Butler County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

In unincorporated Butler County, the Zoning Office in the courthouse at 428 6th St., Allison (319-346-6629), issues the building permit that Zoning Ordinance No. 28 calls a zoning certificate, before any building is erected, moved in or structurally altered. The county’s posted ordinances include no building code; non-farm permits are priced by estimated cost, $700 for a $300,000 house, and the same administrator issues septic and well permits at $250 each.

What requires a permit in unincorporated Butler County?

The county’s zoning page states that a building permit is required before starting or proceeding with the erection, construction, moving in or structural alteration of a building or structure in the unincorporated area, and that building without one may bring a county infraction fine. Section XXI of Zoning Ordinance No. 28 adds that no new or altered building may be occupied, and no use changed, until the zoning certificate confirms it complies.

The farm exemption follows Iowa Code 335.2: land, farmsteads, farm houses, barns and outbuildings primarily adapted for agriculture are outside the ordinance while so used, but never in a floodplain, and the owner carries the burden of proving the agricultural use. The ordinance defines a farm as 35 contiguous acres or more, excluding roads, and asks exempt buildings to meet the yard setbacks voluntarily.

The agricultural exemption form is attached to the building permit application. For a farm house or a house addition it asks the applicant’s role in the farm (owner, operator or manager), whether a Schedule F is filed with the income tax return, the tillable acres owned and rented, the livestock and pasture acres, and the hours a week spent farming; the applicant also consents to a site inspection and accepts that the building falls under zoning if its use changes or it turns out not to qualify. The Zoning Administrator then marks the project exempt or not exempt.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Butler County regulates land use rather than construction. Zoning Ordinance No. 28 took effect November 1, 2022 after supervisors’ hearings on October 18 and 25 and November 1, and was amended with hazardous liquid pipeline rules effective July 28, 2023; flood plain management has its own ordinance, revised in 2020, and septic systems and wells fall under county Ordinances 9 and 10. None of the ordinances the county posts is a building code, its pages describe no construction inspection, and electrical permits, trade licenses and the energy code are state matters.

Butler County building department: who handles permitting

Misty Kofron is both Zoning Administrator and Environmental Health Specialist, so building, floodplain, septic and well permits all go through one person who is often out in the field; call ahead before visiting. The County Engineer issues driveway, tile crossing and utility permits.

Cities in Butler County

The county ordinance stops at city limits, and each of the ten incorporated cities regulates building inside its own boundaries.

Butler County permit types

The building permit application is filed online through the county’s permitting system, with a site map uploaded following the county’s instructions; farm buildings use the agricultural exemption application instead. The ordinance asks for a scaled sketch, drawing or plat in duplicate showing the lot’s actual dimensions, the building’s size and location, the required yards, parking and open spaces, and a vicinity map.

Residential permits

In the A-1 Agricultural District a house is allowed on a tract of at least 35 acres, or on 1.5 acres where the tract’s average Corn Suitability Rating is 70 or less, or on a building site, farmstead or lot of record that existed on November 1, 1978 and has at least 1.5 acres; lots of record may be combined by deed restriction to meet the yard rules. A-1 homes need a lot 150 feet wide, a 50-foot front yard, 25-foot side yards and a 50-foot rear yard, and accessory buildings keep the same yards, except that one placed in the rear yard may sit 4 feet from the side and rear lines if its front is at least 60 feet back from the front property line. A new home on a private well and septic system also needs both Environmental Health permits.

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

Commercial permits

Businesses use the same building permit, valued on estimated cost. Special exception permits, required before starting certain businesses in some districts, and variances go to the Board of Adjustment; subdivisions, rezonings and home occupation or home industry permits go to the Planning and Zoning Commission. In 2026 the commission heard a request to rezone 77 acres from A-1 to A-2 to expand a quarry (January 15) and a 260-foot telecommunications tower near Aplington that also needs a Board of Adjustment special exception (May 7).

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning relief. Rezoning, variance, conditional use and subdivision review each cost $150.
• Floodplain. Any work in a flood plain needs a floodplain permit from the Zoning Office under the 2020 flood plain ordinance.
• Septic and well. Permits and site visits from the Environmental Health Specialist before installation or drilling.
• Driveway. A private access must meet the county driveway policy, with a driveway permit from the County Engineer.
• Pipelines. Section XXIII of the ordinance adds setbacks and restrictions for hazardous liquid pipelines.

Butler County permit costs and fees

Fees come from the Zoning Schedule of Fees resolution of 2013, still the schedule posted on the Zoning page (the posted copy leaves the adoption day blank). Non-farm building permits are based on estimated construction cost; when no cost estimate is available, the county values the work by square footage instead.

