Zoning, building permits and septic rules in St. Charles, Iowa

St. Charles’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings erected, altered or extended inside St. Charles city limits, and construction of decks, fences, porches, patios, swimming pools and driveways.

  • Permit issued by the clerk with council approval (165.11).
  • Building permits are valid for one year from date of issue and then expire (165.11).
  • Building permit and certificate of occupancy are issued only where the chapter has been complied with (165.10).

  “no land shall be used or occupied and no building hereafter erected, altered or extended shall be used or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy and a building permit shall have been issued by the clerk (with the approval of the council) in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land and buildings erected, altered, extended or changed in use inside St. Charles city limits.

  • Certificate of occupancy and building permit are both issued by the clerk with council approval (165.11).
  • Building permits and certificates are administered by the Building Permits and Inspections Department per the city's page.

  “no land shall be used or occupied and no building hereafter erected, altered or extended shall be used or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy and a building permit shall have been issued by the clerk (with the approval of the council) in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside St. Charles city limits. The city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 165, 'the city of st. charles, iowa, zoning ordinance'.

  • Administered by the zoning director (165.10).
  • Zoning map is incorporated by reference in 165.04; the map itself was not opened.

  “this chapter shall be known and may be cited as "the city of st. charles, iowa, zoning ordinance."”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside St. Charles city limits: the zoning districts named in Chapter 165.04.

  • Chapter 165.04 names three district classes in text; the zoning map that fixes the boundaries is referenced but was not located or opened.
  • District boundaries therefore not verified.

  “such districts are bounded and defined as shown on a map entitled "zoning map of the city of st. charles, iowa," which map is by reference hereby made a part of and incorporated into this chapter.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Class A residential (one- and two-family dwelling) districts, section 165.06, St. Charles city limits

  • Where lots have double frontage, the required front yard applies on both streets.
  • Side yard is measured from building overhang.
  • Rear yard depth is 20 percent of the depth of the lot.
  • Section 165.05 also applies: buildings may not occupy a greater percentage of lot area or have narrower or smaller yards than specified for the district.

  front yard depth: >= 25 feet (where lots have double frontage, required on both streets) · side yard width: >= 6 feet (measured from building overhang) · rear yard depth: >= 20 percent of lot depth

  “each lot shall have front, side and rear yards not less than the following depth and width: a. front yard depth 25 feet; where lots have double frontage, the required front yard shall be provided on both streets. b. each side yard width shall be six feet from building overhang. rear yard depth shall be 20 percent of the depth of the lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Class A industrial district under Chapter 165.08, St. Charles city. The height sentence sits at the end of section 165.08, immediately before section 165.09; the section heading was not visible in the read window.

  • Industrial district only; does not apply to residential districts.
  • Residential district height limit not found (see separate unknown claim).

  building height limit: <= 4 stories · building height limit: <= 60 feet

  “3. building height limit. no building in this district shall exceed four stories or 60 feet in height.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Plans, plats and re-plats of subdivisions inside St. Charles city limits, and land adjacent to the city that will have streets dedicated to the public in the city

  • Plans and plats must go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and receive its recommendations before council approval (Chapter 23.05).
  • Chapter 166 subdivision regulations exist per the code table of contents but were not opened.

  “all plans, plats, or re-plats of subdivisions or re-subdivisions of land in the city or adjacent thereto, laid out in lots or plats with the streets, alleys, or other portions of the same intended to be dedicated to the public in the city, shall first be submitted to the commission and its recommendations obtained before approval by the council.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Construction, alteration or extension of driveways inside St. Charles city limits

  • A permit is required for driveway construction, alteration or extension (165.11).
  • Chapter 140 (driveways) exists per the table of contents but was not opened.

  “permits are also required for the construction, alteration or extension of decks, fences, porches, patios, swimming pools, and driveways.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit fees inside St. Charles city limits

  • The rate structure is set from time to time by council resolution, so the current amounts are not in the code text read.
  • Fee schedule resolution not located.

  “the rate structure for building permits shall be determined from time to time by the council by resolution.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process for residential and commercial construction inside St. Charles city limits

  • The city's permit page says forms are available for download 'if available' or by calling City Hall.
  • Permit forms themselves were not opened; the full review steps are not published on the page read.

  “to obtain a permit for both residential and commercial uses, simply download the forms below (if available) or give us a call”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask St. Charles or Madison County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside St. Charles city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for St. Charles city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside St. Charles city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in St. Charles city limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the Class A residential district, St. Charles city

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.