Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Marengo, Iowa

Marengo’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Inside Marengo city limits, for fences or deck expansions, sheds and other outbuildings, additions or expansions, new construction, adding a story, and paving or cementing new driveways or sidewalks.

  • Building permit is reviewed by the zoning administrator before construction begins.
  • Building permits are not required for replacing a roof or re-shingling, siding or painting, replacing windows, or interior remodels, per the same page.
  • Permit application can be submitted at City Hall or electronically.

  “the city of marengo requires that a building permit be submitted for review by the zoning administrator, prior to beginning construction.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

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

  • Text read is the zoning ordinance adopted March 8, 1999, as posted on the city site; the codified Chapter 170 (zoning regulations) listed on the city code page was not opened and may differ in current text.
  • Zoning districts A-1, R-1, R-2, RMH, C-1, C-2, I-1, I-2 and P-1 are named in the ordinance table of contents.

  “city of marengo zoning ordinance adopted: march 8, 1999 prepared by: the east central iowa council of governments”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Marengo city limits.

  • District list read from the 1999 ordinance table of contents; district maps are a separate zoning map PDF linked on the city code page, not opened.
  • Districts named: A-1 agricultural, R-1 one and two family dwelling residential, R-2 multiple family dwelling residential, RMH residential manufactured home, C-1 central business district, C-2 highway commercial, I-1 light industrial, I-2 heavy industrial, P-1 public use.

  “zoning districts 1.24 a-1 -- agricultural 1.25 r-1 -- one and two family dwelling residential 1.26 r-2 -- multiple family dwelling residential 1.27 rmh -- residential manufactured home”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residences in any district inside Marengo city limits where neither public water nor public sanitary sewer is available.

  • Applies only where public water and sewer are both unavailable; the stated lot area applies or the district minimum, whichever is greater.
  • Where only public water is available (no sewer), the lot area is 15,000 sq ft and width 100 ft, same greater-of rule.

  minimum lot area, no public water or sewer: >= 20000 sq ft (whichever is greater than the district minimum) · minimum lot width at building line, no public water or sewer: >= 100 feet

  “2. lot area: 20,000 square feet lot width at building line: 100 feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 one and two family dwelling residential district inside Marengo city limits (main single-family district).

    “one-family dwelling 8,000 sq. ft. 70 feet two-family dwelling 10,000 sq. ft. 80 feet”

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district inside Marengo city limits: non-farm single-family dwelling.

    “single-family dwelling (non-farm) 20,000 sq. ft. 100 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 one and two family dwelling residential district inside Marengo city limits, one and two family dwellings of 1 and 1 1/2 stories.

  • Values from the 1999 ordinance, section 1.25 R-1 paragraph e. Two-story and 2 1/2-story dwellings have a different row (interior side 20 ft, rear 35 ft) not included here.

  front yard: >= 25 feet · interior side yard: >= 15 feet · minimum one side yard: >= 5 feet · rear yard: >= 35 feet

  “one and two family dwelling (1 and 1 1/2 stories) 25 feet 15 feet 5 feet 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district inside Marengo city limits, single-family dwelling (1 and 1 1/2 stories).

    “single-family dwelling (1 and 1 1/2 stories) 50 feet 30 feet 10 feet 50 feet”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Buildings inside Marengo city limits that are not served by a public sanitary sewer.

  • Except as the chapter provides, building or maintaining an on-site system is unlawful under section 98.01; section 98.02 requires an approved on-site system for buildings where public sewer is unavailable.
  • Discharge of wastewater to ditches, streams, the ground surface or drain tile is prohibited except under an NPDES permit (98.05).
  • Septage must go to an approved disposal site (98.08).

  “98.05 discharge restrictions. it is unlawful to discharge anywastewater from an onsite wastewater treatment and disposal system (except under an npdes permit) to any ditch, stream, pond, lake, natural or artificial waterway, drain tile or to the surface of the ground.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Existing or new properties inside Marengo city limits served by an on-site system when a public sewer becomes available.

  • Connection is required when a public sewer becomes available under section 95.05; the existing on-site system must then be abandoned and filled.
  • Connections must be made by an approved plumber and under the public works director's supervision (96.03, 96.05).

  “at such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system, as provided in section 95.05, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Marengo city limits.

  • Chapter 165 Subdivision Regulations exists in the city code; its text was not opened.

  “chapter 165: subdivision regulations chapter 170: zoning regulations”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Paving or cementing a new driveway or sidewalk inside Marengo city limits requires a city building permit. This is a permit trigger only, not a curb-cut or access approval.

  • Re-paving or re-cementing of existing driveways is listed separately on the same page.

  “building permits are required for: fences or expansion of decks sheds & other out buildings additions or expansion of buildings new construction adding a story to existing structure paving or cementing of new driveway/sidewalks re-paving or re-cementing of existing driveways/sidewalks solar installations”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Only the sewer connection permit (building sewer connection to the public sewer), inside Marengo city limits. No building permit fee was found.

  • Fee covers issuing the permit and supervising, regulating and inspecting the work.
  • Connection must be completed within sixty (60) days after the permit issues, unless an extension is granted.

  sewer connection permit fee: 25 USD (sewer connection permit only)

  “the person who makes the application shall pay a fee in the amount of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to the clerk to cover the cost of issuing the permit and supervising, regulating, and inspecting the work.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications inside Marengo city limits.

  • Drawing must include location of the principal structure, dimensions including height, and distances of all setbacks from the lot lines.
  • Applications go to Marengo City Hall, 153 E. Main, or are submitted electronically (address not shown in extracted text).

  “the drawing should include: location of the principal structure dimensions, including height, of the structure distance of all setbacks from the lot lines.”

Rules another office applies inside Marengo

Marengo does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Marengo city limits: the Iowa County board of health, not the city, issues the permit and sets the additional rules.

  • City Chapter 98 applies the Iowa Administrative Code 567 chapter 69 standards plus additional requirements prescribed by the county board of health.
  • The city zoning ordinance also requires septic and water systems to meet the Iowa County department of health standards where public sewer and/or water is not available.

  “no person shall install or alter an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system without first obtaining a permit from the county board of health.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing or altering an on-site wastewater (septic) system on land inside Marengo city limits, where public sanitary sewer is not available.

  • Permit comes from the county board of health, not the city.
  • Applies to installing or altering a system; connection to a public sewer where available follows Chapter 98.07.

  “no person shall install or alter an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system without first obtaining a permit from the county board of health.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building permits inside Marengo city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Marengo city limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Marengo city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Marengo city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Marengo 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.