Before You Build in Davenport, IA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Davenport requires a building permit for retaining walls over four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, or for any wall supporting a surcharge. Walls follow the adopted 2021 International Building and Residential Codes.

Davenport requires residential pools and spas to have barriers meeting the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, Chapter 305: a minimum 48-inch barrier with self-closing, self-latching gates. Swimming pools require a building permit.

Davenport requires a building permit only for fences taller than six feet. Residential fences six feet or under need no permit, but all fences must still meet zoning height, setback, material, and visibility-triangle rules.

Davenport caps solid fences at 4 feet and open fences at 6 feet within front and reverse-corner-side setbacks. Interior side and rear fences may reach 6 feet, and fences inside the buildable area may reach 8 feet.

Davenport imposes no residential cost-sharing mandate on boundary fences; each owner builds on their own land. City code does require a fence's finished side to face outward. Iowa Code Chapter 359A partition-fence rules apply to agricultural land.

Davenport's fence code bans scrap metal, corrugated and sheet metal, razor wire, pallets, plywood, OSB, and reused materials, plus electric fences except for livestock. Chain-link is prohibited in front and reverse-corner-side setbacks.

Davenport requires a barrier at least 48 inches high around residential pools and spas, with self-closing, self-latching gates, under the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code adopted in the city building code.

Davenport requires a building permit for above-ground pools over 24 inches deep or 5,000 gallons. Prefabricated pools under both thresholds are exempt but must still meet the 48-inch barrier rule.

Davenport enforces pool safety under the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and the federal VGB Act: anti-entrapment drain covers, 48-inch barriers, and self-latching gates are required around residential pools and spas.

Davenport requires a permit for hot tub and spa installation, mainly for the 240-volt electrical connection. Spas must meet the 48-inch barrier rule or use a compliant locking safety cover.

Davenport requires a building permit for in-ground and larger above-ground pools, spas, and hot tubs. Prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep and 5,000 gallons are exempt but still need barriers.

Davenport must allow one ADU per single-family lot under Iowa's SF 592 (2025). City zoning caps ADUs at 1,000 square feet, detached in the rear yard. Owner-occupancy mandates are barred by state law.

Davenport allows converting a detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit under Chapter 17.08 if the required off-street parking stays on site. A building permit and habitable-space code apply.

Davenport has no separate tiny-home zoning. A foundation-built tiny house is a dwelling under the building code; the ADU path (Chapter 17.08) allows a detached unit up to 1,000 square feet. Homes on wheels are treated as RVs.

Davenport allows one carport per lot, in the rear or interior side yard, with a building permit. Setback and lot-coverage limits apply under zoning Chapter 17.09.

Davenport exempts one-story sheds up to 120 square feet of roof area from a building permit, but they must still meet zoning setbacks. Only one shed is allowed per lot.

Davenport allows backyard recreational wood fires without a permit if kept under eight feet wide, four feet high, at least 25 feet from any structure, and constantly attended with a hose or extinguisher ready.

Davenport bans open burning of leaves, garbage, and yard waste. Only clean wood can be burned, and only on a day the fire chief declares a burn day by recorded phone message, between sunrise and sunset.

Davenport owners must keep private branches at least eight feet above sidewalks and 14 feet above streets and alleys under Municipal Code 8.14.280. Public and right-of-way trees may not be trimmed without City Arborist authorization.

Davenport has no year-round lawn-watering schedule. Iowa American Water, the private utility serving the city, may request voluntary conservation during dry spells. Iowa's humid climate makes mandatory bans rare.

You need no permit to remove a tree on your own private property in Davenport. Public trees and those in the city right-of-way require prior City Arborist authorization, and tree-service firms must be licensed.