Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
N/A; the reviewed county materials do not publish a general zoning-permit review or issuance timeline. Approved construction must begin within six months and be completed within one year; permits can expire after those periods, subject to any approved extension.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 319-753-4313; Assistant Land Use Administrator 319-753-4321 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
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
Des Moines County Land Use Department (administered by Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission) is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 319-753-4313; Assistant Land Use Administrator 319-753-4321 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
N/A; the reviewed county materials do not publish a general zoning-permit review or issuance timeline. Approved construction must begin within six months and be completed within one year; permits can expire after those periods, subject to any approved extension.
Submit the zoning/special-use application with a site plan, applicable building floor plan, non-refundable fee, and any required floodplain, airport-height, entrance, well/septic, or erosion-control permits. The applicant should contact the Land Use Administrator when construction is complete; no separate routine building-inspection program is published by the county. Floodplain and zoning inspections or compliance questions go to the Land Use Department at 319-753-4313; well/septic permits are through Des Moines County Health at 319-753-8217, and county-road entrances through Secondary Roads at 319-753-8241.
Des Moines County Land Use Department administers county zoning, floodplain, subdivision, airport-height, and related land-use ordinances in the limited county zoning jurisdiction within 2 miles of Burlington. Zoning districts are A-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, C-1, I-1, PUD, and FP. A current Floodplain Development Ordinance No. 25 was adopted April 21, 2026 and effective May 26, 2026; it incorporates current FEMA flood maps, including May 26, 2026 panels, and requires floodplain development permits and flood-resistant construction standards. The county land-use program is not a general technical building-code inspection program; applicable Iowa State Building Code, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, health, septic, and municipal requirements also apply. Agricultural uses, farmsteads, farm barns, farm outbuildings, and structures primarily adapted for agricultural purposes are exempt from the county zoning ordinance, subject to the ordinance's agricultural-use conditions; floodplain requirements may still apply. Other zoning-permit exemptions include accessory buildings under 175 square feet, full or partial demolition/removal, essential services, roof-mounted solar panels, and temporary construction buildings. The current floodplain ordinance also excludes minor projects under $500 from the definition of development and exempts routine maintenance such as reroofing, siding, painting, finish work, basement sealing, window-pane repairs, plumbing/electrical/HVAC repairs, and well/septic repairs. No county technical building-code exemption list was found.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.