Waverly, Iowa Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Waverly are issued by Bremer County Building, Zoning & Environmental Health at 415 E. Bremer Avenue (319-352-0332), which enforces the city’s Chapter 90 building code, the 2024 International codes, under contract with Waverly. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits go to the same county office, while the city’s Community Development Office (319-352-9208) issues fence, sign, parking lot and floodplain permits and signs off on zoning, including every solar installation.

What requires a building permit in Waverly?

Chapter 90 of the Waverly code regulates the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, conversion and occupancy of buildings and structures in the city, so most construction needs a building permit from the county office. The chapter also lists work that needs no permit.

Fences need a city permit with no fee: up to 3 feet in a front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards on residential lots, with a corner lot treated as having two front yards. Nothing may be built inside a recorded utility or drainage easement, and non-residential fences have no height limit.

What Waverly decides and what the state holds

The city’s Chapter 90, in the version posted with a July 18, 2025 date, brings in the 2024 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Fire, Fuel Gas and Existing Building codes, the state-adopted plumbing code with its amendments and the National Electrical Code as adopted by Iowa. Projects already under signed contract when a new edition takes effect may follow the previous edition if they start within 120 days. Permit fees are set by council resolution and kept on file with the building official, and zoning, floodplain (Chapter 102) and rental housing (Chapter 91) rules are Waverly’s own.

Waverly building department: who handles permitting

Bremer County’s Building, Zoning & Environmental Health department provides building and zoning code enforcement under contract to Denver, Readlyn, Janesville and Waverly. For Waverly it takes the building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical applications, reviews plans and does the construction inspections; its staff include a building inspector and an electrical inspector. Waverly’s Community Development Office keeps zoning, land use and floodplain decisions.

The arrangement shows in the county’s books: the Bremer County supervisors’ approved claims regularly include payments to the City of Waverly listed as building permit fees.

Waverly permit types

Construction applications, with plot plans, drawings and fees, are filed with the county, using the building permit application in Bremer County’s online permit portal, which the city’s Building Permit page links. Separate electrical and plumbing & mechanical applications go to the same county office. The city’s own permits are for fences, signs, moving and demolishing structures, parking lots, floodplain development, home occupations, urban chickens, special provisional uses, rezonings and subdivisions.

Residential permits

For a new house, the city’s September 2015 checklist asks for one full-size set and one 8½ by 11 set of a dimensioned site plan, the basement plan showing where the electric meter enters and the first floor plan. The site plan shows distances to every property line, driveway width at the curb and at the property line (32 feet maximum for each), the sidewalk one foot inside the right of way, and window wells at least 5 feet from side lines and outside easements. A drainage plan with flow arrows is required, and roof water must end on a porous surface at least 5 feet from all property lines.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work follows the 2024 International Building Code with the county’s plan review. The county fee sheet adds a plan review fee of 50% of the building permit fee on projects valued over $200,000, other than one- and two-family dwellings. New paved parking areas need a city parking lot permit at $10 per 1,000 square feet, and signs take a city sign permit priced by area.

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 building permit

• Zoning. The Zoning Administrator reviews setbacks and land use; variances go to the Board of Adjustment and rezonings ($200) to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.
• Solar. The Zoning Administrator first checks the plan against the alternative energy system rules in the city code, asking for last year’s energy use, the expected yearly production and confirmation that Waverly Utilities has been contacted; plans that do not fit can go through the special provisional use process.
• Floodplain. See the floodplain rules below; the city’s floodplain development permit itself carries no fee.
• Utilities. The county department’s FAQ page points builders to the City of Waverly’s water, sewer and excavation permit and its fats, oils and grease program, both run by the city.

Waverly permit costs and fees

Waverly’s fee page sends applicants to the county for building permit amounts, and the county’s fee sheet is headed for Bremer County, Denver, Dunkerton, Janesville, Readlyn, Tripoli and Waverly. The building permit is charged on the total value of all the work, including finish work, roofing, electrical, plumbing and heating; trade permits are separate.

On the county table, a $40,000 garage is $265.92 plus 15 × $6.56, or $364.32, with no plan review, which the sheet charges only on projects over $200,000 other than one- and two-family homes; the electrical and any plumbing permits are added separately.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: issued and inspected by the county office, which has its own electrical inspector, under the National Electrical Code as Iowa adopted it. Electrical contractors must file a certificate of liability insurance of at least $50,000 and copies of their own and their employees’ state licenses with the county building department; a Master A or B electrician may sign permits only for the contractor that employs them.
• Plumbing and HVAC: the same county office; contractors file the same $50,000 insurance certificate and copies of their state plumbing and mechanical licenses, and only a Master may sign for an employer.
• General contractors: a $50,000 certificate of liability insurance on file with the county building department.
• Homeowners: an owner-occupant with the homestead tax exemption may take out permits for work on their own principal residence (not an apartment) and its accessory buildings, including electrical work other than a service upgrade or replacement or a new house.

Industrial plants may hold an annual electrical maintenance permit if a licensed journeyman supervises the work and it adds no new service or extension.

How to apply for a Waverly building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Two offices review a Waverly project, so the usual delays come from one of them waiting on the other: a solar permit the county cannot release until the Zoning Administrator approves it, a floodplain project the city must approve before forwarding it to the county, or a site plan that does not show every property-line distance. Projects needing a variance or special provisional use add a Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment meeting.

Inspections in Waverly

Waverly has two inspection tracks. New structures and work on structures are inspected by the Bremer County Inspections Office (319-352-0332), which asks for 24 hours’ notice. Its inspection card lists the stages: footings, foundation walls, waterproofing and setbacks before concrete is poured; electrical and plumbing groundwork and temporary or permanent service before the floor is poured; rough electrical, plumbing, gas piping, heating and radon rough-in before framing; then framing and insulation before anything is covered.

The City of Waverly Community Development Office (319-352-9208) inspects fill in floodplain areas, fences, signs, parking lots, chicken housing, rental properties and other exterior land use work. A rental unit may not be occupied until the owner holds a city rental registration permit and names a responsible local agent; registration is renewed every three years at no charge when filed on time, and the city’s self-inspection checklist shows the items it can enforce.

Iowa building code

Waverly enforces its own Chapter 90 code, based on the 2024 International codes, through Bremer County. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Waverly as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its current flood maps effective January 29, 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

Inside the 100-year flood hazard area, Chapter 102 compares the cost of all interior and exterior work and labor on an existing building with half of its assessed value from the Bremer County Assessor, counting earlier approved improvements; the city decides and then forwards the permit to the county for final review and inspection. New buildings need an elevation certificate from a state-licensed surveyor, and anything proposed in the floodway along the Cedar River or Dry Run Creek starts with a consultation with the Zoning Administrator. Revised flood maps for the Dry Run Creek area took effect on December 22, 2017.

Waverly permit search and official resources

Construction permits for Waverly are kept by the Bremer County building department, which holds the applications, plans and inspection cards; zoning, fence, floodplain and rental files are kept by Waverly Community Development. Either can be requested as a public record under Iowa Code chapter 22.

• Waverly building permits
• Waverly inspection procedure
• Waverly community development fee schedule
• Chapter 90 Building Code (July 18, 2025)
• New home site plan requirements
• Fence permits
• Floodplain permits
• Rental property regulations
• Board of Adjustment
• Waverly city code
• Bremer County Building, Zoning & Environmental Health
• Bremer County building permit fees
• County inspection record card
• FEMA Community Status Book, Iowa

Waverly building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Waverly?

Bremer County’s Building, Zoning & Environmental Health department, under contract with the city, at 415 E. Bremer Avenue (319-352-0332). The city handles zoning and land use permits.

How much does a building permit cost in Waverly?

The county table applies: for example $26.25 for the first $500 of value, and $364.32 for a $40,000 project. Trade permits are extra.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Waverly?

Yes, a free city permit. Fences may be 3 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side and rear yards on residential lots.

Does a small shed need a permit?

Not a building permit if it is one story and 120 square feet or less, though zoning setbacks and easement rules still apply.

How do I get solar panels approved?

Start the building permit with Bremer County, then send the Zoning Administrator your past energy use, expected production and confirmation from Waverly Utilities.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical work?

An owner-occupant with the homestead exemption may get permits for their own home, but not for a service upgrade or replacement or a new house.

Is my Waverly property in the floodplain?

Check the FEMA flood maps at City Hall or online; work in the 100-year flood area needs a city floodplain permit, which has no fee.

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