Polk County, Iowa Des Moines & Central Iowa

Barndominium Builders in Urbandale, Iowa

Urbandale is almost entirely built out, which shapes what we do for owners who live there. A full barndominium on a standard Urbandale lot is rare; the usual project is acreage west or north of the city that the owner can reach in a short drive, sometimes in Polk County and often across the line in Dallas County. When an in-town lot does have the room and the zoning, the City of Urbandale's Building Services staff in Community Development issue the permit. The city still builds to the 2018 International Residential Code and states its design criteria plainly on its building codes page: 30 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind and a frost line 42 inches below grade. Those are the loads we give the engineer for a steel frame or a post-frame shell in Urbandale. Outside the city limits a different set of offices applies, and that is usually the first thing we sort out for a buyer. As barndominium contractors near Urbandale we handle the plan, the building package and the build itself, and we price against the real site rather than a generic lot. Start with the survey and tell us where the land is and what you want on it.

Urbandale at a glance

Principal county: Polk 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 Urbandale

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 Urbandale Community Development, Building Services

Inside Urbandale, new single-family homes are permitted by the city's Building Services staff, who publish a single-family permit checklist and energy code requirements. Parcels outside the city belong to Polk or Dallas County, which run their own permitting.

Source: Permits - New Single Family Home | Urbandale, IA - Official Website (urbandale.org)

Residential code: 2018 International Residential Code under Urbandale Municipal Code Chapter 150; energy code is the State of Iowa Energy Code (2012 IECC).
Frost line depth: 42 inches below grade, in Urbandale's published climate and geographic design criteria.
Snow and wind: Ground snow load 30 psf; wind speed 115 mph; seismic design category A; winter design temperature -5 degrees F (City of Urbandale design criteria).
Flood maps: Urbandale takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, holds a Community Rating System Class 7 rating (spring 2020), and lies in the Walnut Creek and Beaver Creek watersheds; its web map shows the current flood insurance rate map by address.
Septic outside the city: In Polk County, the county's Environmental Health Services permits and inspects septic system installations everywhere except the City of Des Moines; aerobic treatment units are not allowed by county ordinance.

Building on land near Urbandale

Because Urbandale has little open ground left, buyers who want room for a shop and a few animals look to the fringe. North and east of the city that means unincorporated [Polk County](/areas/polk-county-ia/); to the west it means [Dallas County](/areas/dallas-county-ia/), whose planning office and environmental health department work from Adel. Either way, check the flood map first: parts of the area drain to Walnut and Beaver Creeks. Rural lots rely on a well and septic, so a soil evaluation belongs in the due diligence. Pole barn homes and steel shells both suit those parcels once the site plan clears county setbacks.

Where we build in this part of Iowa

Des Moines & Central Iowa

What we build in Urbandale

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 Urbandale? 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 Urbandale: questions

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

Site work usually decides it. A lot with city utilities costs less to ready than acreage that needs a drilled well, a septic field and a new driveway entrance. We do not advertise a price per square foot of our own; the barndominium cost guide collects sourced ranges, and we quote your build after you complete the survey.

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

Yes. Inside Urbandale a new home is permitted by the city's Building Services staff, who check the plans against the 2018 IRC, the state energy code and the city's design criteria. Outside the city, the permit comes from the county that holds the parcel, so the address matters more than the building type.

Can post frame homes be built on land near Urbandale?

Yes. Post frame homes are common on acreage around the metro, and nothing about the framing method rules them out. The frame has to be engineered for the local snow and wind loads, and the footings still go below the frost line. We cover the design side on our post-frame homes page.

Are barndominium kits or metal building homes easier to permit?

Neither is easier by type; the permit office looks at whether the drawings meet the code and the loads for that site. Barndominium kits arrive with a set of plans, and metal building homes come with engineered frame drawings. What matters is that those match Urbandale's or the county's figures, which we confirm first.

Keep reading

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

Barndominium builders near Urbandale

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.

Polk County, Iowa

Polk County, Iowa

Iowa county

Dallas County, Iowa

Building in Urbandale?

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