Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Huxley, Iowa

Huxley’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings, utility sheds and decks/porches erected, moved or added to inside Huxley city limits

  • Permit is issued by the zoning administrator and must conform to chapter 165.
  • Permits expire one year after issuance if work does not begin within 180 days.
  • Fees are set by city resolution, not in the code.

  “1. required. no building, utility shed or deck/porch shall be erected, moved, or added to without a permit therefor issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New or altered use of buildings or land inside Huxley city limits

  • Certificate is issued by the zoning administrator within ten days after lawful erection or alteration, if the use conforms to chapter 165.
  • Occupancy is unlawful until issued.

  “a certificate of occupancy/zoning compliance certificate for a new or altered use is required. it is unlawful to use, occupy, or permit the use or occupancy of any building or premises, or both, or parts thereof, hereafter created, erected, changed, or converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure, until a certificate of occupancy/zoning compliance certificate shall have been issued by the zoning administrator”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Huxley city limits: the city's own zoning ordinance (Code chapter 165) applies.

  • Source is the April 2018 supplement of the Huxley code; currency against later amendments was not confirmed.
  • Districts are listed at 165.16 (A-1, R-1, R-1a, R-2, R-2a, R-3, R-4, R-5, C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1).

  “165.02 zoning provisions enacted. there are established by the provisions of this chapter comprehensive zoning regulations for the city, by dividing the incorporated area into various districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Huxley city limits

  • Districts are designated at 165.16 in the April 2018 supplement; the official zoning map was not opened.

  “a-1, agricultural holding district; r-1, single-family residential district; r-1a, single-family residential district;”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings inside Huxley city limits (all districts)

  • Only a minimum exterior width is stated; no minimum floor area was found in the reviewed text.
  • Applies to all dwelling units and accessory buildings.

  minimum single-family dwelling width: >= 22 feet (at the exterior dimension)

  “1. the minimum single-family dwelling width shall be 22 feet at the exterior dimension.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  New land divisions in the A-1 agricultural holding district inside Huxley city limits

  • Lot area for dwellings connected to public sewer and water follows the district applied to the area; unconnected lots follow Iowa DNR requirements (section 165.19(2)(a)).
  • A-1 is described as a temporary district in the comprehensive plan (165.19 preamble).

  minimum lot area for new land divisions: >= 10 acres

  “all new land divisions shall have a ten-acre minimum lot area.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district inside Huxley city limits

    “1 for preexisting nonconforming lots, the minimum lot area shall be 7,000 square feet for an unbuilt lot and any size for a built lot where the dwelling has been destroyed.”

  • Specified — R-1a single-family residential district inside Huxley city limits

    “2. bulk regulations. the following minimum requirements shall be observed in the r-1a district: minimum lot area 7,000 square feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Huxley city limits

  • Side yard is 8 feet each side for 1½-story and 10 feet each side for 2–3-story buildings (read from table; verify).
  • Footnote 3 gives the unbuilt nonconforming side-yard rule of seven feet for 1½ stories.

  minimum front yard: >= 30 feet · minimum side yard: >= 10 feet each side (2 or 3 stories; 8 feet each side for 1½ stories) · minimum rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “30 feet 25 feet4 depth, width, square feet1 accessory 2 or 3 stories: 10 whichever whichever building: feet each side3 is smaller is smaller 20 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1a single-family residential district inside Huxley city limits

    “principal building: 35 feet 50 feet 30 feet 8 feet each side1 25 feet1 accessory building: 20 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the R-1 district inside Huxley city limits

  • Read from the R-1 table; verify against the official PDF.

  maximum height, principal building: <= 35 feet

  “10,000 35 feet 80 feet2 30 feet 25 feet4”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1a single-family residential district inside Huxley city limits

    “maximum height principal building: 35 feet 50 feet 30 feet 8 feet each side1 25 feet1 accessory building: 20 feet”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles on private premises inside Huxley city limits

  • Temporary parking is limited to ten consecutive days on any premises.
  • Permanent parking or storage of an unoccupied travel trailer is allowed in an accessory garage, accessory building, or side or rear yard.
  • No living quarters may be maintained in the vehicle, and no business may be conducted in it.
  • No front yard occupancy by such vehicle.

  temporary parking limit: <= 10 consecutive days (per premises)

  “the temporary parking of a recreational vehicle for a period not to exceed ten consecutive days on any premises, and the permanent parking or storage of an unoccupied travel trailer in an accessory garage, other accessory building, side or rear yard shall be permitted, provided that no living quarters shall be maintained and no business conducted in such vehicle while parked or stored and provided that no front yard shall be occupied by such vehicle.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Single-family dwellings (including small homes) inside Huxley city limits

  • Single-family units must have a permanent frost-free perimeter foundation.
  • Minimum single-family dwelling width is 22 feet at the exterior dimension.
  • No tiny-home-specific rule was found.

  “1. the minimum single-family dwelling width shall be 22 feet at the exterior dimension. 2. all single-family dwelling units including attached garages shall be placed on a permanent frost-free perimeter foundation.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private sewage disposal on land inside Huxley city limits

  • Private sewage disposal is unlawful except as chapter 98 provides.
  • Where public sewer is not available, an approved on-site system is required and must be permitted by the county board of health.
  • Systems may not discharge to ditches, streams or ground surface (98.05).

  “98.01 when prohibited. except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it is unlawful to construct or maintain any on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Huxley city limits

  • Chapter 166 (subdivision regulations) exists per the table of contents; its text was not opened.
  • A-1 land divisions must meet a ten-acre minimum lot area.

  “166.06 building permit denials. no building permit shall be issued for construction on any lot, parcel or tract, where a subdivision is required by this chapter, unless and until a final plat of such subdivision has been approved and recorded”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways and off-street parking in residential districts inside Huxley city limits

  • No off-street parking in the front yard of an R district except on a regularly constructed, duly authorized driveway.
  • Driveway approaches within the right-of-way must be Portland cement concrete.

  “no off-street parking is permitted in the front yard of any r district, except upon a regularly constructed duly authorized driveway. all approaches and driveways within right-ofway shall be portland cement concrete.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning building, utility shed and deck/porch permits inside Huxley city limits

  • Application is made at city hall.
  • Permits expire one year after issuance if work does not begin within 180 days.
  • Fees set by resolution; processing time not stated in the code.

  “building permits and deck/porch permits shall be applied for at city hall and shall expire one year after the date of issuance if work is begun within 180 days of issuance or after 180 days if no substantial beginning of construction has occurred.”

Rules another office applies inside Huxley

Huxley 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater systems on land inside Huxley city limits (Huxley city area only), where public sewer is not available

  • Design must meet Iowa Administrative Code 567, chapter 69, plus county board of health regulations.
  • Permit is issued by the county board of health; copy filed with the city clerk.
  • The city code (chapter 98) sets the local layer.

  “the type, capacity, location and layout of a private on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system shall comply with the specifications and requirements set forth by the iowa administrative code 567, chapter 69, and with such additional requirements as are prescribed by the regulations of the county board of health.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing or altering an on-site wastewater system inside Huxley city limits (Huxley city area only)

  • Permit is issued by the county board of health; copy filed with the city clerk.
  • No permit issues for a subsurface soil absorption system where the lot is smaller than county regulations require (98.09).

  “98.04 permit required. 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. in addition, a copy of the permit shall be filed with the clerk’s office.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Huxley city limits
• Building code adopted — Building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and electrical codes inside Huxley city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Huxley city limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage in R-1 districts inside Huxley city limits
• Camping on your land — Tent or temporary camping on private land inside Huxley 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.