Scott County's Planning and Development Department at 600 West Fourth Street in Davenport permits and inspects construction in the unincorporated county, in Iowa's south-eastern corner on the Mississippi. The counter runs from eight in the morning to half past three in the afternoon, an early close worth planning a visit around.
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. Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, LeClaire and Princeton 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 — earlier than any other office in this batch. On a county where a site visit and a counter visit often happen the same day, that hour and a half matters, and an afternoon plan built on a five o'clock close will not survive it.
What requires a building permit in Scott County?
Iowa splits its building code into a part that applies everywhere and a part that does not. The State of Iowa Building Code sits at 661 Iowa Administrative Code, adopted under Iowa Code chapter 103A by the Building Code Bureau within the State Fire Marshal Division of the Department of Public Safety. Under chapter 103A a local jurisdiction has discretion to adopt the state code, to adopt a different code, or to adopt no building code at all — but certain portions apply to construction statewide regardless, most notably the energy conservation requirements at 661 IAC chapter 303. The state fire code and the state plumbing and electrical codes likewise run statewide through their own chapters and their own authorities. 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.
Where Scott County has adopted a building code, that code draws the exemption line and the jurisdiction may amend it. Ordinary repairs generally need no permit; construction, alteration, repair, demolition and any change of occupancy generally do. The statewide provisions apply either way: an application for a building permit, other than one to renovate or remodel a residential building of one or two units, must include a statement that the construction will comply with all applicable energy conservation requirements.
Typically permit required
- 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.
Who handles permitting in Scott County?
Planning and Development is the permitting authority for unincorporated Scott 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 | 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 |
| Scope | Unincorporated Scott County; the cities permit their own |
| Energy statement | Required with the permit application |
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.
How Iowa contractor credentials work
Iowa registers contractors with the Division of Labor and licenses the trades separately at state level. Electricians are licensed through the state electrical examining board and plumbers, mechanical and HVAC contractors through the plumbing and mechanical systems board, each valid across the state. A contractor doing business in Iowa registers with the Division of Labor, and out-of-state contractors face additional bonding requirements. Scott County may require its own local licence or registration on top of the state credential, and that is the requirement to confirm before a permit is pulled.
Commercial permits
Commercial and agricultural work in unincorporated Scott County — grain handling, 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.
Establishing what applies to the site
The first step on an Iowa project is establishing whether the jurisdiction has adopted a building code and, if so, which. A city or county that has adopted the state code enforces it locally; one that has adopted a different code enforces that; one that has adopted nothing has no general building permit requirement at all, though the statewide energy, fire, plumbing and electrical provisions still apply and the State Fire Marshal retains its own jurisdiction. That question is answered by the jurisdiction rather than assumed from its size. 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.
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 and the others issue their own |
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. It is the most commonly underestimated fact in this metropolitan area.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work is permitted separately, under state codes that apply across Iowa rather than under whatever the local jurisdiction has adopted for general building.
Permit required
- Unserved parcels — well and on-site wastewater approvals alongside the building permit
- Electrical — separate permit, under the state electrical code and state licensing
- Plumbing — separate permit, under the state plumbing code and state licensing
- Mechanical — separate permit, under the state mechanical code and state licensing
- Fire protection — under the state fire code and the State Fire Marshal's jurisdiction
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
How to apply for a Scott County building permit
The state code, another code, or none at all; chapter 103A leaves the choice local.
Energy conservation, the state fire code and the state plumbing and electrical codes run statewide.
Zoning and subdivision are local in every case and precede the building permit.
Division of Labor registration, state trade licences, and any local requirement on top.
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.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Scott County reviews unincorporated work against its adopted code, on a counter that closes at half past three. 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 State Fire Marshal Division — the Building Code Bureau and the state fire code
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
- Iowa State Fire Marshal Division — the Building Code Bureau, the state building code and the state fire code
- 661 IAC chapter 301 — state building code general provisions — the codes adopted by reference and the state's amendments
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
Frequently asked questions
When does the counter close?
At 3:30 pm, Monday to Friday — earlier than most Iowa planning offices.
Does the county permit inside Davenport?
No. Davenport, Bettendorf and the county's other cities permit inside their own limits.
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.
Simplify Scott County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Scott County shuts early and sits against a state line. We file inside the hours it keeps and carry the right state's credentials for the right side of the river.
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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.