The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / Linn County, Iowa - Building Permits & Inspections

Linn County, Iowa - Building Permits & Inspections

Adopted code

The permitting authority for Linn County, Iowa, seated at Cedar Rapids in east-central Iowa. Linn County's Building Permits & Inspections function issues residential Building, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing permits for unincorporated Linn County. Under Iowa Code, a county building code does not apply within the incorporated limits of a city except at that city's option, so Cedar Rapids, Marion and Linn County's other incorporated cities each operate their own separate building-permit function; a roofer should confirm which authority covers a given address before applying.

Jurisdiction
Linn County, Iowa
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
935 2nd St SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Contact
  • url: https://www.linncountyiowa.gov/1496/Building-Permits-Inspections
  • phone: 319-892-5130
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 (Sec. 91C.1 through 91C.9), requires a "contractor" - a person who engages in the business of construction as defined for Iowa employment-security-law purposes, which includes roofing work - to register with the director of the Iowa department of inspections, appeals, and licensing before doing business in the state. A person who earns less than $2,000 annually from construction work, or who performs work only on the person's own property, is not a "contractor" under this chapter and is exempt. Registration requires proof of workers' compensation coverage (or an exemption/relief statement), an employer account number or special contractor number from Iowa Workforce Development, and, for out-of-state contractors, a $25,000 surety bond or a Department of Transportation prequalification statement. This is a contractor-specific registration, not a generic business-tax license. COUNTY LAYER: Linn County's own Code of Ordinances Chapter 105 licensing sections (Articles III, IV and V) cover only electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades specifically, each requiring the applicable state trade license; no Linn County-specific roofing or general-building-contractor license (distinct from the statewide Chapter 91C registration) was found in the county's own Chapter 105 or its Contractor Permit Application Instructions.
Permit process note
Linn County's own amendment to IRC/IBC "Work Commencing Before Permit Issuance" (Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-17, item (9)) provides that whenever work requiring a permit has been commenced without first obtaining one, an investigation fee equal to the full permit fee for the entire project is collected in addition to the permit fee itself, whether or not a permit is then or later issued; paying the investigation fee does not exempt the person from complying with the rest of the code or from any other penalty.
Adopted code
Linn County has adopted the 2024 International Building Code (including Appendix C, Group U Agricultural Buildings) and the 2024 International Residential Code (including Appendixes BB Tiny Houses and BE Radon Control Methods) by reference at Linn County Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-16, under Ordinance No. 14-12-2025, effective 12-17-2025. Sec. 105-17 lists 26 numbered amendment items to the 2024 IBC/IRC; read in full, none of the 26 items touches IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies).
Drip edge
Required — Linn County adopts the 2024 International Residential Code by reference at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-16. Its full amendment section, Sec. 105-17 (26 numbered items, read in full), does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2024 IRC drip-edge provision applies unmodified. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Linn County's own Table R301.2(1) insert at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-17, item (11) (applicable to the 2024 IRC as adopted at Sec. 105-16), lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required: YES" as a filled-in table cell for the jurisdiction. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Linn County adopts the 2024 International Residential Code by reference at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-16. Its full amendment section, Sec. 105-17 (26 numbered items, read in full), does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies); no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact-resistance requirement appears anywhere in the county's adopted code amendments or in its own Table R301.2(1) insert (which fills in wind, snow, seismic and ice-barrier criteria but includes no windborne-debris impact-rating column beyond the standard wind provisions).
Repair permit threshold
Linn County's own amendment to IRC Section R105.2 (Work Exempt from Permit, Building), at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-17, item (3), read in full, replaces only the accessory-structure, retaining-wall and deck exemption items; it adds no dollar-value or square-footage threshold below which a roof repair or re-roof is exempt from a permit. The county's own Building Division Permit Fee Table (linked from its current Building Permits & Inspections page) is a valuation-based schedule with no exempt floor: its lowest valuation bracket is $1-$500, at a $25 fee.
Wind design criteria
Table R301.2(1) (Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria) as filled in by Linn County at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-17, item (11), applicable to the 2024 IRC: Ground snow load 36 psf; ultimate design wind speed 115 mph; topographic effects No; special wind region No; windborne debris zone No; seismic design category A; weathering (subject to damage from) Severe; frost line depth 42 inches; termite damage Moderate to Heavy; winter design temperature -5 F; ice barrier underlayment required Yes; flood hazard NFIP adoption 12/15/1982, FIRM maps 7/20/2021; air freezing index 1784; mean annual temperature 48.9 F. (Ground snow load is separately restated at item (12), which sets IBC 1608.2 ground snow load at 36 psf.)
Roof layer limit / recover
Linn County adopts the 2024 International Residential Code by reference at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-16. Its full amendment section, Sec. 105-17 (26 numbered items, read in full), does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2024 IRC provisions on roof recovering and layer limits apply unmodified.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Linn County adopts the 2024 International Residential Code by reference at Code of Ordinances Sec. 105-16. Its full amendment section, Sec. 105-17 (26 numbered items, read in full), does not touch IRC Chapter 9 (Roof Assemblies), so the base 2024 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 County" tab (effective 7/1/2026), lists unincorporated Linn 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). Every incorporated city listed under Linn County in the same workbook (Alburnett, Bertram, Cedar Rapids, Center Point, Central City, Coggon, Ely, Fairfax, Hiawatha, Lisbon, Marion, Mount Vernon, Palo, Prairieburg, Robins, Springville, Walford and Walker) also carries the 1% local option for a combined 7% total, except Martelle, which has no local option tax and remains at a 6% total. (The same workbook separately lists a "Cedar Rapids" row under Johnson County with no local option tax and a 6% total rate; that row reflects a different county's tax jurisdiction sharing the city name and does not apply to Linn County's own Cedar Rapids county seat, listed separately under Linn County at 7%.)

Related guides

Denver-Metro Roofing Permits Filing a Hail Insurance Claim Colorado Hail Season Prep Hiring a Contractor

Working an insurance claim in Linn County, Iowa - Building Permits & Inspections? Everything on this page — drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules — formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF) — one page, free.

Buy this jurisdiction's pack — $12 Delivered by email within minutes.

Questions about the Linn County, Iowa - Building Permits & Inspections pack?

Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Sources