Polk County’s Planning and Development division, part of Polk County Public Works and covering building, environmental health and planning and zoning, permits and inspects construction in unincorporated Polk County from 5885 NE 14th Street, Des Moines (515-286-3705, publicworks@polkcountyiowa.gov, Monday to Friday 7:00am to 4:30pm), with online payments through the county’s OpenGov portal. The county is the most populous in Iowa, but some 20 cities lie wholly or partly inside it — Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Altoona, Pleasant Hill and others — each permitting its own construction, so the county’s territory is the land between them.
That land is under sustained annexation pressure as the metropolitan area expands, which makes the jurisdiction question live rather than settled: a parcel that is county today may be city by the time a permit is filed. As everywhere in Iowa, the statewide provisions apply whatever the county has adopted — the energy conservation requirements, the state fire code and the state plumbing and electrical codes — and the energy compliance statement goes with every application other than a one- or two-unit residential remodel.
This guide covers unincorporated Polk County. Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Windsor Heights and Grimes permit their own construction inside their limits.
The county's map is the gaps between cities. With some 20 incorporated cities inside it, Polk County's own permitting authority covers only the unincorporated land between them — and annexation moves that boundary steadily. On a parcel anywhere near a city edge, confirm the jurisdiction at the time of filing rather than relying on a purchase-date understanding.
What requires a building permit in Polk County?
In Polk County the questions are what has been adopted locally, what applies whether or not it has been, and the county's adopted code and its shrinking unincorporated area.
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- Construction, alteration, repair, demolition or change of occupancy in unincorporated territory
- Zoning and subdivision approval from the county ahead of the building permit
- A statement of compliance with applicable energy conservation requirements, on every application except a one- or two-unit residential remodel
- New buildings, additions and structural work on an existing building
- Alterations, repairs and renovations, and any change of occupancy
- Decks, accessory structures above the local threshold, retaining walls and swimming pools
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and small accessory work below the county's adopted threshold, and one- and two-unit residential renovation from the energy statement requirement
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress or systems
- Painting, papering, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
- Small accessory structures below the locally adopted threshold — zoning still applies
- Renovation and remodelling of one- and two-unit residential buildings, from the energy statement requirement
What is local, and what applies regardless
The general building code is Polk County's choice. It may adopt the state code by ordinance, adopt something else, or adopt nothing; where it adopts the state code it may also adopt its own administrative and enforcement provisions, establish a building department and designate a building official. What is not its choice is the statewide core: the energy conservation requirements, which apply to all commercial construction and to new one- and two-family residences whether or not a local code exists; the state fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal with local fire departments acting under agreement; and the state plumbing and electrical codes. Beyond those, the annexation pressure from some 20 cities and the unincorporated land between them.
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
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Get a free quote →Who handles permitting in Polk County?
Planning and Development, in Polk County Public Works, is the permitting authority for unincorporated Polk County, enforcing the code the county has adopted alongside its zoning and subdivision regulation. The cities permit inside their own limits, the Building Code Bureau maintains the state code, the trades are licensed at state level, and the State Fire Marshal retains its own jurisdiction.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Polk County Public Works, Planning and Development |
| Office | 5885 North East Fourteenth Street, Des Moines, IA 50313 |
| Phone | (515) 286-3705 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 4:30 pm |
| Scope | Unincorporated Polk County; some 20 cities permit their own |
| Energy statement | Required with the permit application |
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Polk County authorized 70 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
A house in unincorporated Polk County is permitted by the county against the code it has adopted, with zoning cleared first and the energy compliance statement filed with the application. On unserved parcels a well and an on-site wastewater system are approved alongside, and acreage development at the metropolitan fringe is the county's steady residential work.
Commercial permits
Commercial and industrial work in unincorporated Polk County — the interstate corridors, agricultural and contractor businesses and the development following the metropolitan edge outward — clears county zoning and subdivision, then plan review against the county's adopted code, with the statewide energy requirements applying to all commercial construction.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Establishing what applies to the site
In unincorporated Polk County the Des Moines and Skunk river corridors bring floodplain review into the file, on-site wastewater governs most rural building, and annexation steadily moves land from county to city jurisdiction.
