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Permitting Authorities / City of Dubuque, Iowa - Inspection & Construction Services Division

City of Dubuque, Iowa - Inspection & Construction Services Division

Adopted code

The permitting authority for the City of Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque County), on the Mississippi River in the northeast corner of the state. The city's Inspection & Construction Services Division issues its own residential building permits, including for roofing work.

Jurisdiction
City of Dubuque, Iowa
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
350 West 6th Street, Suite 312 (Historic Federal Building), Dubuque, IA 52001
Contact
  • url: https://www.cityofdubuque.org/87/Inspection-Construction-Services
  • phone: 563-589-4150
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • license: STATE LAYER: Iowa Code chapter 91C ("Construction Contractors"), read in full (sections 91C.1 through 91C.9; 91C.9 repealed), requires a "contractor" - a person engaged in the business of construction as defined for Iowa employment-security-law (chapter 96) purposes, which reaches roofing work - to register with the director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing before doing business in the state. A person earning less than $2,000 annually from construction, or working only on their own property, is exempt. Registration requires proof of workers' compensation coverage (or an exemption/relief statement) and an employer account number or special contractor number from Iowa Workforce Development; out-of-state contractors must file a $25,000 surety bond or a Department of Transportation prequalification statement. The registration fee is capped by statute at $50 per year (91C.4), and registered contractors receive a public registration number (91C.5). This is a contractor-specific state registration, distinct from generic business licensing, and separate from Iowa Code chapter 105's narrower list of state-licensed trades (plumbers, mechanical professionals, electricians), which does not include roofing. LOCAL LAYER: The City of Dubuque's own Contractor Licensing page requires city licensing for contractors doing electrical, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, hydronics, fire sprinkler, or fire alarm system work, plus separate sign-contractor and solar-thermal-contractor licenses. Roofing is not named as a separately city-licensed trade on this page; the statewide Iowa Code chapter 91C registration is the credential that reaches Dubuque roofing contractors.
Adopted code
The City of Dubuque's own "Current Codes and Conditions" page lists the adopted code editions in effect: 2021 International Building Code (IBC), 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 International Fire Code (IFC), 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and 2010 ADA Guidelines for Accessible Design. The city's own "2021 Code Changes: Summary of Amendments" document itemizes the local amendments applied to each of these codes section-by-section. The specific adopting-ordinance number could not be confirmed this session; the codified text lives in Dubuque Municipal Code Title 14 on amlegal.com, which was unreachable (Cloudflare JS challenge).
Drip edge
Required — The City of Dubuque adopts the 2021 International Residential Code by reference. The city's own itemized "2021 Code Changes: Summary of Amendments" document, read in full (14 current-cycle IRC amendment items plus 7 deleted prior-year items), does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2021 IRC drip-edge provision applies unmodified. About drip edge
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither the City of Dubuque's itemized "2021 Code Changes: Summary of Amendments" document (its full list of local amendments to the 2021 IRC and IBC) nor its "Current Codes and Conditions" local design-criteria page mentions or amends any impact-rating provision; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact-resistance requirement appears in either document.
Repair permit threshold
The City of Dubuque's own "Projects Exempt from Permit Requirements" page lists a specific, closed set of exemptions (small accessory structures, low fences and retaining walls, patios and non-structural slabs, certain interior finish work, small decks and pools, and similar minor work) and does not include roofing, re-roofing, or roof repair at any size or value. The city's Consolidated Fee Schedule for Building Permits (Residential New and Commercial, Rev. 11-24-2025) is a single valuation-based sliding scale with no roofing-specific line item and no minimum-value floor: the lowest bracket, valuation up to $500, still carries a $50 permit fee. No dollar or square-footage threshold exempts a reroof from needing a permit in Dubuque.
Wind design criteria
The City of Dubuque's own "Current Codes and Conditions" page fills in the following local design criteria applicable under the 2021 IBC/IRC: Frost Depth 42 inches; Wind Design "Use Section 1609 of the 2021 IBC"; Ground Snow Load 30 pounds per square foot; Seismic Design "Use Section 1613 of the 2021 IBC"; Weathering Probability for Concrete Severe; Termite Infestation Probability Moderate.
Roof layer limit / recover
The City of Dubuque adopts the 2021 International Residential Code by reference. Its own itemized "2021 Code Changes: Summary of Amendments" document, read in full, does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2021 IRC provisions on roof recovering and layer limits apply unmodified.
Deck & sheathing requirements
The City of Dubuque adopts the 2021 International Residential Code by reference. Its own itemized "2021 Code Changes: Summary of Amendments" document, read in full, does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2021 IRC provisions on roof deck sheathing apply unmodified.
Sales & use tax
The Iowa Department of Revenue's own published Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) workbook, "LOST by City" tab (effective 7/1/2026), lists Dubuque under Dubuque County with Local Option Sales Tax = YES at a 1% jurisdiction rate, for a combined total rate of 7% (the state's 6% sales tax plus the 1% local option), with the local option in effect since 4/1/1988. Dubuque appears under only one county in this workbook.

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