Jones County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

In unincorporated Jones County, the Land Use Administrator (Courthouse, Room 113, 500 W. Main Street, Anamosa; 319-462-2282) reviews new homes, buildings and land splits under the county zoning ordinance: a principal permitted use application costs $100 and an accessory use $40 under the fee schedule effective June 1, 2021. The ordinances the county posts include no building code. Septic systems and wells are permitted by Environmental Health (319-462-4715), driveways by the County Engineer, and 911 signs ($70) by the 911 office. The administrator works part time, so call for an appointment.

What requires a permit in unincorporated Jones County?

Jones County’s zoning ordinance, first adopted as an agricultural land preservation ordinance in 1998, replaced by a full zoning ordinance in 2007 and rewritten in 2021, covers the whole unincorporated county. The county asks owners to call the land use office before they build, buy or divide rural property, because the use of the land, the size of a split and the zoning district decide what is allowed.

Accessory buildings must stay out of the front yard, cover no more than 30% of the yard they sit in and may not be lived in. Anyone claiming the farm exemption has to show the land and buildings are primarily used for farming, and the exemption does not cover structures, dams, deposits or excavation in a flood plain.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The Board of Supervisors adopts the zoning, subdivision, floodplain, sewage, well, addressing and road ordinances; the 2023 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, adopted June 27, 2023, guides rezonings. The ordinances the county posts include no building code, and its pages describe no county plan review or inspection of house and commercial construction outside the cities. The state’s electrical program, trade licenses, contractor registration and the statewide energy, fire and accessibility rules still apply.

Jones County building department: who handles permitting

Land Use Administrator Whitney Amos handles zoning and subdivision applications and serves the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment. The office is staffed part time, with hours that change by day, so the county asks visitors to call first. The Board of Adjustment is a quasi-judicial panel of five residents, one from each supervisor district and most living outside city limits, appointed to five-year terms.

Cities in Jones County

County zoning stops at city limits; each city handles permits inside its own boundaries. The land use office posts a two-mile city buffer map, so ask it how a parcel near a city is treated before you divide land there.

Jones County permit types

The Forms and Fees page lists every land use application: farm exemption, permitted use, special permitted use, variance, appeal, rezoning, boundary line adjustment, farmland and farmstead splits, signs, quarries, wind and solar systems, and subdivision plats.

Residential permits

A new rural house starts with a permitted use application, $100 for a principal use, which asks for the owner, applicant and parcel, the township and section, the zoning district and whether the land is agricultural, residential or commercial. Garages and other accessory buildings use the same form at $40. Where the house sits on a new lot carved from farmland, a farmland or farmstead split ($100) comes first. The administrator approves or denies the application, must act on required permits within 30 days, and a denial can be appealed to the Board of Adjustment.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial uses must fit the district; many need a special permitted use ($250) from the Board of Adjustment or a rezoning ($250) through the Planning and Zoning Commission and supervisors. Quarries and commercial wind or solar energy systems pay $1,000 plus the county’s expenses. Without a county building code, the state’s fire, energy and accessibility requirements are the building standards.

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

Building near a county road

Two County Engineer rules shape where a rural building and its driveway can go. The Secondary Road Setback Ordinance of June 2016 controls new buildings and structural alterations in the highway corridor, which it defines as the road right of way plus 30 feet outside the right-of-way line on each side. A variance costs $100, needs an engineering investigation on site and a surveyed site plan showing the building against the property and right-of-way lines, and the supervisors may not approve one that hurts sight distance or, outside the half-mile around the county’s platted unincorporated villages, encroaches within 17 feet of the setback. Landscaping, at-grade patios, fences, mailboxes and small porches under 35 square feet may sit in the setback if they block no sight lines. Under the county access policy, a new driveway needs an application signed by the owner of record, and the Engineer approves it, approves it with conditions or denies it; an access needs 400 feet of sight distance on gravel and 600 feet on pavement.

What comes before construction

• 911 sign. Apply to the 911 office with a location map and $70; the sign must be up before Environmental Health visits the septic site.
• Septic and well. A septic permit (and a well permit under the county’s private well rules) from Environmental Health; no septic permit is issued within 200 feet of a public sewer.
• Driveway. An access permit from the County Engineer under the county access policy.
• Floodplain. A floodplain development permit from the Emergency Management Coordinator before any building, fill or factory-built home in a flood area.

