Tama County, Iowa Building Permit Guide

Outside city limits in Tama County, the Zoning office at 129 W High Street in Toledo (641-654-7045) issues a Building Permit / Zoning Certificate before a building is erected, moved in or structurally altered. Tama County has adopted no building code, so the permit is a zoning and site-plan check; it costs $60 for work up to $1,000 plus a sliding amount per $1,000 above that, and the 911 address must be issued first, with septic and well permits from the Sanitarian where needed.

What requires a permit in unincorporated Tama County?

Article XXIII of the 1998 Tama County Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning certificate from the county’s administrative officer before anyone starts or carries on the erection, construction, moving in or structural alteration of a building or structure. The county’s own advice is to call the Zoning office before any new construction or repair to find out whether a certificate is needed.

In the “A” Agricultural District a house is a provisional use rather than a use by right. It is allowed on a lot of at least 40 acres; or on a lot of at least one acre that either has an average Corn Suitability Rating under 70 or adjoins another non-farm residential lot for at least 100 feet; or otherwise with a conditional use permit from the Board of Adjustment, which weighs nearby farm chemicals, notice to neighboring farmers, road traffic and the loss of prime farmland. Buildings in the A district need a 50-foot front yard, side yards of at least 20 feet each (40 feet combined), a 50-foot rear yard and an average lot width of 70 feet, and may rise no more than three stories or 42 feet. In residential districts, fences may be 4 feet high in the front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county’s permit page is explicit that Tama County has not adopted building code regulations; it recommends that structural, electrical and plumbing work follow the Uniform Building Code or the State of Iowa Building Code, but does not inspect them. What the county does regulate is land use: districts, setbacks, conditional uses and wind and solar systems in the zoning ordinance, and subdivisions, airport tall-structure zoning and flood plain management in separate ordinances. The fee schedule in the zoning ordinance was last revised in fall 2025, with a review recommended by fall 2030.

Tama County building department: who handles permitting

Laura Wilson, the Zoning and Planning Administrator, issues zoning certificates and floodplain permits and is the contact named on Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment notices. Septic and well permits are issued by the Sanitarian, Chris Behrens, in the same Toledo building; 911 addresses come from Emergency Management; the County Engineer in Tama handles entrances and work in the road right of way.

Cities in Tama County

The county ordinance stops at city limits; each of the county’s 13 incorporated cities handles building and zoning inside its own boundaries.

Tama County permit types

Ask the Zoning office for the application; it is filed with a detailed site plan, which staff review against the setback rules of the zoning district. Under the ordinance the application gives the property’s legal description, the owner and applicant, the uses to be established and the proposed cost, with a dimensioned drawing of the lot based on an actual survey.

Residential permits

A new rural house needs a 911 address from Emergency Management before the zoning certificate can be issued, plus septic and well permits from the Sanitarian when it will use a private system or well. Where no public sewer exists, the ordinance asks for any state approval of the private sewage plans that applies to systems of that size. The lot and building location must be staked out before construction starts.

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

Commercial permits

Businesses use the same zoning certificate. Uses listed as conditional in a district, and variances from the district rules, go to the Board of Adjustment for a hearing ($200, paid when applying), whose decision can be appealed only to the courts; its five members are appointed by the supervisors for five-year terms and must live in the unincorporated county. Rezonings and subdivisions go through the Zoning Commission, and the Sanitarian reviews wastewater plans for both.

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

What comes before the zoning certificate

• 911 address. Issued by Emergency Management before the permit.
• Septic and well. Permits from the Sanitarian for new systems and wells.
• Floodplain. Any development in Zone A needs a floodplain development permit, reviewed by the Zoning office without a commission hearing; the application needs the 100-year flood elevation set by a registered land surveyor, the lowest floor elevation and a cost estimate.
• Entrance. A new or widened driveway in the county right of way needs the Engineer’s entrance permit before work begins.
• Planning changes. A public notice set a Zoning Commission hearing on a draft accessory dwelling unit ordinance for January 20, 2026; no adopted ADU ordinance is posted on the county site, so ask Zoning whether one is in force. The commission is also taking comment on a draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan at meetings on November 11, 2026 in Vining and November 18, 2026 in Traer.

Tama County permit costs and fees

Zoning certificate fees are set in Section 2302 of the zoning ordinance and repeated on the county fee page. They are based on the value of the structure, building or addition, and each step adds to the one before it.

Entrance permits are free; the Engineer’s fees are for road use: oversize or overweight loads need a trip permit ($35 single trip valid five days, $70 round trip), with two to three business days’ notice and any bridge analysis billed to the applicant, and annual overweight permits are currently not issued.

