Adair County, IA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section IV(B) of Ordinance No. 37 is the permit gate for building in the special flood hazard areas, which are Zone A on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Adair County dated April 5, 2017. The permit is issued by the Floodplain Administrator, the county employee appointed or firm selected to administer the ordinance. It covers any man-made change to improved and unimproved real estate, including buildings or other structures, mining, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations, and it covers placing factory-built homes. The ordinance's definition of development excludes minor projects, routine maintenance of existing buildings and facilities, and gardening, plowing and similar practices that do not involve filling or grading.

The application goes on forms furnished by the Administrator. It must describe the work, describe the land by lot, block, tract, street address or similar description, state the intended use or occupancy, give the elevation of the 100-year flood, and give the elevation of the lowest floor, including basement, in relation to North American Vertical Datum 1988, or the level to which the building will be floodproofed. For buildings being improved or rebuilt, it must state the estimated cost of improvements and the market value of the building before the improvements. The Administrator can ask for other information, such as drawings or a site plan.

The Administrator decides within a reasonable time, approves or disapproves the application, and gives an applicant a written statement of the specific reasons for any disapproval. The Administrator does not issue permits for variances except as directed by the County Board of Supervisors. An approved permit authorizes only the use, arrangement and construction set forth in the approved plans. Before a structure is used or occupied, the applicant submits certification by a registered professional engineer or land surveyor that the finished fill, floor elevations and floodproofing comply. The Administrator keeps a record of every permit, appeal and related correspondence. Separately, Ordinance No. 38 provides that for a utility-scale solar project the Board of Supervisors provides any necessary building permits after approving the construction permit application.