Across Johnson County's residential and agricultural zoning districts, the Unified Development Ordinance caps buildings at 35 feet and 2.5 stories. The same limit applies to single-family dwellings, farm dwellings, barns, and outbuildings on unincorporated land.
The county UDO sets a maximum height of 35 feet and two and one-half stories for primary and accessory structures in the Agricultural (A), Agricultural Residential (AR), Residential Single-Family (RS), and Small Farmstead (SF) districts. Taller structures need a variance from the county Board of Adjustment. Outdoor light fixtures are separately capped at 30 feet. Farm silos, grain legs, and communication towers follow their own standards. Airport overlay zoning near the Iowa City Municipal Airport (IOW) can lower the limit further to protect approach paths. Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty set their own height limits by zone under Iowa Code Chapter 414.
Exceeding the height limit blocks issuance of the zoning certificate and can force a stop-work order. The Board of Adjustment must grant a variance before a taller structure is approved.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Johnson County, IA
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See how Johnson County's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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