Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Sloan, Iowa

Sloan’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Repair or restoration of a nonconforming structure damaged less than 50 percent of its structural value, inside Sloan city

  • Restoration must begin within one year of the partial destruction.
  • General building permit rule for new construction not located in the captured text.

  “no repairs or restoration shall be made unless a building permit is obtained, and restoration is begun within one year after the date of such partial destruction”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the corporate limits of Sloan city, Iowa, administered by the city zoning administrator and planning and zoning board

  • The opened ordinance is the complete zoning ordinance text dated February 2021 (prepared for the city by ISG). Search results also listed 2023 agenda items for a May 2023 amendment (Ordinance 2023-02) and a notice to amend section 4.17.10; those were not opened and were not relied on.
  • Same-name check: the opened text names the city as 'city of sloan, iowa' with city hall at 428 Evans Street, Sloan, IA 51055. It does not name a county on the opened pages.

  “this ordinance shall be known and may be cited and referred to as the zoning ordinance of the city of sloan, iowa.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Sloan city limits; the official zoning map is adopted by reference in the ordinance but was not opened

  • Eight districts: agricultural (A-1), low density residential (R-1), medium density residential (R-3), mobile home residential (RMH), central business (CB), general business (GB), industrial (I), planned unit development (PUD), plus a floodplain overlay (FP) under chapter 160 of the code.
  • Districts shown on the official zoning map (section 3.02), which was not opened.

  “section 5.01 land use districts for the purposes of this chapter, the municipality is hereby divided into eight districts, designated as follows:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-unit residential uses in the agricultural (A-1) district inside Sloan city

  • Column order is read from the table header (use, lot area, lot width, front yard, rear yard). Other permitted uses, religious and educational uses, and conditional uses show no minimum lot area; accessory uses show no minimum.
  • Lot width shown as 100 feet for residential uses in the same row.

  minimum lot area, residential uses, A-1: >= 1 acre (other permitted uses, religious and educational uses, conditional uses and accessory uses: no minimum)

  “agricultural district (a-1) district use lot area lot width (feet) front yard (feet) rear yard (feet) residential uses 1 acre 100 20 50”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-unit residential uses in the agricultural (A-1) district inside Sloan city

  • Side yard figures for A-1 are not legible in the captured table text and are not recorded here; resolve from Appendix B.
  • Accessory uses in A-1 show a 20-foot front and 10-foot rear setback in the same table.

  front yard, residential uses, A-1: >= 20 feet · rear yard, residential uses, A-1: >= 50 feet

  “agricultural district (a-1) district use lot area lot width (feet) front yard (feet) rear yard (feet) residential uses 1 acre 100 20 50”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles and trailers in a recreational vehicle park in Sloan city; occupancy of an RV on private land outside a park is not addressed in the captured text

  • A recreational vehicle park needs a conditional use permit from the city (section 9.17.01).
  • Park tract at least two acres; no more than 15 RVs, trailers or camp sites per acre; pads at least 25 by 40 feet.
  • Storm shelter required at two persons per pad; one RV or trailer per pad.

  seasonal occupancy limit: <= 4 months (continuous months in a 12-month period; units may remain stored on site for the rest of the year) · tract size: >= 2 acre · sites per acre: <= 15 sites

  “these parks are considered a seasonal business site and individual recreational vehicles, or trailers are considered a seasonal dwelling and shall not be occupied for more than four continuous months in a 12-month period.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tents on a pad inside a recreational vehicle park in Sloan city; camping outside a park is not addressed in the captured text

  • Applies only as an auxiliary shelter with an RV or trailer on the same pad (section 9.17.01(11)(a)).

  tent duration: <= 14 consecutive days

  “in addition to these units, a tent may be erected to serve as an auxiliary shelter but shall not be erected for more than 14 consecutive days.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside Sloan city, by district per the use matrix (Appendix A)

  • Matrix column order: A-1, R-1, R-3, RMH, CB, GB, I, PUD. Manufactured homes are not permitted in A-1 or R-1; conditional in R-3 and PUD; permitted in RMH.
  • Legend: (p) permitted, (-) not permitted, (c) conditional, (dp) development plan.
  • Definition: manufactured home means a HUD-seal factory-built structure built on or after June 15, 1976.

  “manufactured home - - c p - - - c mobile home park - - - p - - - dp”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Developments inside Sloan city that are within 500 feet of a public sanitary sewer (site plan and conditional use criteria). Whether a single new home is covered is not stated in this criteria table.

  • The row sits in a criteria table for site plan review, conditional use permits and variances, not in a stand-alone connection ordinance.
  • Water connection requirement not found in this criteria table; public water is not recorded.

  distance to public sanitary sewer: <= 500 feet

  “developments with 500 feet of a public sanitary sewer must connect to the sewer system.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Land inside the city's floodplain overlay (FP) district

  • Floodplain rules are in chapter 160 of the city code, which was not located or opened; permit requirements are not stated here.

  “in addition to the eight zoning districts, this ordinance also establishes a floodplain overlay (fp) district with regulations and restrictions outlined in chapter 160 of the code of ordinances.”

• Permit processPartial

  Selected uses that need site plan review before a building permit inside Sloan city

  • Covers only selected uses, such as multi-unit developments of four or more units, education, auto sales, drive-in, and large commercial, office, civic or industrial buildings; ordinary single-family permit steps are not in the captured text.
  • Application due at least 14 days before the planning and zoning board meeting.

  “the following selected uses shall follow the site plan review procedure prior to the issuance of a building permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Sloan city
• Building code adopted — Adopted building code for construction inside Sloan city
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Sloan city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Sloan city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a dwelling inside Sloan 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.