Building Your New Home in Rural Linn County

Welcome to your "one-stop-shop" for information and links for building your new home in rural Linn County! This is a result of a joint effort among several county departments including Planning & Development, Engineering & Secondary Roads, and Information Technology, and is an example of how Linn County is working to implement a customer-centered culture and use transformation strategies to improve customer satisfaction.

Here you will find information on required permits from the Linn County Planning & Development, Public Health, and Engineering & Secondary Road Departments for building your new home. Beginning July 5, 2016 you or your contractor can apply for building, zoning, E-911 address, and secondary road entrance permits at the Linn County Planning & Development Department located in the Jean Oxley Public Service Center, 935 2nd Street SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.

Instructions and other helpful documents can be found on this webpage. For specific questions, here are website links, addresses, and phone numbers for each department.

 Planning & Development 935 2nd Street SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, 319-892-5130 Public Health 1020 6th St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401, 319-892-6000 Engineering & Secondary Road Department 1888 County Home Road, Marion, IA 52302 319-892-6400.

Building, Zoning, Electrical, Mechanical, and Plumbing Information

Planning & Development 319-892-5130

• Applying for Permits to Build a New House (PDF) This handout provides a brief overview of all required permits, including Energy Code requirements.  
• Applying for Permits to Build a New House Online.  This is a building plan checklist of requirements to apply for a new house permit online.  
• Inspections Required (PDF) This handout provides information about the inspections that the Building Division of the Planning & Development Department performs during each phase of construction.
• Valuation Form for New Single Family Dwelling (PDF) This form calculates the valuation of the new construction, which is used to determine building permit fees.
• Energy Code Sign Off (PDF) This form is to ensure all work is in compliance with the Iowa State Energy Conservation Code & before Linn County Planning & Development can approve all completed work. 
• Septic Waiver (PDF) This form determines if there is a well & septic system & the number of bedrooms for the size of the septic system.
• Building Plans Checklist (PDF) This is a checklist for required information on building plans for a new home.

Entrance and E-911 Address Permit Information

Engineering & Secondary Road Department 319-892-6400

Entrance and E-911 Address Permits can be applied for with the other permits at the Planning and Development Department, or separately at the Engineering & Secondary Road Department, 1888 County Home Road, Marion. Information needed to complete these permits includes:

• Proposed location of entrance
• Top surface width at right-of-way
• Surface type
• Location of any existing entrances to the parcel
• Permit Fees - Engineering & Secondary Road Department (PDF) This is a copy of the resolution that establishes the permit fees for the entrance and E-911 address permits.

Note: If the proposed driveway entrance will be paved, the following permit is also required and must be submitted separately to the Engineering & Secondary Road Department, 1888 County Home Road, Marion. Information needed to complete these permits includes:

• Work in Right-of-Way Permit - Entrance Paving (PDF) This permit is required when the surface of the entrance with the county right-of-way is going to be a material other than rock and must be submitted separately to the Engineering & Secondary Road Department.

Private Water Well and Private Sewage Disposal System Permit Information

Public Health Department - Environmental Quality Branch 319-892-6000

• Private water well and sewage disposal system permit applications can be applied for at the Public Health Department located at 501 13th St NW, and are available on their website. Percolation test results for private sewage disposal systems must be completed by a certified installer.
• Septic Permit Process (PDF) This handout provides a brief overview of the permit application and inspection process for installing a new septic system.

Note: If the discharge line for treated water from a recirculating cloth filter system is proposed to discharge into a county road right-of-way, such as a road ditch, the following is also required:

• Work in Right-of-Way Permit (PDF) This is a permit application to allow work, such as excavation or filling, within a county road right-of-way. This application is required from the contractor and must be submitted to the Engineering & Secondary Road Department, 1888 County Home Road, Marion.