Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Templeton, Iowa

Templeton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building projects inside Templeton city limits

  • Some projects may also need a special exception or variance under the zoning ordinance.
  • Contact the city zoning administrator before beginning a building project or changing a structure's use.

  “all building projects require a building permit, and some projects may require a "special exception" or "variance".”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Templeton city limits: the city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Modifications of structures or uses are subject to the city zoning ordinance, per the city zoning page.
  • Special exceptions and variances are available under the ordinance.
  • The zoning ordinance text itself was not readable; district rules are unverified (see zoning_districts).

  “the city of templeton adopted its first city-wide zoning ordinance in 1970.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles and travel trailers used as residences inside Templeton city limits

  • Permanent residence is barred.
  • Occupancy is capped at ten days in any twelve-month period.
  • Parking of occupied travel trailers, campers and motor homes on public streets is limited to a three-day period, extendable by reapplication (3-3-36).

  maximum days occupied: <= 10 days per 12-month period

  “no recreational vehicle or travel trailer shall be used as a permanent residence or occupied for more than ten (10) days in any twelve (12) month period within the city.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile, manufactured and modular homes placed outside a mobile home park inside Templeton city limits

  • Outside a mobile home park, a mobile home may be placed only by a limited-time special permit from the city council (6-1-3).
  • Homes outside a park must comply with residential ordinances and sit on a permanent perimeter foundation unless incompatible with the home's structural design (6-1-6).
  • Homes already in place on the effective date of the 1997 ordinance are exempt from the foundation requirement.

  “all mobile homes shall be placed or parked in a mobile home park unless permitted otherwise by state law.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-public-sewer sanitation (privies, vaults, septic tanks, cesspools) inside Templeton city limits

  • The general ban applies except as the code provides in its later sections, so the answer is limited.
  • Private systems must meet state DNR and county health recommendations (see septic_authority).
  • Where public sewer is available the private system must be abandoned and filled (see utility_connection).

  “except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  A house or building inside Templeton city limits that abuts a street, alley or right-of-way with a public sanitary or combined sewer

  • The mandatory connection applies only when the public sewer is within 150 feet (the number is printed as 'one hundred fifty (150)' after a page break).
  • The owner pays for the toilet installation and the connection.
  • When public sewer becomes available to a property on a private system, the owner must make a direct connection and abandon the private system (6-2-4(5)).

  distance from public sewer for mandatory connection: <= 150 (unit is printed as '(150)' after the quoted sentence; the code text does not state a unit in that sentence)

  “is hereby required at such owner's expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions, plats and street dedications inside Templeton city limits

  • Plats must be reviewed and approved by the city before they are recorded with the county recorder.
  • Lots must meet the zoning ordinance for their zone (6-7-22), and septic-served subdivisions need percolation tests (6-7-22, item 11).
  • Land in a floodway or flood hazard area needs Iowa DNR approval before a subdivision can be approved (6-7-18).

  “shall be filed for record with the county recorder, or recorded by the county recorder, until a final plat of such subdivision, resubdivision, or street dedication has been reviewed and approved in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Subdivisions of land in a floodway or flood hazard area inside Templeton city limits; the quoted rule does not address individual building permits

  • Subdivision approval needs Iowa DNR approval.
  • Lots may include flood land only if a buildable area outside the floodway or flood hazard area remains (6-7-18).
  • Building-level floodplain rules were not found.

  “no subdivision containing land located in a floodway or a flood hazard area shall be approved by the city without the approval of the iowa department of natural resources.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building projects and use changes inside Templeton city limits

  • The city page gives a contact point for building and zoning questions, not a published step-by-step process.
  • Sidewalk work requires a permit from the city clerk under 6-8-10 of the 2021 code.

  zoning administrator phone: (712) 669-3411

  “prior to beginning any building project or changing the use of any structure (i.e., opening a business in a residential property), please contact the city's zoning administrator, ethan a. irlbeck, at (712) 669-3411.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Templeton or Carroll County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Templeton city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Templeton city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Templeton city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Templeton city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Templeton city limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.