Iowa contractors register with the state licensing department (DIAL), and electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors hold state licences. Iowa rules
Polk County permit costs and fees
Fees follow the county's schedule for unincorporated territory, with trade licensing handled at state level.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | The county's fee schedule, for unincorporated territory |
| Zoning and subdivision | County approval ahead of the permit |
| Well and on-site wastewater | Separate approvals where the parcel is unserved |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical, each separately |
| Energy statement | Required with the application; no separate fee |
| City permits | The county’s 20 or so cities issue their own |
Annexation moves the boundary under you. The Des Moines metropolitan area has expanded steadily, and land that is county jurisdiction at purchase can be city jurisdiction by the time a permit is filed. The two authorities may enforce different codes and charge different fees, so the boundary is confirmed at filing rather than taken from an older map.
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Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Unserved parcels — well and on-site wastewater approvals alongside the building permit
- Electrical — separate permit from the city or county, or from DIAL where there is no local electrical inspection; state-licensed electrician
- Plumbing — separate permit under the plumbing code the jurisdiction enforces; state-licensed plumber
- Mechanical — separate permit under the mechanical code the jurisdiction enforces; state-licensed mechanical contractor
- Fire protection — under the state fire code, enforced by DIAL’s fire safety bureau, or under a local fire code the state recognises
Typically exempt
- Like-for-like replacement the applicable trade code places below the permit threshold
- Work a property owner performs on their own residence, where the jurisdiction allows it
Trade work is permitted separately under state codes that apply across Iowa. Iowa rules
How to apply for a Polk County building permit
The state code, another code, or none at all — though a city of more than 15,000 people must enforce at least the state code.
Energy conservation, accessibility, the state fire code and the state plumbing, mechanical and electrical codes run statewide.
Zoning and subdivision are local in every case and precede the building permit.
DIAL contractor registration, state trade licences, and any local registration for general contractors.
Required on every building permit application except one- and two-unit residential remodelling.
Footing to final, with the trades on their own permits, then the certificate of occupancy.
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Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Polk County reviews unincorporated work against its adopted code. What delays a file here is a parcel filed with the wrong authority after annexation, a missing energy compliance statement, and a services position established late.
Inspections in Polk County
Inspections follow the sequence of the code the jurisdiction has adopted — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the local building department by permit number, with the trades inspected on their own permits. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings and changes of occupancy. Polk County inspects the work it permits in the sequence its adopted code sets, with the trades inspected on their own permits; inside the cities, inspection is theirs.
Polk County permit search and official resources
- Polk County Planning and Development — the department, its zoning and its permitting
- Iowa DIAL Building Code Bureau — state plan review and the list of local code enforcement
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
- 481 IAC chapter 280 — the state fire code (International Fire Code, 2024 edition, with Iowa amendments)
- 481 IAC chapter 301 — state building code — the codes adopted by reference and the state’s amendments
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Does the county permit inside Des Moines?
No. Des Moines and the county's other cities permit inside their own limits; the county covers unincorporated territory.
Could my parcel be annexed before I build?
It is a real possibility at the metropolitan edge, so confirm the jurisdiction at the time of filing rather than at purchase.
What is the energy compliance statement?
A statement that the construction will comply with all applicable energy conservation requirements, required on every Iowa permit application except a one- or two-unit residential remodel.
Which code does the county enforce?
The code Polk County has adopted. Under Iowa Code chapter 103A each jurisdiction chooses its own; confirm the current adoption.
Do I need a well and wastewater approval?
On unserved parcels, yes — both are separate approvals alongside the building permit.
Who licenses electricians and plumbers?
State boards license the trades across Iowa.
Simplify Polk County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Polk County's territory is defined by where the cities are not, and that line moves. We confirm the jurisdiction at filing and file the energy statement with every application.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Polk County Public Works Planning and Development division, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Iowa permitting guides
More Iowa permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Polk County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.