County Permit SearchU.S. compliance directory
IowaChickasaw County

Administrative overview · FIPS 19037

Chickasaw County permit authority

The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.

Jurisdictional status

State Fallback

This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.

Required jurisdiction check

Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.

The record is marked State Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.

Responsible agency

Chickasaw County Land Use Office / Flood Plain Management

For a project in or near Chickasaw County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.

Direct contact

641-394-2813

Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.

Permit counter

Chickasaw County Land Use Office, Chickasaw County Courthouse, 8 E. Prospect Street, PO Box 94, New Hampton, IA 50659

Operating hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed holidays

Review expectation

No general county building-permit review timeline is published because Chickasaw County has no zoning ordinance in effect. For land divisions, reviewing county offices generally report within 10 working days, the Planning Commission may take up to 60 days on a preliminary plat, and the Board of Supervisors must act on a minor subdivision within 60 days of receipt; final plats must be submitted at least 21 days before Planning Commission consideration.

Compliance workbench

Choose the next project decision.

Source trail

Official sources for this profile

Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.

Project questions

Frequently asked questions for Chickasaw County

Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?

This record is marked State Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.

How should I begin an application?

Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 641-394-2813.

How long might review take?

No general county building-permit review timeline is published because Chickasaw County has no zoning ordinance in effect. For land divisions, reviewing county offices generally report within 10 working days, the Planning Commission may take up to 60 days on a preliminary plat, and the Board of Supervisors must act on a minor subdivision within 60 days of receipt; final plats must be submitted at least 21 days before Planning Commission consideration.

How are inspections scheduled?

For floodplain development, submit the county Flood Plain Development Permit Application and contact Land Use Administrator/Flood Plain Manager Ray Armel at 641-394-2813 regarding review, floodplain maps, and any site inspection. For subdivisions, the County Engineer and developer's engineer inspect required improvements; driveway and field-access work requires a field inspection before processing. The county does not publish a routine building-inspection booking portal.

Which codes and exemptions should I review?

Chickasaw County currently has no zoning ordinance in effect. The county administers its unincorporated-area subdivision ordinance and floodplain development permitting; applicable Iowa state building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, environmental-health, and floodplain requirements apply, and municipalities may enforce their own codes within city limits. No specific 2026 county technical building-code edition was identified. Because the county has no zoning ordinance in effect, no countywide minor/cosmetic building-permit exemption list was published. The active subdivision ordinance applies to divisions of land under 35 acres in unincorporated areas, including within two miles of a city; the 2016 amendment removed the prior agricultural-use exemption from that applicability provision. Floodplain development remains subject to county review.

Before contacting the permit counter

Have the project facts ready.

A productive call starts with a clear description of the property and proposed work. Keep the site address, parcel or assessor number, project valuation, existing occupancy, approximate square footage, structural scope, contractor information, and desired start date in front of you. Those facts help the Authority Having Jurisdiction route the question to building, planning, fire, environmental health, or another reviewing discipline.

Questions worth asking

  • • Is the parcel inside an incorporated city or county service area?
  • • Does this scope require building, trade, zoning, fire, or site permits?
  • • What plans and supporting documents make the submittal complete?
  • • How much lead time is needed for each inspection?