Montgomery County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

Outside the six cities, Montgomery County regulates construction through its Revised Zoning Ordinance, in effect since July 14, 2021: a new house, an addition, a shed or garage of 120 square feet or more, a large sign or a change of use needs a zoning permit or certificate from the Zoning Administrator, 406 W. 4th St., Red Oak (712-623-5197). Farm buildings and farm dwellings need no permit, and the County Sanitarian issues septic construction permits.

What requires a permit in rural Montgomery County?

Section 17 of the ordinance makes it unlawful to excavate for, erect, build, rebuild, enlarge, alter or move any building or structure until the Zoning Administrator has issued a zoning permit or certificate. A change in the use or occupancy of a building or parcel, or a change to a non-conforming use, needs one as well. The same section then narrows the rule with a closed list: only the non-farm activities below require a permit or certificate.

Items that are not on the list are not exempt from every rule. A fence, hedge, wall, tree or earth pile higher than 3 feet above the road may not stand within a 70-foot radius of the center of an intersection of two streets. Grading that disturbs more than 5 acres needs Iowa DNR approval under Stormwater Permit #2, and a copy of that approval goes to the Zoning Administrator.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The Revised Zoning Ordinance for Unincorporated Montgomery County replaced the ordinance first adopted on April 30, 1968. It controls where buildings go and what they are used for; the ordinances the county posts include no building code, and the county’s pages describe no construction-stage building inspections. The ordinance does set a few physical standards. A dwelling unit must have at least 800 square feet of floor area, be at least 20 feet wide, sit on an approved permanent foundation and be taxed as real property. An accessory building of 120 square feet or more may not stand in a required front yard or court, must be at least 10 feet from the principal building on the lot, and must be at least 3 feet from alley lines and from the lot lines of neighboring lots in any A or R district.

Section 8 A, headed “Farms Exempt,” reads: “No regulation or Ordinance adopted under the provisions of this Ordinances shall be construed to apply to land, buildings, structures or erections which are primarily adapted, by reason of nature and area, for use for agricultural purposes while so used; provided, however, that such regulations or Ordinances which relate to any structure, building, dam, obstruction, deposit or excavation in or on the flood plains of any river or stream shall apply. No permit shall be required for any farm buildings or farm dwellings.”

Montgomery County building department: who handles permitting

The Board of Supervisors appoints the Zoning Administrator, Barry Byers, who works from the Montgomery County Engineer’s office. Under Section 18 of the ordinance the Administrator reviews every zoning permit application; processes rezonings, variances, special use permits and appeals; serves as secretary to the Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment; keeps the official zoning map; approves Home Business and Home Industry applications; decides appeals for minor variances; and follows up on violations.

Cities in Montgomery County

The county’s zoning permit stops at city limits. Each city regulates building inside its own boundaries; the county’s 911 Center dispatches for all of them.

Montgomery County permit types

The zoning page posts the county’s forms: the Zoning Certificate application, an Appeal to the Board of Adjustments, a Petition for Re-zoning, and three subdivision applications (Minor Subdivision, Preliminary Plat of Major Subdivision and Final Plat of Major Subdivision), along with the zoning map. A copy of every approved certificate is sent to the County Assessor, so the Assessor learns of each new building through the permit.

Residential permits

A rural house is a new principal building and needs the zoning certificate. To qualify as a dwelling unit it must meet the 800-square-foot, 20-foot-width and permanent-foundation rule, which also applies to manufactured and unique housing. Moving an existing house or other non-farm building over 120 square feet onto a lot takes a zoning permit before the building is transported; within 60 days of its arrival the owner must set it on a permanent approved foundation and ask for the zoning certificate. Garages, shops and sheds of 120 square feet or more, and additions to the house, use the same application.

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

Commercial permits

Businesses, industrial sites and any change in the use of a building or parcel go through the same zoning certificate, after a rezoning or special use permit where the district requires one. A Home Business or Home Industry is approved by the Zoning Administrator. Signs and billboards of 20 square feet or more need a permit, and the county posts separate Grain Bin and Sign Regulations. Energy projects have their own documents: an Amended Solar Ordinance dated July 29, 2022 and an amended Wind Ordinance.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Septic and well. The application must include the County Sanitarian’s well and septic permits and an approved sewage system plan.
• State approvals. DNR stormwater and confinement permits go in with the application.
• Survey and staking. Lot dimensions must come from an actual survey, and the lot and building location must be staked on the ground before construction starts.
• Rezoning or variance. A use the district does not allow goes to the Zoning Commission and supervisors by petition; a hardship goes to the Board of Adjustment.
• Subdivision. Splitting land for new lots uses the minor or major subdivision applications.
• Floodplain. Building in the floodplain of a river or stream is regulated even on a farm.