Worked example: a $300,000 house pays $60 for the first $1,000, $19 for the next $19,000, $15 for the 30 thousands up to $50,000 and $50 for the 250 thousands above that, or $144. The fee page drops the word “additional” from the $20,000 band, but Section 2302.1 of the ordinance has it, and the example follows the ordinance. Pay at the Zoning office or the Auditor’s office at 104 W State St., by check made out to the Tama County Treasurer.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county states it has not adopted building code regulations, and its pages list no plumbing, mechanical or electrical permit or electrical inspection program; electrical permits and inspections for rural work therefore come from the state’s electrical program run by DIAL. Licensing of the trades is a state matter.

• Septic installers must hold the IOWWA installer certification and give the Sanitarian a copy of their liability insurance; the county posts its list of certified installers, approved soil analysis professionals and time-of-transfer inspectors.
• Alternative septic systems, such as those a contractor or the health officer may require on a difficult site, can carry a mandatory annual maintenance contract, which the Sanitarian monitors for the DNR.
• Well drillers file the non-public water well construction permit; plugging an old well is reported on the abandoned well plugging record.

Solar arrays are an accessory use in every district once a building/zoning permit is issued: ground- or pole-mounted collectors may be no taller than 20 feet at full tilt, count toward lot coverage and keep the district’s building setbacks, and their power lines to buildings run underground; roof-mounted panels are exempt from height limits within reason, and the utility must approve any grid connection.

The Sanitarian is also a certified time-of-transfer inspector and offers well testing, well plugging advice and radon kits, and can be reached at 641-481-3550 before a septic installation or a home sale.

How to apply for a Tama County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance gives the administrative officer seven days from a completed application to issue the certificate or a written denial with reasons. A certificate expires after 90 days if no substantial beginning has been made, or if the use has not been established within one year, unless the office extends it in writing. Projects needing a variance or conditional use wait for a Board of Adjustment hearing, and floodplain sites need a surveyor’s elevations first.

Inspections in Tama County

There are no county building inspections of framing, plumbing or wiring. Building without the certificate is a county violation punishable by a fine of up to $500, or $750 for a repeat offense, with each day counted as a separate offense, on top of the doubled permit fee. The ordinance gives the administrative officer access to the site during construction for any inspection he or she considers necessary, starting from the 48-hour construction notice, and the site must be staked out before work begins. Electrical work is inspected by the state under its own permit.

The Sanitarian inspects each new septic installation, checking that site analysis and soil sampling were done so the system suits the property, and runs the time-of-transfer program for homes sold with a septic system. New wells are permitted and their water tested through the same office.

Iowa building code

Tama County has not adopted a building code for the unincorporated area; its zoning, subdivision, floodplain, airport-height, well and wastewater ordinances apply. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Tama County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective October 7, 2021.

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

Tama County permit search and official resources

Under Section 2306 of the zoning ordinance, the administrative officer keeps all applications and issued certificates for public reference, so a rural permit can be looked up by asking the Zoning office or by a request under Iowa Code chapter 22. Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment agendas and public notices are posted on the county site.

• Tama County Zoning
• Building Permit / Zoning Certificate
• Zoning fee schedule
• Zoning, subdivision, airport and floodplain ordinances
• 1998 Tama County Zoning Ordinance
• Floodplain management
• Board of Adjustment
• Zoning public notices
• Comprehensive Land Use Plan meetings, November 2026
• Sanitarian
• Septic systems
• Well permits
• County Engineer permits and policies
• Emergency Management
• State electrical permits (DIAL)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Tama County permit FAQs

Does Tama County have a building code?

No. The county states it has not adopted building code regulations; its Building Permit / Zoning Certificate checks zoning, setbacks and the site plan.

How much is a zoning certificate for a new house?

$144 for a $300,000 house under the fall 2025 schedule, and double if construction starts before the permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed in rural Tama County?

Only if it is larger than 120 square feet.

Why do I need a 911 address before my permit?

The county will not issue the building permit until Emergency Management has assigned the address.

Who issues septic and well permits?

The Tama County Sanitarian in Toledo, 641-481-3550; septic installers must be certified and insured.

Do farm buildings in a flood zone need a permit?

Yes. The floodplain development permit applies to farm and non-farm property alike in Zone A, even though farm buildings are otherwise outside the zoning ordinance.

Can I build a house on agricultural land in Tama County?

Yes, if the lot meets one of the A district options: 40 acres or more; at least one acre with either a Corn Suitability Rating under 70 or 100 feet of frontage on a neighboring non-farm home lot; or approval of a conditional use permit by the Board of Adjustment after a $200 hearing.

Is there a fee for a driveway permit?

No. The County Engineer’s entrance permit is free but must be approved before work begins.

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