Building Safety in Iowa (2026)

Des Moines enforces lead-safe practices in pre-1978 housing through Chapter 8 building rules, Chapter 60 nuisance…

Lead paint in pre-1978 Iowa City housing is governed by the Iowa Lead-Based Paint Act at Iowa Code Section 135.100 et…

Adair County Ordinance No. 11 is a lead program, not a sale-time disclosure rule. It applies to premises where an…

Black Hawk County's lead program requires owners to fix hazardous lead-based paint within 30 days once the county…

In the City of Dubuque, landlords selling or leasing housing built before 1978 must disclose known lead-based paint…

Sioux City's Housing Maintenance Code requires every landlord to keep rental dwelling units reasonably free of…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, Municipal Code Sec. 13.705 requires at least one passenger elevator to stay in operation at…

Elevators in Des Moines buildings are regulated under Iowa Code Chapter 89A by the state Elevator Safety Bureau within…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, one- and two-family homes are not required to install residential fire sprinklers; the city…

In the City of Ankeny, Iowa, the adopted Residential Code requires automatic fire sprinklers in townhouses and one- and…

Unincorporated Black Hawk County lowers the fire sprinkler trigger under its adopted building code to any structure of…

Cedar Rapids requires automatic fire sprinklers in townhouse groups over four attached units and in one- or two-family…

Des Moines requires automatic fire sprinklers in townhouses and in one- and two-family homes of 8,000 square feet or…

Rental buildings in unincorporated Johnson County that are required to have an automatic sprinkler system must have it…

In the City of West Des Moines, a single-family dwelling under 8,000 square feet of floor space, including the garage…

In the City of Council Bluffs, the 2015 International Residential Code's automatic fire sprinkler mandate for new one…

The City of Dubuque adopted the 2021 International Residential Code but struck the model code's automatic fire…

Unincorporated Polk County does not require automatic fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family homes. Section 20.2.4…

Sioux City amended the adopted residential code to strike the IRC sections that would have required fire sprinklers in…

Waterloo, Iowa deleted the International Residential Code's automatic fire sprinkler requirement in its entirety. New…

Childcare centers in Des Moines must meet Iowa Department of Health and Human Services licensing standards plus IBC…

Operating a child care center serving seven or more children in unincorporated Johnson County requires a Conditional…

Ankeny's amended IBC Section 305.2.3 lets a day care serving eight or fewer children in a dwelling unit be classified…

Cedar Rapids lets an in-home daycare for eight or fewer children follow the residential code as a group R-3 use, and…

In the City of Dubuque, a daycare center is a 'place of public accommodation' under City Code Article 14-1I, so its…

Iowa City's building code amendment lets a home daycare serving 8 or fewer children stay classified as a residential…

Unincorporated Polk County treats a home used for licensed day care as a regulated dwelling under Chapter 20 of its…

Sioux City requires standalone child care centers in residential districts to look residential in scale, provide…

In unincorporated Story County, where you can run a child care business depends on whether it counts as a small in-home…

In the City of West Des Moines, a dwelling-based day care can serve up to eight people receiving custodial care as a…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, Municipal Code Sec. 13.407(17) requires every door into a rented dwelling, rooming, or…

Ankeny's Building Code amendment to IBC Section 1010.2.2 flatly bars thumb turn locks on doors covered by the…

Rental units in Des Moines must have exit doors that open from inside without a key, tool, or special knowledge, under…

Dubuque's Property Maintenance Code requires every rental unit's egress door to have a lock that opens from the inside…

Every dwelling unit and rooming unit in Iowa City must have a deadbolt lock that can be operated from inside and locked…

Sioux City's Housing Maintenance Code requires functioning locking devices on both means of egress and on every…

In the City of West Des Moines, new multifamily apartment, rental condominium and rental townhouse projects must…

The City of Dubuque has adopted the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code by reference as the Dubuque Energy…

Unincorporated Polk County builds to the International Energy Conservation Code as adopted and amended by the Iowa…

Instead of the model IBC energy chapter, Ankeny Section 175.51 replaces Chapter 13 with a rule that construction must…

Des Moines does not impose a mandatory green building code beyond Iowa's adopted IECC energy code, but the 2024 Climate…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, a carbon monoxide alarm is required in any rental dwelling unit or sleeping unit that has a…

In the City of Ankeny, Iowa, carbon monoxide detection is required in Group A, E, I and R occupancies under Fire Code…

Des Moines requires carbon monoxide alarms in rental units and rooming houses with a fuel-burning appliance or attached…

Iowa City requires carbon monoxide alarms in any rental dwelling unit that has a fuel-fired appliance, such as a gas…

Unincorporated Polk County requires a carbon monoxide alarm whenever an existing home's furnace, boiler, or air…

In the City of Waterloo, Iowa, an amendment to the property maintenance code at City Code § 9-1B-2 requires carbon…

