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. No standard review timeline for ordinary zoning/building permits was published.
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 515-382-7245 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
Story County Planning and Development Department is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 515-382-7245.
N/A. No standard review timeline for ordinary zoning/building permits was published.
Apply for residential or commercial zoning permits through the Story County GeoPermits portal. Planning and Development performs on-site inspections; foundation-location inspection is required after forms are placed and before concrete, or before site improvements for uses without foundations. Contact Planning and Development at 515-382-7245 or pzweb@storycountyiowa.gov for inspection coordination and permit questions.
No separate county-adopted 2026 technical IBC/IRC building-code edition was identified. For unincorporated Story County, Planning and Development enforces the Story County Land Development Regulations, including zoning districts, permitted uses, site planning, subdivision, floodplain management (Chapter 80), signage, grading, and related development standards, and performs on-site zoning inspections. Iowa State electrical permits and inspections are handled by the State, not Story County. Wastewater proposals require Story County Environmental Health review before a zoning permit is issued. Story County states that all new construction and any change in use of land or buildings require a zoning permit, including portable structures, and its page does not publish a broad cosmetic/minor-work exemption list. The Chapter 80 floodplain definition excludes minor projects and routine maintenance of existing structures/facilities from development in the floodplain context. Electrical permitting/inspection is a separate State of Iowa process.
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.