Fort Madison, Iowa Building Permit Guide

In Fort Madison the city’s Building Department at City Hall, 811 Avenue E (319-372-7700), issues building, demolition, electrical and plumbing permits, carries out zoning review and inspects the work. Applications go in on the city’s fillable forms, emailed to the department or brought to City Hall. Building fees follow a valuation table that starts at $24, with plan review charged at 65% of the building fee, and new structures over 200 square feet need a permit.

What requires a building permit in Fort Madison?

Fort Madison publishes a plain list of what needs a permit and what does not. Structural work, foundations, new rooms with plumbing and anything over 200 square feet are in; cosmetic repairs and small sheds are out.

The permit page also sets the city’s own foundation minimums: footings at least 42 inches below grade, 16 inches wide and 8 inches thick with reinforcing carried into a wall at least 8 inches thick. Any pool more than 24 inches deep, above-ground ones included, needs a 4-foot fence enclosure, although the fence itself needs no permit. A new electrical panel must be at least 100 amps with room for 16 breakers. Moving a building over 120 square feet needs a permit whether it moves within the city, leaves the city or arrives from outside, and burning a large brush pile needs a permit from the Fire Chief.

What Fort Madison decides and what the state holds

Fort Madison, a city of about 9,900, sets its building rules in its own city code, which the city’s Planning & Zoning FAQ links on American Legal (that site could not be read for this guide); the building permit form commits applicants to “the ordinance and building code of this City”, and the posted fee sheet is headed “2012 International Residential Code”. The building code edition the city adopted could not be read, so ask the Building Department which edition applies to your job. Electrical and plumbing work must meet the State Electrical Code and State Plumbing Code, and the city has adopted the 2018 International Fire Code; since an ordinance passed on July 7, 2026, its fire permit fees are set by council resolution. Zoning sits in Chapter 10 and subdivisions in Chapter 11 of the city code.

Fort Madison building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department, run by Building Director Doug Krogmeier, issues every construction permit in the city and also handles planning and zoning applications, rental registration and vacant building registration. Fort Madison is in Lee County; land outside the city limits is not covered by these permits.

The Planning & Zoning Commission, five residents, meets on the fourth Tuesday at 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers when there is business. The Board of Adjustments and Appeals meets as cases arise and posts its agendas and minutes online, and the Historic Preservation Commission reviews work on historic properties.

Fort Madison permit types

The city posts four fillable permit forms, revised in 2022: building, demolition, electrical and plumbing. Zoning applications, including the floodplain development permit, rezonings, signs, special uses, subdivisions, voluntary annexation and variances, are obtained at City Hall or from the Building Director.

Residential permits

A residential request must show the owner, address, every contractor, the estimated cost and start and finish dates, the type of construction, a site plan and a complete set of plans. The building permit form names the plumber and electrician on the job and asks whether the property is historic or in a historic district and whether the Historic Preservation Commission must review the work first. Trade work goes on its own electrical or plumbing permit, and plumbing permits cannot be transferred: the work must be done by the permit holder or an employee.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects need engineered prints by a licensed architect or engineer and go through plan review as well as zoning review. When the final inspection passes, a commercial building receives an occupancy permit, and any assembly space for 50 or more people also receives a maximum occupancy card to post by the main exit.

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

Rental and vacant buildings

Any rental home occupied by someone other than the owner must be registered every year by November 15 (the following Monday when the date falls on a weekend), with a registration form, a self-certification checklist, a tenant responsibilities form and a local contact the city can reach. The program dates from 2012 and was rewritten in 2026; the first inspection and first reinspection carry no charge, but later reinspections, missed appointments and extra reschedules do, and an unregistered unit costs $100 a month. Vacant buildings covered by Title 3, Chapter 9 register on the same date, with fees that rise in the third and fourth years a building stays empty: $25 for a vacant single-family house in years one and two, then $50 and $100.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Every request gets a zoning review against the 12 districts, from R-1 single-family to I-2 general industrial; variances and special uses need a board decision first.
• Historic review. The Park to Park Historic District and the downtown historic district have their own design guidelines, and work on historic properties may need Historic Preservation Commission review.
• Floodplain. Lots on the Mississippi River floodplain need a floodplain development permit from the Planning and Zoning office.
• Right of way. Driveways widened into the right of way, and demolitions that block a street or place a dumpster there, need a Public Works permit.

Fort Madison permit costs and fees

The Building Department’s fee sheet prices building permits on total valuation. Each band starts where the one below ends, so the table can be read straight through.

A $250,000 house works out to $1,027 plus 150 × $7, a building fee of $2,077. On a $500,000 commercial building the fee is $3,827 and plan review adds 65%, $2,487.55, for $6,314.55. The permit page describes plan review for commercial projects, so ask whether it is charged on a house. Plumbing work begun before the permit is approved pays a doubled fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: a city permit inspected by the Building Department, so electrical permits inside the city come from the city. The application asks for the contractor’s license number, and the permit lapses if work does not start within 60 days or stops for 120 days.
• Plumbing and gas: a city permit under the State Plumbing Code, held by the person or firm doing the work; it lapses after 120 days without work.
• Mechanical: the city posts no separate mechanical form; ask the department how furnace and air conditioning work is permitted.
• Licenses: electricians and plumbers hold state licenses, and contractors register with the state.

A new house needs at least three electrical inspections: service, rough-in and final. A service upgrade up to 200 amps takes two, and minor work may need only one.

How to apply for a Fort Madison building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A permit is issued only after the plans and specifications pass review, so an incomplete request is the most common cause of delay. Commercial work without stamped drawings, historic properties that need commission review, floodplain lots and anything needing a variance take longer. City Hall’s shorter Friday hours since November 2, 2026 also matter when planning a visit.

Inspections in Fort Madison

Book inspections with the Building Department at 319-372-7700, 24 hours ahead. The foundation inspection comes once the footing is dug and forms are set, and checks depth, size and location against the plans; the footing cannot be poured until it passes. The rough inspection covers framing, electrical and plumbing before any interior wall covering goes on. Every permit ends with a final inspection: if none is called for, the project is treated as incomplete. Once all inspections pass, the inspector signs off the permit and it is filed in the property’s address file at City Hall.

Demolitions are inspected too. The sewer must be capped within five feet of the property line and inspected, the site fenced, foundation walls removed to two feet below grade, and rubble fill topped with at least two feet of dirt; the work must be finished within ten days of starting unless the code official approves longer. Rental properties registered each November are inspected under the city’s 2026 rental housing policy.

Iowa building code

Fort Madison enforces the building code adopted in its own city code (the edition could not be read for this guide), with the State Electrical Code and State Plumbing Code named on its trade forms. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Fort Madison as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 22, 2020, and the city’s floodplain development permit applies to riverfront and other mapped flood areas.

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

Fort Madison permit search and official resources

Closed permits are filed by address at City Hall, so the Building Department can tell you what has been permitted on a property. Council, Planning & Zoning and Board of Adjustments and Appeals agendas and minutes are posted in the city’s online archive.

• Building Department permits and inspections
• Permit requirements: what needs a permit
• Building permit fees
• Building permit form
• Electrical permit form
• Plumbing permit form
• Demolition permit form
• Planning & Zoning
• Planning & Zoning Commission
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Rental housing registration
• Vacant building registration
• City Hall office hours from November 2, 2026
• City Council minutes
• Planning & Zoning FAQ: link to the city code
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Fort Madison building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a shed in Fort Madison?

Not if it is under 200 square feet, but it must be anchored to the ground and meet setbacks and lot coverage. Over 200 square feet, including carports, it needs a building permit. The city’s Planning & Zoning FAQ gives a lower line, saying sheds under 120 square feet need no permit, so confirm with the department.

Do I need a permit to reroof?

The no-permit list says a permit is needed when 25% or more of the structural sheathing is replaced; the permit list says more than 25%. A layover is allowed up to two layers in total.

How much is a building permit?

It follows valuation: $2,077 for a $250,000 house, for example, and $487 at $40,000. The fee sheet adds plan review at 65% of the building fee; the permits page describes plan review for commercial projects.

Is a fence permit required?

No, but the zoning code limits fences, and a pool deeper than 24 inches needs a 4-foot fence enclosure.

Who inspects electrical work?

The city Building Department, on a city electrical permit; a new house needs at least service, rough and final inspections.

When is rental registration due?

Every November 15, at $25 for the first unit and $5 for each extra unit under the fees the council set on October 6, 2026.

Does work on a historic house need extra review?

Possibly. The building permit form asks whether the property is historic or in a historic district, and if so whether the Historic Preservation Commission must review the work before the permit is issued.

What are City Hall’s hours?

From November 2, 2026, Monday to Thursday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm and Friday 7:30 am to 1:00 pm.

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