Story County, IA Code Violation Reporting: Response Times (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Formal complaint about a private well or water system
- Response deadline
- EH investigation starts within 3 business days (§61.10(3))
- Enforcing agency
- Story County Environmental Health Department
- Other triggers
- Real estate transfer or suspected health hazard also require inspection
- Fee
- EH may charge an inspection report fee (§61.11)
Summary
When Story County Environmental Health receives a formal complaint about a private water well or its distribution system, County Code Section 61.10(3) requires EH to open a complaint investigation within three business days, one of only three circumstances that trigger a mandatory well inspection under the Board of Health rules.
61.10 INSPECTIONS OF EXISTING WATER WELLS AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS. ... Existing wells and water supplies shall be inspected and analyzed by the EH in the following circumstances: ... ... 3. When a complaint regarding a water well or distribution system is received EH shall initiate complaint investigations within three business days of receiving a formal complaint.
Full Breakdown
10 spells out when the Environmental Health Department (EH) must inspect and analyze an existing water well or distribution system. 10(3) sets a firm clock requiring EH to initiate complaint investigations within three business days of receiving a formal complaint. 11, payable to the Story County Treasurer and directed to the Environmental Health Department. This three-business-day trigger is specific to private well and water-supply complaints; it is the only numeric response-time commitment for citizen complaints that Story County's code sets out in writing, so it does not extend to other nuisance or zoning complaints handled under separate chapters.
Violations & Fines
The code does not attach a separate penalty to a missed three-day window; the deadline binds EH's own investigation process rather than the well owner. If the investigation confirms a violation, such as an unprotected well under Section 61.08, the well falls under the general Board of Health enforcement track in Chapter 72: voluntary compliance, then a Notice of Violation, then a County infraction citation if the owner does not correct the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must Story County respond to a well complaint?
What other situations trigger a well inspection besides a complaint?
Does Story County charge for a well inspection?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
Compare Story County to another location·View the Iowa code violation reporting overview
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