Montgomery County permit costs and fees

Section 17 C of the ordinance says there shall be a fee for zoning certificates and sets the amounts in a table. The county’s posted copy of that table is a scanned image, as is its 75-page Resolutions file, so call the Zoning Administrator at 712-623-5197 for the current fee before filing.

Farm buildings and farm dwellings escape the fee along with the permit, because the ordinance requires no permit for them. Because a permit lapses if work has not started within six months, a project that slips past that window may need a new permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Wiring outside the cities falls to the state: the county pages describe no electrical program, so DIAL issues electrical permits through its online system and sends state inspectors. Plumbers and HVAC contractors work under their state licenses, and a contractor earning $2,000 or more a year from construction registers with DIAL. The county’s zoning certificate is not a trade permit and does not approve wiring, plumbing or mechanical work.

• Septic systems. The County Sanitarian issues construction permits for septic systems, and the zoning application must show the approved sewage system plan.
• Wells. The Sanitarian tests water wells serving non-public water systems and runs the county’s Private Well Program; the well permit goes in with the zoning application.
• Roads and bridges. The County Engineer supervises construction and repair on county highways and bridges; ask that office before cutting a driveway or placing anything in a county road right-of-way.
• Livestock and stormwater. DNR confinement and stormwater permits are state approvals the county asks to see.

Disturbing 1 to 5 acres needs the county permit; above 5 acres the ordinance requires Iowa DNR approval under Stormwater Permit #2, with a copy filed with the Zoning Administrator.

How to apply for a Montgomery County zoning certificate

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance asks for written applications on the county’s forms, and an application that lacks the state approvals or the Sanitarian’s permits is incomplete. The plans must come in duplicate and drawn to scale, with lot dimensions taken from an actual survey, or the application is not complete. Projects that do not fit the district wait for a rezoning or a Board of Adjustment decision. Once issued, a permit becomes void if construction, alteration or the change of use has not begun within six months of issue.

Inspections in Montgomery County

The county’s pages describe no framing, foundation or final building inspections; the county’s checks are about location and use. The ordinance builds its control points into the permit itself:

• Staking. The lot and the building’s location must be marked on the ground before construction starts.
• Moved buildings. Within 60 days of arrival the building must be on a permanent approved foundation and the owner must ask for the zoning certificate.
• Completion. Work must be finished within 18 months, and the approved certificate is copied to the Assessor.
• Septic. The County Sanitarian handles septic construction under its permit.
• Wiring. State electrical inspectors from DIAL.

Violations are pursued by the Zoning Administrator under Section 18.

Iowa building code

Montgomery County regulates rural building through zoning only: the county issues zoning permits and certificates, and the ordinances it posts include no building code. Montgomery County takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, according to FEMA’s Community Status Book: its first flood insurance rate map, dated May 2, 2016, is still the effective map, and the county entered the program’s regular phase on February 6, 2026. The zoning ordinance applies its floodplain rules to farm structures as well as non-farm ones.

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

Montgomery County permit search and official resources

There is no online permit search. Zoning permits and certificates, Board of Adjustment appeals and rezoning files sit with the Zoning Administrator at the Engineer’s office, so a parcel’s permit history is a request to 712-623-5197. The Assessor receives a copy of each approved certificate. The zoning page also posts the zoning map, the Comprehensive Plan 2024 with the resolution approving it, and the energy and grain bin regulations.

• Montgomery County Zoning (forms and regulations)
• Revised Zoning Ordinance for Unincorporated Montgomery County (effective July 14, 2021)
• Zoning Certificate application
• Amended Solar Ordinance (July 29, 2022)
• Wind Ordinance, amended
• Grain Bin and Sign Regulations
• County Sanitarian
• Engineer and Secondary Roads
• Montgomery County 911 Center
• State electrical permits (DIAL)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Montgomery County permit FAQs

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

Yes. A new house is a principal building and needs a zoning certificate from the Zoning Administrator in Red Oak (712-623-5197), with the Sanitarian’s septic and well permits attached.

Does a farm building need a county permit?

No. The ordinance says no permit is required for farm buildings or farm dwellings, but floodplain rules still apply to farm structures.

What size shed needs a permit?

An accessory building of 120 square feet of floor area or more needs a permit; it must be 10 feet from the main building and 3 feet from alley and neighboring lot lines in A or R districts.

How much is a Montgomery County zoning certificate?

The fee is set in Section 17 C of the zoning ordinance, but the posted table is a scanned image. Ask the Zoning Administrator for the current amount.

How long is a permit good for?

It becomes void if work has not started within six months of issue, and the project must be completed within 18 months.

Can I move a house onto a rural lot?

Yes, with a zoning permit obtained before the building is moved. It must be on a permanent approved foundation within 60 days, when you request the zoning certificate.

Who issues electrical permits outside the cities?

DIAL. The county pages describe no county electrical permit.

Does Montgomery County participate in the flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the county as participating, with a May 2, 2016 flood map and regular-program entry on February 6, 2026.

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