Boone County, Iowa Ames, Fort Dodge & North Central Iowa

Barndominium Builders in Boone County, Iowa

Boone County, Iowa, lies west of Ames and north of the Des Moines metro, with the city of Boone as its seat and the Des Moines River valley cutting through the middle. It is a county where a three-acre home site is still realistic, which is why it draws a steady stream of people who want room for a shop and a house under one roof. We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and post frame homes across the county, supply the engineered package, and see the work through to move-in. On unincorporated land the first approval is a zoning permit from Boone County Planning and Development, which administers the county's zoning, subdivision and rural addressing ordinances. That permit also unlocks your E911 address, so nothing else moves until it is in hand. The septic side runs through the Health and Sanitation Department, where the sanitarian conducts the percolation test that sizes the system. Because the A-1 Agricultural Conservation district sets conditions on soil rating, road type and density, we check the parcel against those rules before drawing anything. If you are comparing barndominium contractors for a Boone County acreage, start the survey with your parcel and we will tell you where it stands.

Boone County at a glance

County: Boone County
Building permit: County (unincorporated land)
Local facts on this page: 4, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Boone County

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

County-issued permitWho issues the permit

Boone County Planning and Development (zoning permit)

On unincorporated land, Boone County Planning and Development issues the zoning permit under Zoning Ordinance No. 88, and an E911 address is assigned only after that permit is obtained and the driveway located. Septic permits come separately from Health and Sanitation. Cities in the county handle their own permits.

Source: Frequently Asked Questions - Planning & Development - Boone County, Iowa (boonecounty.iowa.gov)

Zoning ordinance: Boone County Zoning Ordinance No. 88 was adopted July 1, 2008, and is administered by Planning and Development along with the subdivision and rural addressing ordinances.
A-1 acreage rules: In Boone County's A-1 Agricultural Conservation District a non-farm residence needs at least 3 acres, with no more than 4 non-farm residences per quarter-section; the cropland must have a CSR of 61 or less, and the site must be on a graveled or hard-surfaced county, state or U.S. road.
E911 address: To obtain an E911 physical address in rural Boone County you must first obtain a Zoning Permit and identify the driveway location; the reflective green sign must be installed within 15 days of the number being assigned.
Septic permit and perc test: Permits for a new septic system are required from Boone County Health & Sanitation. Where a percolation test is needed, the owner prepares the site and the Sanitarian conducts the test, and the results let the Sanitarian issue the permit. The county ordinance incorporates the state Chapter 69 rules without additional restrictions.

Building on land near Boone County

Rural parcels near Boone County's towns range from flat cropland to wooded ground along the Des Moines River valley. Under the A-1 rules, a smaller non-farm home site generally works best on land with a lower corn suitability rating and frontage on a gravel or paved road, so the best building sites are often the rougher corners of a farm rather than its prime fields. Ask for the CSR figures before you buy. On a wooded or sloping site we plan the building pad, septic field and driveway together, since the perc test result can move the house.

Where we build in this part of Iowa

Ames, Fort Dodge & North Central Iowa

What we build in Boone County

Kits, custom plans and turnkey builds. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium floor plans drawn for your Iowa parcel: slab or basement, septic sized to bedroom count, design values from your own jurisdiction.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for Iowa land: steel or post-frame shell packages drawn to the design criteria your own county or city publishes, delivered to your site.

Turnkey Builds

Barndominium builders in Iowa for the whole job: site work, foundation, shell and interior finish under one contract, with county permits handled in order.

See every service

Have land in or near Boone County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

Start your build survey

Building in Boone County: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium in Boone County?

It turns on the home's size and finish and on what the acreage needs, such as a septic system, a well or rural water line, and grading on sloping ground. We price the job from your plan and site. For typical ranges and what drives them, see the barndominium cost guide.

Do I need a permit to build a barndominium in Boone County?

On unincorporated land you need a county zoning permit before anything else, and a septic permit from Health and Sanitation if there is no sewer. Iowa Code § 335.2 places a farm house on a working farm outside county zoning, but the county makes that call for each home. Our permitting service walks through each step with you.

Can I put barndominium kits or metal building homes on a three-acre lot in Boone County?

Possibly. Three acres is the floor for a non-farm residence in the A-1 district, and the soil rating, road frontage and quarter-section density limit also have to line up. If they do, metal building homes and post-frame designs are equally workable there. See barndominium kits.

Do you build pole barn homes near Ames and Boone?

Yes. Pole barn homes and steel-framed houses are both common on acreages between Boone and Ames. See our Ames page if your land sits closer to the city.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Boone County allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in Iowa?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Boone County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Boone County

Nearby places we also build in. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Story County, Iowa

Iowa county

Iowa county

Iowa county

Building in Boone County?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey