Administrative overview · FIPS 19045
Clinton 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
County
This county profile is the primary starting point for unincorporated-area permitting.
Responsible agency
Clinton County Zoning Department
For a project in or near Clinton 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
563-659-8149
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Clinton County Zoning Department, Satellite Office, 226 11th Street, DeWitt, IA 52742
Operating hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; holiday closures may apply
Review expectation
The Zoning Administrator must determine whether a zoning permit application is complete within five business days; no general final-issuance timeline was published. Site-plan applications have a 30-working-day completeness review. Board of Adjustment appeals are heard within 30 days after filing and decided within 30 days after the hearing closes.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →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 Clinton County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
Clinton County Zoning Department is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
How should I begin an application?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 563-659-8149 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
The Zoning Administrator must determine whether a zoning permit application is complete within five business days; no general final-issuance timeline was published. Site-plan applications have a 30-working-day completeness review. Board of Adjustment appeals are heard within 30 days after filing and decided within 30 days after the hearing closes.
How are inspections scheduled?
Submit the zoning permit application with the required site plan and fee before work begins. Where public water or sewer is unavailable, the site plan must show well and septic locations approved by the County Health Department. Contact Clinton County Zoning at 563-659-8149; contact the County Engineer at 563-244-0564 for driveway/E911 matters and the Health Department at 563-659-8148 for well/septic permitting. No separate routine inspection-booking URL was published.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Clinton County's Zoning Ordinance, Master Plan, Subdivision Regulations, Flood Plain Ordinance, and airport-overlay requirements govern unincorporated areas. The county zoning districts include A-1, AR-1, R-1, R-2, C-1, C-2, M-1, M-2, and PUD. Zoning permits require site plans, and well/septic locations must be approved by the County Health Department where applicable. Floodplain development in Zone A requires a county permit and may also require Iowa DNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval. Applicable Iowa state technical building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, environmental-health, and floodplain requirements also apply. A specific 2026 county technical building-code edition was not identified. The county FAQ states that zoning permits are required before construction of all non-farm structures in unincorporated Clinton County; farm-related structures are the principal identified exemption category. The county requires a permit for erection, construction, reconstruction, moving, conversion, alteration, addition, or horizontal/vertical expansion of regulated structures. No broad minor or cosmetic exemption list was published; confirm borderline maintenance work with the Zoning Administrator. Floodplain development requires a separate permit for property in Zone A, including farm and non-farm development.