Rental dwellings in the City of West Des Moines must have at least one carbon monoxide detector near every sleeping…

Story County doesn't mandate carbon monoxide detectors in homes, but County Code Section 64.07(1) requires any aquatic…

In Adair County's mapped flood hazard areas, a Floodplain Development Permit issued by the Administrator must be…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, any owner or agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a…

Under the Ankeny Building Code (IBC 2024 as locally amended), a permit is required for construction work unless it…

In unincorporated Black Hawk County, Iowa, no building may be erected, altered or occupied without a permit issued by…

Cedar Rapids requires a Building Official-issued permit before any work regulated by the Building Code begins, covering…

In the City of Council Bluffs, CBMC 13.01.301 requires a separate permit from the building official before erecting…

Any interior renovation touching building, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing systems in Des Moines needs a permit…

Dubuque enforces construction through the 2021 International Building Code, adopted locally as the Dubuque Building…

Iowa City has adopted the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code, with local…

Anyone building, altering, moving, enlarging, repairing or demolishing a building or structure in unincorporated…

Unincorporated Linn County requires a building permit under the adopted 2024 International Building and Residential…

In unincorporated Polk County, no one may start any development activity without a permit from the Building Official…

Sioux City charges an $85 building permit fee, covering one inspection, for a new deck, patio, carport, fence, or shed…

In unincorporated Story County, land cannot be occupied or used, and no building or structure may be moved, erected, or…

The City of Waterloo, Iowa adopted the 2021 International Building Code, International Residential Code and…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, the City has adopted the 2020 National Electrical Code as its electrical code, and Ames…

Electrical work in Ankeny needs a permit under Code of Ordinances Section 179.04, with narrow exceptions for…

Cedar Rapids requires a permit from a licensed electrical contractor before any wiring, alteration, or disconnection…

Electrical work in the City of Council Bluffs needs a permit from the building official under CBMC 13.01.301, and…

Des Moines requires a permit from the Permit and Development Center before any electrical work or equipment…

Dubuque enforces the National Electrical Code, 2020 edition, as the "Dubuque Electrical Code" under city ordinance…

Iowa City requires a permit before electrical work begins, adopting the Iowa State Electrical Code under Iowa Code…

Electrical work in unincorporated Johnson County follows the Iowa State Electrical Code, adopted county-wide under UDO…

Unincorporated Linn County requires electrical work to follow the 2023 National Electrical Code and 2006 ICC Electrical…

Unincorporated Polk County adopts the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), as amended by the Iowa Electrical Examining…

Sioux City requires a State of Iowa-licensed electrical contractor to obtain a permit from the Inspection Services…

In the City of Waterloo, Iowa, City Code § 9-3-7 lets a homeowner pull their own electrical permit to wire a home they…

In the City of West Des Moines, electrical installations fall under the city's adopted Building Code, which…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, the City has adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, and Ames Municipal Code Sec. 5.103…

Plumbing work in Ankeny requires a permit from a contractor licensed by the State of Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical…

Black Hawk County requires a plumbing permit before any tap, connection, extension or repair to a water or sewer system…

Cedar Rapids requires a Plumbing Permit issued to a state-licensed contractor before any plumbing work, with narrow…

Plumbing work in the City of Council Bluffs requires a permit from the building official under CBMC 13.01.301, and…

Des Moines requires a plumbing permit for any installation, alteration, repair, replacement, or remodel regulated by…

Dubuque adopts the plumbing code as set and amended by the State of Iowa (Iowa Administrative Code 641, Chapter 25) as…

Iowa City requires a permit before any plumbing work under Title 17 of the City Code, which adopts the Iowa State…

Unincorporated Linn County plumbing work must follow the state-adopted Uniform Plumbing Code, 2024 edition, covering…

Unincorporated Polk County requires a plumbing permit for work covered by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), adopted as…

Sioux City requires a permit for all plumbing work, issued only to a State of Iowa licensed plumbing contractor, under…

In the City of Waterloo, Iowa, City Code § 9-4A-1 adopts the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code and the State Plumbing Code as…

In the City of West Des Moines, plumbing work falls under the Building Code adopted in City Code section 8-2A-1, which…

In the City of Ames, Iowa, permitted construction work must remain accessible and exposed for inspection until the…

Cedar Rapids Building Services inspects every permitted construction project through the Building Official's office…

Any Council Bluffs construction needing a permit must stay accessible for inspection by the building official under…

Des Moines requires permit holders to call for inspections as work progresses and to schedule them within ten days of…

Dubuque's electrical code amendments require every permitted electrical system to pass inspection before it is…

Before any building or structure can be moved, erected, or expanded in unincorporated Story County, it needs a zoning…

In the City of Waterloo, Iowa, City Code § 9-4-8 puts the notification duty on the permit holder for plumbing and…