems have their own certificate rules. A small, non-commercial turbine is limited to 80 feet of total height on a parcel of one to two acres, must keep every part, guy anchors included, 10 feet inside the parcel lines and stay under 60 decibels at the nearest neighboring home. A commercial turbine must stand at least twice its total height, and never less than 1,000 feet, from the nearest residence, school, hospital, church or public library, and at least 1.1 times its height from roads, railroads and power or telephone lines; its blade tips must clear the ground by 75 feet, its feeder lines must be buried, and owners within 1,000 feet get mailed notice of the Zoning Commission hearing. Signs over 40 square feet and billboards are priced in the zoning fee schedule. Without a county building code, the statewide fire, energy and accessibility rules govern the building itself.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

Addresses and work along the road

The 911 address request is a one-page form: the resident’s name as it will appear on the phone bill, the nearest neighbor’s address and the distance to it, the road the driveway is on, which side of the road the structure sits on, a site map and a description of the building. The driveway entrance must be marked with a flag or stake before the Sheriff’s Office (641-437-7100) assigns the number. Work in the road right of way beyond a driveway, such as reshaping a waterway, seeding back slopes or landscaping flush with the ground, goes on a $50 use permit; the contractor must keep a certificate of insurance of at least $1,000,000 on file naming the county as an additional insured, and the finished work may not block drainage, sight lines or snow storage or disturb native plantings without the roadside vegetation manager’s approval.

What comes before construction

• Driveway first. The address cannot be issued until the driveway is in place, and the zoning application needs the 911 address.
• Septic before zoning. The zoning certificate application requires a copy of the septic permit.
• Right of way. Any work in the road right of way needs a use permit from the Engineer’s office.
• Floodplain. The county participates in the flood insurance program; ask the Zoning Administrator before building in a mapped flood area.

Appanoose County permit costs and fees

The zoning fees below come from the zoning ordinance revised in June 2020; the application form refers to an attached sheet of current zoning fees, so confirm the amount with the Zoning Administrator before you file.

Under the ordinance’s formula a $250,000 house in the Rathbun district would pay $100 for the first $10,000 plus $0.50 for each of the next 240 thousands, $220 in all, if the current fee sheet still follows the ordinance. Septic and well permit fees are set by ADLM.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: the county pages describe no electrical program, so electrical permits and inspections in the rural county come from the state’s electrical program at DIAL, filed online.
• Plumbing and mechanical: state-licensed trades; the county’s pages list no county plumbing or HVAC permit.
• Septic: ADLM issues septic permits and inspects disposal systems; installers follow the state rules for private sewage disposal.
• Driveway contractors: the entrance application asks for the contractor’s name and proof of insurance naming Appanoose County as an additional insured.
• Contractor registration: state registration for contractors earning at least $2,000 a year from construction.

How to get permits for a rural Appanoose County home

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county warns that the whole process can take several days even when each office moves quickly, because the steps depend on one another: no address without a driveway, and no zoning certificate without the septic permit and address. Inside the district, a project that needs a variance or rezoning waits for a hearing; Board of Adjustment cases require letters to every owner within 1,000 feet and ten days’ notice. A zoning certificate lapses if work does not begin within six months, and the project must be finished within 18 months.

Inspections in Appanoose County

The county pages describe no framing or building inspections. In the Rathbun district, the holder of a zoning certificate must tell the Zoning Administrator when site preparation, including footings or foundations, is complete, and again when the project is finished; the administrator inspects the site for zoning compliance each time, and the application itself consents to a site inspection.

Driveway applicants call the road foreman when the entrance is finished; the county sizes the culvert and the permit expires a year after issue. ADLM inspects septic systems, and the state electrical inspector assigned to the area handles wiring inspections. For a home on a private well, ADLM also issues the well construction permit, tests well water, offers radon test kits and reimburses part of the cost of plugging an abandoned well.

Iowa building code

Appanoose County has adopted zoning only for the Rathbun Reservoir area, and the ordinances it posts include no building code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Appanoose County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program since April 5, 2018, with its current flood map dated February 16, 2018, a map that shows flood areas without base flood elevations.

Iowa lets most cities and counties adopt the state building code, another code or none (a city of more than 15,000 must enforce at least the state code), but the energy, accessibility, fire, plumbing, mechanical and electrical rules apply statewide. Iowa rules

Appanoose County permit search and official resources

Zoning certificates are kept by the Zoning Administrator and the Board of Supervisors, entrance permits by the County Engineer and septic records by ADLM. Ask the office that issued the permit for copies.

• New construction steps for unincorporated areas
• Planning and Zoning
• Rathbun Reservoir zoning ordinance (revised June 2020)
• County zoning map
• Application for zoning certificate
• Plot plan form
• Driveway / entrance permit (2024)
• Right-of-way use permit
• New address acquisition form
• Secondary Roads and County Engineer
• ADLM Environmental Public Health
• Board of Supervisors
• DIAL electrical permits and inspections
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Appanoose County permit FAQs

Do I need a building permit to build a house in rural Appanoose County?

The county’s new-construction steps include no building permit. You need a driveway permit, a 911 address and a septic permit, and a zoning certificate if the land is in the Rathbun Reservoir district.

How do I know whether my land is zoned?

Find the parcel on the county zoning map or ask the Zoning Administrator at 641-437-4529. Only the area around Rathbun Lake is zoned.

How much is a driveway permit?

$50, plus the culvert pipe the county sizes for the entrance.

Why can’t I get my 911 address yet?

The county issues an address only after the driveway is in place.

Who issues septic permits?

ADLM Environmental Public Health in Moravia (641-724-3511), which serves Appanoose, Davis, Lucas and Monroe counties.

Can I keep a camper on my lake lot?

In the Rathbun district, a recreational vehicle needs a permit: $80 for six months near a lake subdivision, or $150 a year elsewhere in the district.

Who inspects electrical work?

The state electrical program, because the county has no electrical inspector.

Simplify Appanoose County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Iowa. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Appanoose County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.