Cass County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

Outside Atlantic and the other seven cities, Cass County Zoning and Planning at the courthouse, 5 W. 7th St., Atlantic, issues a building permit for anyone who builds, rebuilds, alters, enlarges or moves a building. The permit checks zoning rather than a building code; it costs $10 for residential work and $1 per $1,000 of construction cost, from $50 to $250, for other buildings, and the ordinance gives the Zoning Administrator seven days to decide.

What requires a permit in rural Cass County?

Section 7.6 of the county zoning ordinance requires a building permit before any building or structure is erected or reconstructed, or structurally altered to increase its exterior size, height, floor area or number of dwelling units, or to accommodate a change of use. The county’s web page puts it simply: residents planning to build, rebuild, alter, enlarge or move a building or structure on their property must complete an Application for Building Permit.

Acreage rules are the most common surprise. The county says existing acreages must be at least 1 acre, and any new acreage surveyed off a farm after September 1, 2005 must be at least 3 acres; in the General Agricultural district a single-family house needs 3 acres and 150 feet of width, with yards of 50 feet in front, 35 feet at the rear and 25 feet at the sides.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Cass County first adopted zoning in 1962 and updated the ordinance in 1982 and 2003, with revisions in 2005; it now sits as Ordinance 3.1 in the county Code of Ordinances, last updated on October 6, 2025. The ordinance governs use, lot size, yards and flood plain building but adopts no building code. Before any permit in the agricultural district, plans for water supply and sewage disposal must be approved by the county health department.

Cass County building department: who handles permitting

Mike Kennon is the Zoning Administrator, and the county’s 911 page also lists him as 911 Services Coordinator, so building permits and new rural addresses run through the same person. Under the flood plain ordinance the Zoning Administrator also serves as Flood Plain Administrator. Septic and well work is handled by Cass County Environmental Health, which the supervisors, through the Board of Health, have contracted to Guthrie County since 1989; Mike Stringham is the Cass County Sanitarian.

The Engineer’s office has 29 employees, most in road maintenance, and looks after 241 bridges and 107 miles of paved road from sheds in Anita, Atlantic, Griswold and Massena.

Rural addresses follow Ordinance 31, the county’s rural addressing system. The E911 Coordinator, designated by the Cass County E911 Service Board, assigns each number from the point where the driveway meets the road, keeps the master street address guide of road names and ranges, and coordinates each new address with the Postal Service, the 911 center and the Assessor’s Office; the Engineer puts up the road name signs. Under section 31-25 the application costs $50, payable to the Cass County E911 Service Board, a site plan and access plan are required first, and the Coordinator issues the address within 14 days. That is why a driveway location is worth settling before the address application goes in.

Cities in Cass County

The zoning ordinance applies only to unincorporated territory, so each city decides its own permits.

Cass County permit types

One printable form, the Application for Building Permit and/or Occupancy Compliance Certificate, covers both approvals. It asks for the lot or tract area, estimated cost, zoning district, front, side and rear yards, height, off-street parking and loading, signs, and the principal and accessory uses, and its second page is a scaled sketch with a north arrow. The applicant certifies that the construction and use will comply with the zoning ordinance, and the Zoning Administrator marks the permit and certificate granted or denied, with any special exception or variance needed.

Residential permits

Single-family houses are permitted uses in the General Agricultural and Suburban Residential districts; the ordinance also maps Exclusive Agricultural and Rural Residential districts, each with its own schedule. Single-family homes do not need an Occupancy Compliance Certificate; section 7.7 requires one for changes of use and for new buildings used for anything other than a single-family dwelling. Fences and hedges in residential districts may be 4 feet high in a required front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards, and every new building must stand on a lot that fronts a public road or an approved private road.

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

Commercial permits

Businesses fit into the Business, Light Industrial and Heavy Industrial districts, pay the valuation-based fee and need an Occupancy Compliance Certificate before opening. Wind energy conversion systems are special exceptions in any district: the Board of Adjustment may approve one if the tower stands at least its full height from lot lines, buildings and power lines and 1,200 feet from any occupied dwelling not owned by the turbine owner. Telecommunication towers have their own siting rules in section 4.3.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Septic and well. Environmental Health permits after a percolation test; a well needs both a state and a county permit.
• Address. A new acreage without an E-911 address files a New Address Application.
• Driveway. The County Engineer checks sight distance and culvert size for each new drive.
• Flood plain. A Flood Plain Development Permit from the Zoning Administrator before any building, filling or grading in a mapped flood hazard area.
• Zoning relief. Special exceptions, variances and appeals go to the five-member Board of Adjustment, which has the final say; rezonings and subdivision plats go to the Zoning Commission and then the supervisors.