Worked example: a non-farm house with an estimated cost of $300,000 falls in the top band, so the permit is $300 plus 200 × $2, or $700. With a septic permit and a well permit, the county permits for a new rural home come to $1,200. Because each band is priced on its own terms, the totals do not rise evenly from one band to the next.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county’s fee schedule lists no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit. Electrical permits and inspections on rural land come from the state electrical program run by DIAL (the Zoning page links a state electrical program sheet), and trade licenses are state licenses. The county does license two trades itself:

• Septic installers need the state CIOWTS-Basic credential and a Butler County septic installer license ($25, due July 1 each year).
• Well drillers must be certified by the Iowa DNR and hold a county well driller license ($25, due July 1).

A septic system is required for any building that needs sewer service and is not within 200 feet of a public sewer connection; it must be installed by a licensed, certified installer under a $250 county permit. Before installation the Environmental Health Specialist meets the installer for a site evaluation, digs a 6-foot test hole to check soil and limiting layers, and may require a perc test; after installation she inspects the system and sends the owner a diagram. Variances from septic rules go to the Butler County Board of Health.

How to apply for a Butler County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

One administrator handles zoning and environmental health for the whole county, so field days and site visits shape the timing; call ahead. A zoning certificate becomes void one year after issue if construction, moving or the use has not begun. Rezonings, special exceptions and variances add a hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission or the Board of Adjustment, and irrigation wells cannot be permitted until a copy of the DNR water use permit application is provided.

Inspections in Butler County

The county pages describe no building inspections; wiring is inspected by the state under its electrical permit. The county’s field checks are environmental: the septic site evaluation and post-installation inspection, a site visit before a well is drilled to confirm setbacks, a call to the Specialist when the driller is ready to grout the well, and a water test within 30 days of completion, paid for by the state Grants to Counties program. An old well that is no longer used must be plugged within 90 days.

The state well permit form used by the county is for private wells only: a well serving 15 or more connections, or 25 or more people a day on 60 or more days a year, such as a subdivision, church, restaurant or day care, must go to the DNR’s water supply engineering staff instead.

Geothermal wells deeper than 20 feet need one well permit per system, irrigation wells drawing at least 25,000 gallons a day also need a DNR water use permit, and public water supply wells are permitted by the DNR rather than the county. The county reimburses up to $500 for plugging an abandoned well and up to $1,000 for a well renovation done by a licensed plumber, offers free tests for coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate and arsenic on Monday to Wednesday mornings, and sells radon kits for $15. Homes on septic systems need a time-of-transfer inspection before sale.

Iowa building code

Butler County enforces Zoning Ordinance No. 28, its flood plain ordinance and its septic and well ordinances; none of the ordinances it posts is a building code for the unincorporated area. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Butler County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective December 17, 2020.

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

Butler County permit search and official resources

Under Section XXI of the zoning ordinance, permit records are kept as a matter of public record by the Zoning Office; request them there or under Iowa Code chapter 22. Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment minutes are posted on their pages, and the county’s codified ordinances are indexed on the Auditor’s page.

• Butler County Zoning Office
• Online building permit application
• How to upload a site map
• Agricultural exemption application
• Zoning schedule of fees
• Zoning Ordinance No. 28
• Flood plain management ordinance (2020)
• Planning and Zoning Commission
• Board of Adjustment
• Environmental Health (septic and wells)
• Well construction permit application
• County Engineer
• Driveway permit
• Butler County ordinances
• State electrical permits (DIAL)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Butler County permit FAQs

Does Butler County require a building permit outside city limits?

Yes. A building permit (zoning certificate) is required before erecting, moving in or structurally altering a building; farm buildings file the ag exemption at no fee.

How much is a building permit in rural Butler County?

It depends on estimated cost: $300 plus $2 per $1,000 over $100,000, so $700 for a $300,000 house.

How much land do I need for a house in the A-1 district?

35 acres, or 1.5 acres where the average Corn Suitability Rating is 70 or less, or a 1.5-acre lot of record from November 1, 1978.

Does Butler County inspect construction?

Not for construction. Its posted ordinances include no building code; the county checks zoning and inspects septic systems and wells, and the state inspects electrical work.

What do septic and well permits cost?

$250 each, issued by the Environmental Health Specialist at 319-346-6629.

Do I need a permit to build in a flood plain on my farm?

Yes. The farm exemption does not cover structures in a floodplain, and any work in the flood plain needs a permit.

Who can install a septic system in Butler County?

An installer holding the CIOWTS-Basic credential and a current Butler County septic installer license.

Simplify Butler 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 Butler County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.