Davenport
City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division
In short
City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division issues 4 permits we publish for Davenport, last verified 2026-09-10. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor License (General/Specialty, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing) | City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division | City of Davenport General Contractor/Specialty License (City Code 15.30): $300 for a Commercial license, $200 for a Residential license, or $100 for a Sub-Specialty license, each requiring a City-administered exam (a minimum 70% passing score, offered through the International Code Council or Prometric testing sites) and a $25,000 surety bond. A City of Davenport Electrical, HVAC or Plumbing license carries no additional city fee at all — the city requires only proof of the equivalent Iowa state board license already held (state licensing and testing come first) plus a $5,000 surety bond. | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-10 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division | Priced by declared construction valuation under the city's own Building Permit Fee Schedule: $15.50 for $0-500 of valuation, rising in narrow bands to $668.75 for $99,001-100,000, then $668.75 plus $3.75 for each additional $1,000 (or fraction) of valuation above $100,000. Separate flat fees apply outside the valuation table: a $77 re-inspection fee (Municipal Code § 15.08.320), a $77 inspection-outside-normal-business-hours fee, a $77 fee for any inspection with no fee otherwise specified, a $44-per-hour additional plan-review fee, $44 each for flammable-liquid storage tanks and pumps, $77 (up to 3,000 sq. ft.) or $140 (over 3,000 sq. ft.) to wreck a building, $140 to move a building, and $110 for a temporary building or structure. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-10 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division | No fee | one-time, no expiration | 2026-09-10 |
| Sign Permit | City of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division | $50 one-time, per sign | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Contractor License (General/Specialty, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing)
Unlike Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, which both recognise only the underlying State of Iowa credential, Davenport runs a genuine parallel local licensing program for Building, Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing contractors. Licenses are issued to individuals, who may then pull permits and supervise work for a company; the Code Board of Appeals and Review reviews qualifications and licensing decisions. Applications are submitted to the Development and Neighborhood Services Department, Building Division, at the Davenport Public Works Center.
Building Permit (Commercial)
Submitted with plans and payment to the Building Department at the Davenport Public Works Center (multi-family, commercial and industrial projects with site work are instead reviewed through the city's E-Plan online portal). Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work is reviewed alongside the building permit rather than under a separately published trade-specific valuation table.
Certificate of Occupancy
A certificate of occupancy fee is not published anywhere this research could reach: the city's own current Building Permit Fee Schedule lists a detailed 'Other Permit Fees' table (re-inspections, off-hours inspections, plan review, storage tanks, wrecking, moving buildings, temporary structures) with no certificate-of-occupancy line item at all, and the Building and Land Development Review Process page describes the step without naming a fee either. Confirm directly with the Building Department (563-326-7745) before assuming it is free.
Sign Permit
Covers permanent sign installation, confirmed directly at $50.00 on the city's own application form; a sign requiring an electrical connection also needs a separate electrical permit from a licensed, bonded electrical contractor, and Community Planning zoning sign-off is required before approval. Separately, Municipal Code Chapter 5.02 licenses certain sign-adjacent structures as an ongoing annual business — Billboard Maintenance ($75/year), Canopy ($50/year per canopy), Temporary sign/canopy ($2/week) and railroad-viaduct bridge signs ($5/sign) — a recurring fee on top of, not instead of, this one-time installation permit for a business that owns one of those structure types.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Davenport
- Phone
- (563) 326-7745
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Building and Land Development Review Process — describing Preliminary Approvals (Plan and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission, staff-level Flood Plain Development Permit) and the residential/commercial permit-to-certificate-of-occupancy path, naming City Code Chapter 17.12 for sign review, with no certificate-of-occupancy fee statedCity of Davenport · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Building Permit Fee Schedule — the valuation-based fee table ($15.50 at $0-500 rising to $668.75 at $99,001-100,000, then plus $3.75 per $1,000 above $100,000) and the 'Other Permit Fees' table (re-inspection, off-hours inspection, plan review, storage tanks, pumps, wrecking, moving buildings, temporary structures), with no certificate-of-occupancy line item anywhere in itCity of Davenport, Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Contractor Licenses — City Code 15.30's license requirement, the General Contractor/Specialty fee table (Commercial $300, Residential $200, Sub-Specialty $100, each with a $25,000 bond and a 70%-passing exam), and confirmation that Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing licenses carry 'No Fees' beyond a $5,000 bond and proof of the equivalent State of Iowa licenseCity of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Davenport, IA Contractor License Application — confirming review by the Code Board of Appeals and Review and the 70% minimum passing score for the Building Exam, or proof of State of Iowa licensing for Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical applicantsCity of Davenport, Development and Neighborhood Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Sign (Permanent) Permit Application — confirming the $50.00 permit fee payable to the Public Works Building Division, the requirement that signs needing an electrical connection also obtain a separate electrical permit, and Zoning Review sign-offCity of Davenport, Public Works Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
Other offices serving Davenport
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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