Scott County
Scott County Planning & Development
In short
Scott County Planning & Development issues 4 permits we publish for Scott 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit (unincorporated Scott County)only if it applies to you | Scott County Planning & Development | "Determined in accordance with the fee schedule of the Scott County International Construction Code" (Chapter 6 sign regulations, item (12)), i.e. the valuation-based building permit fee schedule of County Code §5-14; no flat sign fee is published in Chapter 6. Contact Planning & Development (563-326-8643) for the amount. | per sign installation | 2026-10-14 |
| Home Occupation / Home Industry Approval (unincorporated Scott County)only if it applies to you | Scott County Planning & Development | As published on the Planning & Development Home Business page: Home Occupation $25; Home Industry $50, collected with the submittal of the application. A no-impact home-based business as defined in Iowa Code §335.35(1)(c) needs no county approval (Iowa Code §335.35(3)). | one-time approval, obtained before the business starts | 2026-10-14 |
| Floodplain Development Permit (unincorporated Scott County)only if it applies to you | Scott County Planning & Development | $30 application fee per application, as published on the Planning & Development Floodplain Development page | per project; applications may be submitted at any time | 2026-10-14 |
| Building Permit (unincorporated Scott County and the eight 28E cities)only if it applies to you | Scott County Planning & Development | Set by the estimated value of the work under the building permit fee schedule in Scott County Code §5-14; contact Planning & Development (563-326-8643) for the fee on a given valuation. Other §5-14 items: governmental, charitable, religious and non-profit organizations receive a 50% discount off the building permit fee; re-inspection or additional trip $50.00 per trip; demolition of a structure $50.00; work begun without a permit pays an investigation fee equal to the permit fee. New commercial projects also pay a $500 plans review fee with the application, credited to the permit fee if the permit is issued (Building Permits and Inspections Policies, Policy D). | per the permit provisions of the building codes adopted under County Code chapter 5 | 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
Sign Permit (unincorporated Scott County)
The sign regulations in Chapter 6 of the Scott County Code of Ordinances (Zoning for Unincorporated Areas), item (12), state: "A sign permit is required prior to the installation of any on premise accessory pedestal, ground or roof sign and any off premise sign or billboard. The sign permit fee shall be determined in accordance with the fee schedule of the Scott County International Construction Code." That fee schedule is the valuation-based building permit fee schedule in County Code §5-14, so the fee follows the value of the sign work; no flat sign amount is published in Chapter 6. The requirement applies to businesses in unincorporated Scott County; a business inside a city follows that city's sign rules. Contact Scott County Planning & Development, Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, IA 52801-1003, 563-326-8643.
Home Occupation / Home Industry Approval (unincorporated Scott County)
The county's Home Business page states that applications for Home Occupations and Home Industries are available at the Planning and Development Department and "must be approved prior to the initiation of the business", and that a fee is collected with the application: Home Occupation $25, Home Industry $50 (as published on that page). Per the page, a home occupation is a secondary use permitted in residential and agricultural zoning districts, conducted entirely within the residence by a family member living there, with no more than one non-resident assistant. A home industry is a light industrial or commercial secondary use allowed only in the Agricultural Preservation (A-P) and Agricultural General (A-G) districts; it may include sale and repair of cars, light trucks and agricultural equipment, lawn service and contractors' equipment storage, must be at least 500 feet from a neighbouring residence, business or farming operation, may use no more than 25% of the residence's floor area and 2,400 square feet of an accessory building, and may have up to four non-resident employees. One non-illuminated sign of up to six square feet is allowed. Iowa Code §335.35(3) provides that a county shall not prohibit a no-impact home-based business or otherwise require a person to apply, register, or obtain any permit, license, variance, or other type of prior approval from the county to operate one; under §335.35(1)(c) that is a home-based business whose on-site employees and clients stay within the county occupancy limit, whose activities are limited to the sale of lawful goods and services, generate no on-street parking or substantial increase in traffic, occur inside the dwelling or in the yard, and are not visible from an adjacent property or street. Contact Scott County Planning & Development, Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, IA 52801-1003, 563-326-8643.
Floodplain Development Permit (unincorporated Scott County)
The county's Floodplain Development page states that "Any development in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (as identified by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) must apply for a Floodplain Development Permit", and that all structures, including those deemed agriculturally exempt, are subject to floodplain development standards enforced by the Zoning Administrator. Applicants petition the Zoning Administrator using the Floodplain Development Application form on that page. As published on the page, "The application fee is $30, and applications may be submitted at any time." Simple requests may be approved in a few business days, but many projects also need review and comment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, depending on the location. A business site outside a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area needs no floodplain development permit; a site inside a city applies to that city. Contact Scott County Planning & Development, Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, IA 52801-1003, 563-326-8643.
Building Permit (unincorporated Scott County and the eight 28E cities)
The county's Building Permits page states that Scott County Planning and Development issues building permits and performs inspections for unincorporated Scott County including Park View, and through intergovernmental 28E agreements for the Cities of Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale; for work in those eight cities the applicant first obtains zoning approval from the city and includes it with the county permit submittal. Under Scott County Code §5-14 (Chapter 5, Adopted 4/14/22), the inspection and other fees are paid before a building permit is issued, and the fee is determined from the estimated value of the work; the building inspector may verify or correct the estimated cost. The same section gives governmental, charitable, religious and non-profit organizations a 50% discount, charges $50.00 per re-inspection or additional trip and $50.00 to demolish a structure, and charges an investigation fee equal to the permit fee when work starts before a permit is obtained. Planning & Development's Building Permits and Inspections Policies (adopted February 11, 2022, Policy D) add a plans review fee of $500 for new construction commercial projects, submitted with the application and credited to the total permit fee if the plans are approved and the permit issued; the fee is retained if staff have reviewed the plans and no permit is issued. Contact Scott County Planning & Development, Administrative Center, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, IA 52801-1003, 563-326-8643.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Scott County
- Phone
- 563-326-8643
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 Permits and Inspections Policies (adopted February 11, 2022)Scott County, Iowa, Department of Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Building Permits pageScott County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Floodplain Development pageScott County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Home Business pageScott County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Iowa Code chapter 335 (County Zoning), incl. §335.35 Home-based businesses (Iowa Code 2026)Iowa Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Scott County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5 (Construction Codes), §5-14 Building Permit Fee Schedule (Adopted 4/14/22)Scott County, Iowa, Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Scott County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 6 (Zoning for Unincorporated Areas), sign regulations item (12)Scott County, Iowa, Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
Other offices serving Scott County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Iowa jurisdictions
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