Linn County
Linn County Planning & Development
In short
Linn County Planning & Development issues 2 permits we publish for Linn County, last verified 2026-10-14. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Verification and Site Plan Review (Zoning Permit) and Zoning Applications (unincorporated Linn County)only if it applies to you | Linn County Planning & Development | As published on the county's Zoning Division Fee Schedule (Res. 2022-12-206, amended by Res. 2024-12-195 on December 18, 2024, Res. 2025-10-153 on October 8, 2025 and Res. 2026-2-33 on February 25, 2026): Site Plan - Minor (including Zoning Verification & Site Plan Review - Zoning Permit) $25; Site Plan - Major $200; Conditional Use Permit (all uses except otherwise listed) $275; Conditional Home Occupation $275, 5-year renewal one-half of the Conditional Use fee; Temporary Use - Standard $100, Expedited $500; Floodplain Permit (except Conditional Use Permit or Variance) $120; Rezoning/Map Amendment (all districts except EU-1, EU-2, EU-3 and RE Overlay) $375; Variance $200; Special Exception $200; Administrative Exception $100; General Appeal $150. All application fees are non-refundable. | per application; a conditional use permit for a home occupation is subject to administrative renewal every five years (§107-113(h)) | 2026-10-14 |
| Building, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permits, and State-Licensed Contractor Requirement (Linn County Building Division)only if it applies to you | Linn County Planning & Development | Linn County Code Ch. 105 (amending IBC 109.2 and IRC R108.2) provides that the fee for each permit is paid "in accordance with the permit fee schedule as established by resolution of the county board of supervisors," with plan review and re-inspection fees on the same resolution schedule; that resolution is not published with the code. Work begun before a permit is issued carries an investigation fee equal to the permit fee for the entire project. Planning & Development gives the current amounts. | per project; a 180-day permit extension can be requested before the permit expires (Building Permits & Inspections page) | 2026-10-14 |
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
Zoning Verification and Site Plan Review (Zoning Permit) and Zoning Applications (unincorporated Linn County)
In unincorporated Linn County, the Unified Development Code (Linn County Code Ch. 107) requires zoning verification, reviewed with a minor site plan, before a building permit is issued for additions, enlargements or new construction, before an accessory structure is placed where a building permit is not required, and before a change in the use of a lot or parcel (§107-67); the zoning administrator approves or disapproves the zoning permit. Section 107-115 requires a major site plan before approval of a veterinary clinic or hospital and sets standards for automobile service stations, including that "Outdoor storage of automotive parts or junk vehicles is prohibited" and that all repairs be done inside a completely enclosed building. Under §107-113(h), a home occupation needs a conditional use permit if a nonresident employee is on the premises, it generates more than five customer or client visits a day or more than three at one time, it stores equipment or more than one commercial vehicle outside, or it uses an accessory building; that permit is renewed administratively every five years and ends on sale, lease or transfer of the property. The same subsection prohibits as home occupations vehicle repair, body work or painting, restaurants, clubs and drinking establishments, and daycare centers and preschools. As published on the county's Zoning Division Fee Schedule (as amended by Res. 2025-10-153 and 2026-2-33), a minor site plan including zoning verification costs $25, a major site plan $200, a conditional use permit or conditional home occupation $275, a temporary use $100 (expedited $500), a floodplain permit $120, a rezoning $375, a variance or special exception $200, an administrative exception $100 and a general appeal $150; §107-27 makes every application fee non-refundable. A business inside one of Linn County's incorporated cities also checks with that city, which sets its own business license, building and zoning rules.
Building, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permits, and State-Licensed Contractor Requirement (Linn County Building Division)
The Linn County Building Division's page states that its jurisdiction includes rural Linn County and partner cities that contract with the county through 28E agreements to provide inspection services, naming Alburnett, Bertram, Center Point, Ely, Lisbon, Mount Vernon, Palo and Springville. Linn County Code §105-16 adopts the 2024 International Building Code and International Residential Code as the county construction regulations, and the Building Permits & Inspections page takes online applications for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, zoning and site plan review permits through BS&A. Contractors must create a BS&A account and request a web pin from Planning & Development before submitting an application. For contractors, Linn County Code §105-35 requires anyone contracting electrical work to employ a state "A" master electrician and to obtain a permit from the building official; §105-49 provides that licensing of mechanical contractors "shall be in accordance with state laws" and requires a contractor "licensed with the state in the appropriate category" who "has obtained a permit"; and §105-69 requires a plumbing contractor to be "licensed by the state" and to obtain a permit. The state licenses are separate state records. Permit, plan review and re-inspection fees follow a schedule set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors, and under the county's amendment to IBC 109.4, work commenced without a permit is charged an investigation fee "equal to the amount of the permit fee" for the entire project. A business inside one of Linn County's incorporated cities also checks with that city, which sets its own business license, building and zoning rules.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Linn County
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
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 Division pageLinn County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Building Permits & Inspections pageLinn County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Linn County Code of Ordinances, Ch. 105, Buildings and Building Regulations, §§105-16, 105-17, 105-35, 105-49, 105-69Linn County, Iowa (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Linn County Code of Ordinances, Ch. 107, Unified Development Code, §§107-27, 107-67, 107-113(h), 107-115Linn County, Iowa (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Planning & Zoning Division pageLinn County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Zoning Division Fee Schedule, Unified Development Code §107-27 (Res. 2022-12-206, amended by Res. 2024-12-195, 2025-10-153 and 2026-2-33)Linn County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
Other offices serving Linn County
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