Scott County’s Planning and Development Department, in the county Administrative Center at 600 West 4th Street in Davenport (563-326-8643), permits and inspects construction in the unincorporated county, on the Mississippi in eastern Iowa, and under 28E agreements also issues the building permits for Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale. The counter runs from 8:00am to 3:30pm, with zoning and inspections staff on the phone from 7:00am; after hours, applications can go in the drop box in the parking lot.
The county's unincorporated land sits between the Quad Cities and the farmland north and west of them, so its work mixes acreage residential development with agricultural construction. The eastern boundary is the state line, running mid-river, and nothing about an Iowa permit or an Iowa trade licence carries across it. The statewide Iowa provisions — energy conservation, the state fire code, the state plumbing and electrical codes — apply whatever the county has adopted.
This guide covers unincorporated Scott County, Iowa, and the eight cities the county permits by agreement: Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale. Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge and the county’s other cities permit their own construction; the cities across the Mississippi are in a different state entirely.
Half past three, and then the day is over. The planning counter runs 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, with zoning and inspections staff answering the phone from 7:00 am. On a county where a site visit and a counter visit often happen the same day, an afternoon plan built on a five o’clock close will not survive it; the parking-lot drop box takes applications after hours.
What requires a building permit in Scott County?
In Scott 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 rural zoning.
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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 Scott 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 county's rural land between the Quad Cities and the farmland, and the state line along its eastern edge.
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 Scott County?
Planning and Development is the permitting authority for unincorporated Scott County, enforcing the county’s building code alongside its zoning, subdivision and floodplain ordinances for all non-agricultural land uses, and it issues the building permits for Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale under 28E agreements. The county’s other 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 | Scott County Planning and Development |
| Office | 600 West Fourth Street, Davenport, IA 52801 |
| Phone | (563) 326-8643 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm; staff by phone from 7:00 am |
| Scope | Unincorporated Scott County, plus building permits for eight small cities by 28E agreement |
| Energy statement | Required with the permit application |
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Scott County authorized 54 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 Scott County is permitted by the county against the code it has adopted, with zoning cleared first, the energy compliance statement filed, and well and on-site wastewater approvals where the parcel is unserved. Acreage development between the Quad Cities and the farmland is the county's steady residential work.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in unincorporated Scott County — grain elevators, contractor yards and the businesses along the highway corridors — clears county zoning, then plan review against the county’s adopted code, with the statewide energy conservation requirements applying to all commercial construction. The county regulates non-agricultural uses; farm buildings used for agriculture sit outside its building code and zoning (Iowa Code 331.304 and 335.2).
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In unincorporated Scott County the Mississippi and Wapsipinicon river corridors bring floodplain review into the file, on-site wastewater governs most rural building, and the state line along the eastern boundary marks an entirely separate regulatory regime.
Iowa contractors register with the state licensing department (DIAL), and electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors hold state licences. Iowa rules
Scott 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 | Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge and most others issue their own; the county permits eight by agreement |
Nothing crosses the river. The county's eastern boundary is a state line running mid-river. A contractor working both sides of the Quad Cities needs credentials in two states, and an Iowa trade licence, an Iowa permit and an Iowa code answer have no standing across the bridge.
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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 Scott 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
Scott County reviews unincorporated work against its adopted code, on a counter that closes at 3:30 pm. What delays a file here is a late-afternoon visit, a missing energy statement, and credentials assumed to carry across the state line.
Inspections in Scott 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. Scott 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.
Scott County permit search and official resources
- Scott 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
When does the counter close?
At 3:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Staff answer the phone from 7:00 am, and a drop box in the parking lot takes applications after hours.
Does the county permit inside Davenport?
No. Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge and most of the county’s other cities permit inside their own limits; the county issues building permits only for unincorporated land and, by agreement, for Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale.
Does my Iowa licence work across the river?
No. The state line runs mid-river, and Iowa credentials, permits and code answers have no standing in the state beyond it.
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 Scott County has adopted; under Iowa Code chapter 103A each jurisdiction chooses its own.
Do I need a well and wastewater approval?
On unserved parcels, yes — both are separate approvals alongside the building permit.
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More Iowa permitting guides
More Iowa permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Scott County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.