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

Barndominium Builders in Story County, Iowa

Story County is farm country with a university city in the middle of it, and that combination shapes every rural building project here. Outside Ames, Nevada, Story City and the smaller towns, the land is governed by the Story County Land Development Regulations, and the county is serious about keeping cropland in production. We design and build barndominiums, shop houses and post frame homes across the county, supply the building package, and run construction from the pad to the final walkthrough. For a house in the unincorporated county, the key document is a zoning permit from Story County Planning and Development. Every piece of new construction needs one, from a dwelling to a portable structure, and the setbacks have to work before anything else does. The harder question is often whether a parcel can carry a home at all, because the A-1 Agricultural district generally expects 35 acres for a residence, with exceptions decided through a property research review. That is why we ask for the parcel before we talk about floor plans. If you are lining up barndominium contractors for a Story County site, start the survey and send the parcel number, and we will look at the zoning question with you first.

Story County at a glance

County: Story 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 Story 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

Story County Planning and Development

In unincorporated Story County the county issues a zoning permit, required for all new construction and any change in use, and Planning and Development performs on-site inspections. Electrical permits and inspections come from the State of Iowa, not the county. Land inside Ames or another city follows that city's permit process.

Source: Applications and Permits | Story County, IA - Official Website (storycountyiowa.gov)

Zoning permit scope: All of unincorporated Story County is zoned. A Zoning Permit is required for all new construction and any change in use of land or a building; even a portable structure needs one, and setbacks from property lines must be met.
A-1 minimum for a house: Story County generally requires a minimum of 35 acres for a residential home in the A-1 Agricultural district. Some parcels qualify for an exception, determined through a Property Research application that may include a LESA soil-and-location score.
Zoning map: Most unincorporated land in Story County is zoned A-1 Agricultural, with some residential, commercial and industrial areas and a Greenbelt-Conservation designation between Story City and Ames.
Septic authority: Story County Environmental Health has jurisdiction over domestic and commercial wastewater treatment for homes, small businesses and outbuildings, under 567 IAC Chapter 69 and Story County Code Chapter 65, Private Sewage Disposal Systems.
Electrical work: Iowa State electrical permits and inspections are not performed by Story County; they go through the State of Iowa.

Building on land near Story County

Buying land near Story County's towns for a house takes more homework than in most Iowa counties. Small acreages advertised as building sites may still need a county exception before a home is allowed, and the county can prepare a paid Property Research Report that lays out what a parcel can and cannot do. Check the zoning in the Assessor's property report, then ask the county. Existing farmsteads with a house already on them are often the simplest route. Once the site is settled, we plan the septic location, driveway and building pad together.

Where we build in this part of Iowa

Ames, Fort Dodge & North Central Iowa

What we build in Story 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 Story 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 Story County: questions

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

The total depends on the home's size and finishes and on what the parcel needs: well, septic, driveway and any grading. The land question can also add time and a research fee before building begins. We quote from your plan and site. Our barndominium cost guide breaks down where the money goes.

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

Yes. Unincorporated Story County requires a zoning permit for all new construction, plus a septic permit from Environmental Health and a state electrical permit. Iowa Code § 335.2 keeps farm houses on working farms outside county zoning, though Story County itself judges whether a particular house counts as one. See our permitting service.

Can I put barndominium kits on a small acreage in Story County?

Only if the parcel qualifies for a house. Barndominium kits and metal building homes are dwellings like any other, so the 35-acre A-1 rule and its exceptions apply the same way. Once the land is cleared for a home, we can supply the package; see barndominium kits.

Do you build pole barn homes near Ames?

Yes. Pole barn homes and steel-framed houses are both common choices on rural sites around Ames. Inside the city the City of Ames permits and inspects the work; see our Ames page for the city side.

Keep reading

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

Barndominium builders near Story 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

Marshall County, Iowa

Building in Story 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