Cass County permit costs and fees

Section 7.9 of the zoning ordinance, unchanged in the code updated on October 6, 2025, sets the zoning fees below, paid to the Zoning Administrator for the county general fund.

A worked example: a machine shop for a rural business with a construction cost of $120,000 pays $1 per $1,000, or $120, which falls between the $50 minimum and $250 maximum; any non-residential building costing $250,000 or more pays the $250 cap. A new house pays $10 whatever its cost. The ordinance treats violations as misdemeanors punishable by a fine of up to $100 or 30 days in jail, with each day a separate offense.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The Cass County pages describe no county electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit program, and the zoning page simply links the state electrical board. Electrical permits and inspections in the rural county therefore come from DIAL, and plumbing and HVAC work is done under state licenses.

• Septic systems. Anyone installing or replacing one must contact Environmental Health; after a percolation test the permit is issued, and the system is inspected before it is covered, with staff working alongside the contractor and homeowner.
• Wells. A state and a county permit are needed, the driller coordinates with Environmental Health, and a water test is part of the permit; heat pump wells need a permit too.
• Utilities. Pole lines and underground utilities in county right-of-way need the Engineer’s utility permits.

The Engineer’s office in the courthouse issues the pole line, underground utility and One Stop permits on its own forms. Through the state Grants to Counties program Cass County receives $15,000 to $20,000 a year to help owners plug abandoned wells, rehabilitate wells and test water.

How to apply for a Cass County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Zoning Administrator must approve or deny an application within seven days and give the reasons for a denial in writing. Delays come from lots under the acreage minimums, sites in a flood plain that need elevation data, and uses that are special exceptions. A Board of Adjustment appeal must be filed within 30 days of the decision, with notice to owners within 500 feet. A rezoning needs a Zoning Commission hearing with at least 15 days’ published notice, and if owners of 20 percent of the affected or neighboring land protest, the supervisors need a 60 percent vote.

Inspections in Cass County

The county pages describe no building inspections; its permit is a zoning approval. The inspections a rural build receives come from other programs.

• Septic. Environmental Health inspects each new or replacement system before it is covered.
• Wells. The driller works with Environmental Health and a water test is part of the permit.
• Flood plain. New and substantially improved homes must have the lowest floor, including the basement, at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood level; non-residential buildings may instead be flood-proofed to that level, and the Administrator keeps the elevation records.
• Wiring. State electrical inspectors.
• Driveway. The county installs new drives with a top width of 24 to 40 feet, and the landowner pays for the culvert.

For buildings other than single-family homes, the Occupancy Compliance Certificate confirms that the new use complies with the ordinance before it starts.

Iowa building code

Cass County regulates rural building through its zoning ordinance, the subdivision ordinance, Flood Plain Management Ordinance 6 and the Environmental Health permits; the ordinances the county posts include no building code, and its pages describe no construction inspections. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Cass County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood insurance rate map dated May 16, 2017, the map the county flood ordinance adopts.

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

Cass County permit search and official resources

The Zoning Administrator must keep a complete record of fees received and issues every permit and certificate, so a parcel’s permit history is a question for Zoning and Planning; the Board of Adjustment’s minutes and records are public in its office. The full county Code of Ordinances is posted as one PDF, and supervisors’ minutes for 2026 are online.

• Cass County Zoning and Planning
• Application for Building Permit
• Request to the Board of Adjustment
• Request for zoning amendment
• Zoning Ordinance (2005 revision)
• Subdivision Ordinance
• Cass County Code of Ordinances (updated October 6, 2025)
• Environmental Health
• Engineer’s Office
• 911 Communications and rural addressing
• Supervisors agendas and minutes
• State electrical permits (DIAL)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Cass County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Cass County?

$10 for residential uses and structures. Other buildings pay $1 per $1,000 of construction cost, at least $50 and no more than $250.

Do farm buildings need a county permit?

The ordinance does not apply to farmhouses, barns and outbuildings primarily adapted for agricultural use, except that its flood plain rules apply to them equally.

How big must a new acreage be?

At least 3 acres for any acreage surveyed off a farm after September 1, 2005; older acreages must be at least 1 acre.

How fast does the county decide?

The ordinance gives the Zoning Administrator seven days to approve or deny an application, with written reasons for a denial.

Who issues septic permits in Cass County?

Cass County Environmental Health, run under contract by Guthrie County Environmental Health in Guthrie Center ((641) 747-3972), after a percolation test.

Does the county install my driveway?

Yes. The county checks sight distance, sizes the culvert, and installs the drive at 24 to 40 feet wide; you pay for a new culvert, and a drive that needs none is installed free.

Do I need a permit to build in the flood plain?

Yes, a Flood Plain Development Permit from the Zoning Administrator, and a new home’s lowest floor must be at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood level.

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