Scott County, Iowa Davenport, the Quad Cities & the Mississippi

Barndominium Builders in Scott County, Iowa

Scott County wraps around the Iowa side of the Quad Cities, and its unincorporated land is where most barndominiums in this corner of the state are built: acreage near Eldridge, Long Grove, Princeton and LeClaire, and farm ground running west toward Walcott and Dixon. We design and build shop houses, steel-framed homes and post-frame barndominiums on that land, and we handle the county permits that come with it. Scott County Planning & Development issues building permits and inspects work across the unincorporated county, and under agreements it does the same for several small cities. The county enforces its own construction code, Chapter 5 of the county code, which carries its own frost and snow figures and foundation details. It also regulates floodplain development along the Wapsipinicon and Mississippi and on Spencer Creek, and that rule reaches even farm buildings. Private wells and septic systems are permitted and inspected by the Scott County Health Department. As barndominium contractors we run those tracks in parallel so the septic permit and plan review finish together. Start the survey with your parcel and we will confirm which office holds each permit and what the site needs.

Scott County at a glance

County: Scott County
Building permit: County (unincorporated land)
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Scott 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

Scott County Planning & Development

Scott County Planning & Development permits and inspects in unincorporated Scott County, including Park View, and by 28E agreement for Dixon, Donahue, LeClaire, Long Grove, McCausland, Panorama Park, Princeton and Riverdale. Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge and the other cities permit for themselves. The county lists an agriculturally-exempt farmer among those who need no building permit from its office.

Source: Building Permits | Scott County Iowa (scottcountyiowa.gov)

Frost line depth: 42 inches, in the county's amendments to IRC Table R301.2(1) in Scott County Code Chapter 5, Construction Codes, which also rate weathering as severe.
Snow load and wind: Chapter 5's Table R301.2(1) sets a 30 psf snow load, with additional drift loads calculated on a 25 psf ground snow load, and a 115 mph design wind speed.
Adopted codes: The 2021 IBC, IRC, IPMC and ISPSC and the 2015 IECC as amended by Scott County Code Chapter 5, with the NEC, IMC and UPC as adopted and amended by the state.
Floodplain development: Development in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area needs a Floodplain Development Permit, and all structures, including agriculturally exempt ones, are subject to the county's floodplain standards. Flood-prone areas lie along the Wapsipinicon and Mississippi Rivers and Spencer Creek.
Well and septic authority: The Scott County Health Department permits and regulates private wells, including geothermal and irrigation wells, and the design, construction and installation of private sewage disposal systems, reviewing soil analyses and inspecting before and after installation.

Building on land near Scott County

Scott County land runs from flat, heavily farmed ground in the west to river bluffs and wooded ravines near the Mississippi. Zoning decides whether a non-farm house can go on a parcel, so check the district before buying farm ground. Near the Wapsipinicon, the Mississippi or Spencer Creek, look at flood status early. A septic system needs a soil analysis the Health Department reviews, and a new well needs its own permit. Metal building homes and post-frame shells both suit open acreage near Scott County towns, designed to the county's own snow, wind and frost figures rather than a generic package.

Where we build in this part of Iowa

Davenport, the Quad Cities & the Mississippi

What we build in Scott 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 Scott 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 Scott County: questions

Start the survey

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

Rural Scott County builds carry site costs a city lot does not, including a well, septic system, driveway and sometimes a floodplain elevation. We do not post our own prices. The barndominium cost guide explains the drivers with third-party figures, and the survey starts a scope for your parcel.

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

On unincorporated land, generally yes: a county building permit, trade permits and Health Department well and septic permits. The county says an agriculturally-exempt farmer does not need its building permit, but floodplain rules still apply and the county decides who qualifies. Inside a city such as Davenport or Eldridge, that city's rules apply. Our permitting service handles the filings.

Can I build pole barn homes or use barndominium kits in rural Scott County?

Yes. Pole barn homes and post frame homes are common on Scott County acreage, and the county's code includes its own rules for foundations under buildings with plumbing or mechanical systems. We supply barndominium kits and full shells engineered to those rules. See the post-frame service.

Keep reading

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

Barndominium builders near Scott 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.

Davenport

Scott County, Iowa

Bettendorf

Scott County, Iowa

Muscatine County

Iowa county

Building in Scott 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