Jones County permit costs and fees

The Jones County Zoning and Subdivision Fee Schedule took effect June 1, 2021, and the 911 sign fee was last raised in January 2022. Septic permit fees are set by the Board of Health and paid when the application is filed.

A typical new rural home on an existing lot therefore pays $100 for the permitted use and $70 for the 911 sign, plus the septic permit fee and a state electrical permit. Splitting the lot from farmland first adds $100.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: county pages describe no electrical program, so rural wiring is permitted and inspected through the state’s electrical program at DIAL.
• Plumbing and mechanical: state-licensed trades; the county pages list no plumbing or HVAC permit.
• Septic installers and perc tests: the percolation test must be done and signed by a certified contractor, and the certified contractor or the owner signs the first page of the septic application.
• Contractors: state registration applies to contractors earning at least $2,000 a year from construction.

How to get permits for a rural Jones County project

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance gives the administrator 30 days to issue required permits, but the part-time schedule means an incomplete application loses time quickly. An incomplete septic application is not accepted, the site visit waits for the 911 sign, and the septic permit can take up to two weeks before it is mailed. Rezonings, variances and special permitted uses wait for a board meeting, each with a filing deadline about three weeks ahead. The Planning and Zoning Commission generally meets on the second Tuesday and the Board of Adjustment on the third Tuesday, both in the courthouse Community Room; for December 2026 the deadlines are November 18 for the December 8 commission meeting and November 25 for the December 15 board meeting. Wind or solar projects carry their own review.

Inspections in Jones County

The Land Use Administrator inspects the use of land and structures to check zoning compliance, but the county pages describe no footing, framing or final building inspections. Septic systems are inspected by Environmental Health: call 24 hours before the final inspection and leave the system uncovered until it is done; covering it first violates the county sewage ordinance. Repairs that do not change treatment, such as a new baffle or distribution box, are reported on a repair notification within 14 days.

Septic completion reports, maps and photos for Jones County can be viewed on Linn County’s septic GIS viewer, which helps buyers check a rural property. Electrical inspections are done by the state inspector assigned to the area.

Iowa building code

Jones County regulates land use, floodplains, septic systems and wells and the ordinances it posts include no building code for unincorporated land. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Jones County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its current flood map effective November 19, 2021 (the county’s ordinance page gives October 21, 2021), and the county’s floodplain management ordinance requires a floodplain development permit from the Emergency Management Coordinator for any development in the mapped flood area.

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

Jones County permit search and official resources

The Land Use Administrator keeps the records of permits and of Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment applications, which are public records; septic records are with Environmental Health and on the septic GIS viewer. Ask the office for copies.

• Land Use office
• Land use forms and fees (effective June 1, 2021)
• Permitted use application
• Zoning ordinance
• Two mile city buffer map
• Land use FAQ
• County ordinances
• Flood plain management ordinance
• Sewage disposal system ordinance
• Septic systems: how to get a permit
• Environmental Health
• Secondary Roads forms: access and right-of-way permits
• 911 address signs
• DIAL electrical permits and inspections
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Jones County permit FAQs

Does Jones County issue building permits?

No. It has zoning, and its posted ordinances include no building code; a new house outside the cities needs a $100 permitted use approval from the Land Use Administrator, not a building permit.

How much does it cost to build a house in the county, in permit fees?

$100 for the permitted use and $70 for the 911 sign, plus the septic permit fee set by the Board of Health and state electrical fees.

Do farm buildings need a permit?

No zoning permit if they are primarily used for farming; file the free farm exemption application. Flood plain rules still apply.

How long does a septic permit take?

Up to two weeks after a complete application, and only after the 911 sign is installed for the site visit.

Do I need a permit for rooftop solar?

Not a county one: roof-mounted, building-integrated and passive solar systems are exempt. Ground-mounted systems need a solar application.

Can I visit the land use office without an appointment?

The administrator is part time; call 319-462-2282 first. Hours run from 8:00 or 8:30 am to between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm depending on the day.

How close to a county road can I build?

New buildings near county roads fall under the 2016 road setback ordinance, enforced by the County Engineer (319-462-3785); ask before siting a building within 30 feet of the right of way. Variances cost $100.

Who inspects electrical work?

The state electrical program; the county has no electrical inspector.

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