9 published records
Business licenses and permits in Scott County, Iowa
Scott County, Iowa, seat Davenport; population 175,601 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). Scott County Health Department is one of the ten local health departments that DIAL contracts with for food establishment licensing and inspection, and DIAL's jurisdiction list says it serves Scott County, so food businesses in every city, Davenport and Bettendorf included, are licensed and inspected by the county; the county's septic and tanning ordinances also apply throughout the county including its 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. Planning & Development also approves home occupations and home industries and issues floodplain development and sign permits in the unincorporated area. Outside city limits the Board of Supervisors is the local authority for retail alcohol licenses and tobacco, nicotine and vapor retail permits. The county's incorporated cities are Bettendorf, Blue Grass, Buffalo, Davenport, Dixon, Donahue, Durant, Eldridge, LeClaire, Long Grove, Maysville, McCausland, New Liberty, Panorama Park, Princeton, Riverdale and Walcott. The Building Permits page directs businesses in the other cities to that city's website or City Hall for permits and inspections, and the Liquor Licenses page tells establishments inside city limits to contact the respective city hall. Each city runs its own licensing, zoning and (outside the 28E cities) building regime, which stacks on the countywide health records and the state records.
What are you opening in Scott County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Scott County
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Private Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Permits (Scott County, including cities)only if it applies to you | Scott County Health Department | Scott County Code §23-6, payable to the Scott County Treasurer at application: construction permit $235.00; permit to install or replace pipes, septic tanks or distribution box $110.00; annual operational permit for an inspection and sample $40.00; administrative fee on a delinquent annual operational permit when a municipal infraction is served $50.00; septic tank abandonment permit $95.00; time of transfer inspection $275.00; work begun without a permit: investigation fee $300.00 in addition to the permit fee. | construction and reconstruction permits expire 12 months from the date the permit fees are received and are not transferable; abandonment permits are valid 60 days; the annual operational permit is renewed each calendar year (County Code §23-5) | 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.
What do these permits involve in Scott County?
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.
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.
Private Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Permits (Scott County, including cities)
Scott County Code Chapter 23 (Private Sewage Disposal Systems, Adopted 4/14/22) applies, under §23-48, "throughout Scott County, Iowa including cities and towns therein." A business site served by a private sewage disposal (septic) system needs a permit from the Scott County Health Department to construct or reconstruct the system; a site on a public sewer needs none, and no private system may be installed where a publicly owned treatment works is available within 200 feet. Under §23-6 the fees, payable to the Scott County Treasurer at application, are $235.00 to construct a system, $110.00 to install or replace pipes, septic tanks or a distribution box, $40.00 for an annual operational permit (inspection and sample) for systems designed to discharge effluent, a $50.00 administrative fee when that annual permit is delinquent and a municipal infraction is served, $95.00 for a septic tank abandonment permit and $275.00 for a time of transfer inspection; work started without a permit adds a $300.00 investigation fee to the permit fee. The Health Department's Fees page lists the same construction, reconstruction, abandonment and time of transfer amounts. Under §23-5 permits are issued for the property described, expire twelve months from receipt of the fees and are not transferable. Contact Scott County Health Department, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, IA 52801, 563-326-8618 or health@scottcountyiowa.gov.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 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
- 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
- Floodplain Development pageScott County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Building Permits pageScott County, Iowa, Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Building Permits and Inspections Policies (adopted February 11, 2022)Scott County, Iowa, Department of Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Scott County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 23 (Private Sewage Disposal Systems), §§23-5, 23-6, 23-48 (Adopted 4/14/22)Scott County, Iowa, Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
- Wells & Septic Fees pageScott County, Iowa, Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-14
Who issues business permits in Scott County?
Permitting in Scott County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Scott County issuing agencies
- Scott County Planning & DevelopmentBuilding permits and inspections for unincorporated Scott County including Park View, and under 28E agreements for Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale · Sign permits, home occupation and home industry approval, and floodplain development permits in the unincorporated area (Zoning Administrator)4 permits
- Scott County Health DepartmentFood establishment licensing and inspection throughout Scott County under contract with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Private sewage disposal system permits throughout Scott County including its cities (County Code Chapter 23) · Tanning facility inspections throughout Scott County including its cities (County Code Chapter 39)3 permits
- Scott County Auditor's Office and Board of SupervisorsLocal review and approval of retail alcohol license applications for premises outside city limits (Iowa Code §123.32) · Local review and approval of tobacco, nicotine and vapor retail permit applications for places outside city limits (Iowa Code §453A.47A(6))2 permits
Other Iowa jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.