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

Barndominium Builders in Marshalltown, Iowa

Marshalltown is the county seat of Marshall County, set on the Iowa River in the middle of the state. Around it, the land opens up quickly into farm ground and acreages, which is where most barndominium projects near Marshalltown end up. We design and build barndominiums, steel-framed shop houses and post frame homes, supply the building package, and run construction from site prep to occupancy. Inside the city, the Building Division of the Department of Housing and Community Development issues building and trade permits, and the city contracts an engineering firm to carry out its building and trade inspections. The residential permit packet is reviewed by three people, the zoning administrator, the public works director and the building official, so a site plan with accurate setbacks and a driveway layout matters as much as the house plan. Out in the county the rules change: Marshall County zones all of its unincorporated land and issues its own permits for dwellings and pole buildings, while electrical permits come from the state. Choosing between barndominium contractors here starts with a simple question, which jurisdiction your land is in. Start the survey with your address or parcel and we will map the permit path for it.

Marshalltown at a glance

Principal county: Marshall County
Building permit: City building department
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Marshalltown

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.

City-issued permitWho issues the permit

City of Marshalltown Building Division, Department of Housing and Community Development

Inside the city, Marshalltown requires building, demolition and trade permits for new construction of all uses, with inspections carried out on the city's behalf by Veenstra & Kimm, Inc. Unincorporated land around the city is zoned by Marshall County, which issues its own permits.

Source: Building Division | Marshalltown, IA (marshalltown-ia.gov)

Contracted inspections: The City of Marshalltown contracts with Veenstra & Kimm, Inc. (V&K) to assist with building and trade inspection services.
Permit packet review: Marshalltown's single-family permit packet needs a building permit application, a site plan meeting the listed requirements and, where applicable, a driveway/curb cut application; the zoning administrator, public works director and building official review it.
Contractor details on the application: The Marshalltown building permit application asks for the general contractor's Iowa registration number and expiration date and the liability insurance carrier.
Marshall County zoning: All of unincorporated Marshall County is zoned, and permits are required for most structures, including pole buildings and dwellings. Iowa State electrical permits and inspections are not performed by the county.
Septic tanks (Marshall County): Marshall County Environmental Health notes that septic tanks installed from 1991 onward must have two compartments, and from 2000 onward an effluent filter to protect the leaching system.

Building on land near Marshalltown

Many rural properties in Marshall County have no public sewer, so an acreage outside Marshalltown usually means a septic system and often a private well. When we look at a parcel here, we check the county zoning district, where a septic field and a driveway can go, and how far the building site sits from the road. If you are buying an older farmstead to replace the house, the existing septic tank's age tells you a lot: a tank put in before 1991 may be a single-compartment design, which is worth having evaluated before a new home connects to it. Metal building homes and post-frame houses both suit these sites.

Where we build in this part of Iowa

Ames, Fort Dodge & North Central Iowa

What we build in Marshalltown

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 Marshalltown? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Marshalltown: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Marshalltown?

It varies with the plan, the interior finish and the land. A city lot with utilities in place needs far less site work than an acreage that needs a well, septic and a long driveway. We quote from your plan and parcel. For typical ranges and what moves them, see our barndominium cost guide.

Do I need a permit to build a barndominium in Marshalltown?

Yes, inside city limits you need a building permit plus trade permits from the city, and your general contractor's Iowa registration number goes on the application. On land in unincorporated Marshall County, the county's zoning permit applies instead, with a separate state electrical permit. Our permitting service prepares the drawings and site plan.

Do you supply barndominium kits for Marshall County sites?

Yes. We supply barndominium kits as steel or post-frame packages with drawings sized for your site, and we can build them or support an owner who manages part of the work. Browse the floor plans or read about barndominium kits.

Are pole barn homes allowed on acreage outside Marshalltown?

Pole barn homes are dwellings like any other in the eyes of the county, so the zoning district decides where one can go, not the frame type. We confirm the district and septic options with Marshall County before designing. See post-frame homes.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Marshalltown 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 Marshalltown facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Marshalltown

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 county

Jasper County

Iowa county

Ames

Story County, Iowa

Building in Marshalltown?

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