Urbandale, Iowa Building Permit Guide

In Urbandale, building permits come from the Community Development Department’s Building Services staff at 3600 86th Street (515-278-3935), who review plans administratively and inspect the work. Applications go through the city’s online permit portal. Fees follow the Fee and Fine Schedule adopted by Resolution 133-2026, effective July 1, 2026, which prices a building permit from its valuation and adjusts the table each year for inflation.

What requires a building permit in Urbandale?

Urbandale’s rule is short: a building permit is needed for almost all construction except minor repairs and small, portable storage sheds, and every plumbing, mechanical and electrical job needs its own permit. Zoning approval is still required for a portable shed or any other new structure, to confirm it meets setbacks and stays out of easements.

The two city pages differ on sheds. The general permits page exempts small, portable storage sheds from the building permit, while the accessory structure page says a permit is required for any shed or accessory building. Ask Building Services before setting even a small prefabricated shed, since zoning approval is needed either way.

What Urbandale decides and what the state holds

Urbandale adopts its codes in the municipal code. The Building Codes page lists the 2018 International Building, Existing Building and Residential Codes in Chapter 150, the 2018 International Fire Code in Chapter 92, the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code in section 150.06 and the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code as the housing code in Chapter 151. For the trades the city follows the State of Iowa: the 2024 International Mechanical Code (Chapter 153), the 2023 National Electrical Code (Chapter 152) and the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code with NFPA 54 (Chapter 155), with the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code as the state energy code. The page also fixes local design values: a ground snow load of 30 pounds per square foot, frost depth of 42 inches, seismic category A, moderate to heavy termite risk and a required ice shield, subject to the city’s amendment allowing an alternative.

Urbandale building department: who handles permitting

Building Services, within the Community Development Department led by Director Rose Schroder, handles permits, plan review, inspections and the housing code. Building Official Roger Schemmel and the plans examiner check plans against the building code while other staff check zoning. Permit decisions are administrative: applications do not go to the City Council or any other board.

Structural plans for nonresidential work are reviewed by private engineers acting as consultants to the city; their review cost is folded into the permit fee, and the schedule allows the city to bill actual consultant costs plus overhead for outside plan checks or inspections.

Urbandale permit types

The permit portal lets applicants apply at any hour, follow a permit from submittal to final inspection and schedule inspections from a phone or computer. Its three steps are: create an account, apply for a business registration or license, then apply for the permit. Trade permits tied to a building permit issued before January 1, 2019 still go on paper. A permit cancellation form handles refund requests.

Residential permits

New single-family homes use the city’s single-family checklist, the metro energy code plan review and installation checklist, a construction-site erosion control (COSESCO) form, a water service application card and, when a builder takes over a half-built house, a transfer of responsibility form. Handouts cover deck plan review and inspections, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, electrical service panel replacement, pool barriers and plan review, residential detached accessory structures, seasonal rooms and covered decks, stairs and guards, retaining walls and residential site plans; the city warns that not every handout reflects the codes now in force. No accessory building may be built before work on the house has begun, and setbacks depend on the structure’s size, its height, any easements and the building lines on the final plat.

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

Commercial permits

Most nonresidential construction needs plans certified by an architect or engineer licensed in Iowa, and the city posts guidance on when each is required. A site plan approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council must come before construction of any new development other than a single-family house; an “at risk” permit application can sometimes go in early, but no permit is approved until the site plan and its conditions are satisfied, so raise it at a pre-application conference.

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

• Board of Adjustment. Variances from the zoning or sign ordinance, conditional use permits and appeals of staff interpretations go to the Board of Adjustment, which meets on the first Wednesday of each month after a published notice and letters to neighbors. Fees are $100 for a residential variance, $125 nonresidential and $175 for a conditional use or appeal. Its decision is final for the city; further appeal is to District Court, and nobody may lobby board members outside the hearing.
• Floodplain. Any work on a property that touches the 100-year flood hazard area needs a free Local Floodplain Permit, which also documents projects that do not affect the floodplain. The floodplain district rules sit in the zoning chapter (Chapter 160), and no use or structure in the floodway may raise the base flood elevation. The city lies in the Walnut Creek and Beaver Creek watersheds, and pending map revisions are posted on its proposed map revisions page.
• Site plans and plats. A standard site plan is $250 and a minor one $125; rezonings and plats follow the same schedule.

Urbandale permit costs and fees

The Fee and Fine Schedule adopted by Resolution 133-2026 took effect on July 1, 2026. Building permit fees are calculated from the project valuation, using a per-square-foot valuation table drawn from International Code Council data (the current table, effective July 1, 2026, uses the February 2026 figures), and the table is adjusted by the consumer price index each year on or after March 1. Since July 1, 2024 the city has not waived Community Development or Building Services fees except on city-owned projects.

Example: a remodel valued at $40,000 falls in the $25,001 to $50,000 band, so the building permit is $399.74 plus 15 steps of $9.61, or $543.89, and the $15 zoning fee for work on an existing house brings it to $558.89 before trade permits. A new fence costs $30 plus the $15 zoning fee, or $45.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Urbandale are city permits under chapters 152, 155 and 153 of the municipal code, so DIAL does not permit trade work inside the city. Contractors apply for their permits on the same portal, and the city’s trade permit page links to the state license and contractor registration lookups: electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors hold State of Iowa licenses and general contractors register with the state.

• Electrical: new single-family house or townhouse unit $175 flat; otherwise a $35 basic fee plus $3.75 a circuit for the first ten and $2 after that, $35 for a service panel update and small item charges. Working without an electrical permit doubles the fee, to a maximum of $100.
• Mechanical: new house or townhouse unit $110 flat; otherwise $35 plus $15 per furnace or air conditioner, $7 per water heater and other unit charges.
• Plumbing: new house or townhouse unit $140 flat; otherwise $35 plus $7 per fixture and $15 each for sewer and water service lines. Work in a street needs a $3,000 cash bond or $10,000 performance bond.

Urbandale’s trade page points only to state licensing for electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors; owners considering their own work should ask Building Services.

How to apply for an Urbandale building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Because review is purely administrative, the timeline depends on how complete the submittal is. Commercial jobs wait on the outside structural review and, for new development, on a site plan approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. Handouts that predate the current codes are a known trap: the city notes that code, ordinance and fee changes effective September 22, 2020 have not been carried into every handout, so confirm requirements with staff. A single-family or townhome application canceled after review still costs $150.

Inspections in Urbandale

Inspections are scheduled through the permit portal, where the permit’s inspection history stays visible to the applicant through final. Questions go to Building Services at 515-278-3935. A re-inspection costs $50 an hour, an inspection outside normal hours $75 an hour with a two-hour minimum, and any inspection without a listed fee $50 an hour.

New homes carry the city’s erosion control requirements, including winter erosion control measures, and a temporary certificate of occupancy has its own application. The housing code (the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code) applies to rentals, with inspections at $60 for a house or the first unit of a building and $20 for each further unit.

Iowa building code

Urbandale’s Building Codes page lists the 2018 International Building, Residential and Existing Building Codes under Chapter 150 of its municipal code, with the trade and energy codes the state has adopted. No later adoption appears on the city’s own site, and the online code and council records could not be read, so confirm the edition with Building Services before plans are drawn. FEMA’s Iowa Community Status Book carries Urbandale (community 190230, spanning Dallas and Polk counties) as a participating community on a flood map effective February 1, 2019, and the city’s Community Rating System Class 7, held since 2020, earns NFIP policyholders a 15% discount.

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

Urbandale permit search and official resources

The permit portal has a public search for permits and licenses. The city’s flood web map at maps.urbandale.org/fema shows the current flood map and letters of map amendment for any address. For older files and plans, make a public records request to the city; Iowa Code chapter 22 governs access.

• Urbandale building permits overview
• Permit applications and portal
• Urbandale Citizenserve permit portal
• Adopted building codes and design criteria
• Valuations and fees
• Fee and Fine Schedule, Resolution 133-2026
• Building valuations and permit fees effective July 1, 2026
• Plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits
• Accessory structure permits
• New single-family home requirements
• Residential construction handouts
• Variances and conditional use permits
• Floods and FEMA, local floodplain permit
• Community Development staff directory
• Iowa public records law (Iowa Code ch. 22)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Urbandale building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Urbandale?

It depends on valuation: $68.31 for the first $2,000 plus $14.41 per $1,000 up to $25,000, rising through the bands in Resolution 133-2026, plus a small zoning fee.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Urbandale?

Yes. A fence permit is $30 plus a $15 zoning fee.

Does a small portable shed need a permit?

The permits page exempts small portable storage sheds from the building permit, but zoning approval is still required and the accessory structure page asks for a permit on any shed, so check with Building Services.

Which building code does Urbandale enforce?

The city’s Building Codes page lists the 2018 International Building, Residential and Existing Building Codes, with the state’s 2024 mechanical and plumbing codes and 2023 electrical code.

Does the City Council approve building permits?

No. Permits are approved by staff; only site plans for new non-single-family development go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

Is a floodplain permit required?

Yes, for any work on a property that touches the 100-year flood hazard area. The Local Floodplain Permit is free.

Can I still file a paper permit?

Only for trade permits connected to a building permit issued before January 1, 2019; everything else goes through the portal.

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