Polk County, Iowa
Construction & Remodeling
Polk County holds more than half a million people and about 226,000 homes. Almost every kind of construction problem Iowa can produce shows up here. Busy Builders has served Central Iowa homeowners since 2020, and Polk County is where most of that work happens.
Call: 844-435-9800 Website: https://busybuildersiowa.com/
Polk County, Iowa General Contractor
About Us
We started Busy Builders to bring honesty back to remodeling and home building. Our team came out of the trades with decades of hands-on work behind them. We have served more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners since 2020.
Our Mission
Give every homeowner the most transparent and honest experience we can on any construction project. That means real numbers, real timelines, and a plain answer when the answer is not what you hoped.
Our Vision
We want to be the registered general contractor that Polk County homeowners call first, from Des Moines and West Des Moines to Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Altoona, Grimes, Bondurant, Polk City and Pleasant Hill.
Cities We Service in Polk County
Twelve Polk County communities. Each page covers that city’s permit desk, the code edition it enforces and the work we do there.
Des Moines
Moved to the 2024 codes
West Des Moines
Still on the 2015 codes
Ankeny
Enforces the 2024 I-codes
Urbandale
Own building services desk
Johnston
Own building department
Clive
Construction services division
Altoona
CitizenServe permit portal
Grimes
Publishes MICCC handouts
Bondurant
Permits through City Hall
Polk City
Own community development desk
Pleasant Hill
Enforces the 2021 codes
Avon Lake
Unincorporated, county permits
Mitchellville
Sheds 160 sq ft must match
Windsor Heights
Enclave, 1.41 square miles
Full-Service Construction and Remodeling Across Polk County
New construction in Polk County starts with one question: city desk or county desk. On unincorporated land the county values a home at $155 per square foot. A 2,000 square foot build runs about $1,514 in building permit fees, before trade permits. Footings go below the 42 inch frost line. Iowa now requires a passive radon method in new single-family and two-family homes, so the rough-in goes in at foundation stage. Our home building starts at $150 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope, materials and complexity.
Whole house work in Polk County lives or dies on which code your city enforces. Ankeny reviews against the 2024 I-codes. West Des Moines is still on 2015, and the county sits on 2021. A stair, guard or egress detail that clears one desk can stall two miles away. We confirm the edition before we draw, then price the work honestly. Phased remodels let you spread cost across seasons, and we sequence them so your kitchen and bath are never both out at once.
A Polk County kitchen remodel rarely stops at cabinets. Move a wall or a gas line and a permit follows. Your city issues it inside the line, the county issues it outside. Older Des Moines and Urbandale homes hide surprises behind the plaster, from old wiring to framing that never ran square. We open a small area early and price from what we find, not from a guess. Kitchen remodeling starts at $250 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope, materials and complexity.
A basement that was finished in the 1990s often fails today’s code in quiet ways. Ceiling height under 7 feet, a bedroom with no compliant egress, a stair with the wrong rise. We open it up, tell you what actually has to change, and separate that from what you simply want changed. Permits follow the same split as everything else in Polk County: the city inside the line, the county outside it. If the work touches a bedroom or a bathroom, expect the inspector to look hard at egress.
Bathrooms are small rooms with a lot of code in them. In Polk County the fixture, venting and clearance rules follow the state plumbing and mechanical codes, not the I-codes, even on unincorporated land. That trips up plans drawn elsewhere. We check clearances at the layout stage, because a vanity that fits on paper can block a door swing by an inch. Second-floor and basement baths add a drain question we solve before demolition, not after. Inside a city, that city’s inspector signs off. Outside one, call the county at 515-286-3705.
An addition changes your foundation footprint, so Polk County design criteria matter from day one. New footings go below the 42 inch frost line. The county figures 30 PSF ground snow load, 115 mph wind and a minus 5 degree winter design temperature. If your lot touches a county secondary road, a new driveway entrance needs its own county permit at $368, city or not. We build additional stories, sunrooms, garages, ADUs and tornado shelters. Additions start at $300 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope, materials and complexity.
Finishing a Polk County basement means meeting three numbers. A bedroom needs an egress opening with 5.7 square feet of net clear area. Habitable ceiling height runs 7 feet minimum. On unincorporated land the county values new finished basement space at $62 per square foot for the permit. We test for radon before we finish, not after. Polk County Health Department reports more than 70 percent of homes above the action level, and Iowa averages 8.5 pCi/L indoors against 1.3 nationally. Test results shape the plan.
In unincorporated Polk County a deck without a roof is permitted work, valued at $19 per square foot on the county table. Inside a city, that city sets the rule, and the rules do not match across the eleven of them. Footings still go below the 42 inch frost line, which is why a deck built on shallow piers can heave after a hard winter. We size footings for the span and the ledger connection, then flash the ledger properly. Guard height and stair rise get inspected, so we build them right.
YOUR LOT PICKS THE PERMIT DESK
Polk County runs a real building department, but it only covers unincorporated land. Every one of the county’s larger cities runs its own desk, and none of them defers to the county.
Unincorporated work goes through Polk County Public Works, Planning and Development, Building Services. The office sits at 5885 NE 14th Street in Des Moines. The permit line is 515-286-3705, and the same number answers septic, well and driveway entrance questions.
So the first question on any Polk County project is not what you are building. It is whether your parcel sits inside a city or outside one. We confirm that before we draw anything, because the answer changes the code, the fees and the inspector.
- Polk County Building Services works out of 5885 NE 14th Street in Des Moines
- One permit line, 515-286-3705, covers building, septic, well and county entrance permits
- One and two family dwellings pay no plan review fee in unincorporated Polk County
THREE IRC EDITIONS IN ONE COUNTY
Polk County does not run on one building code. It runs on three at once, and which one applies depends on your address. Eleven cities set their own editions, and the county sets one more for the land in between.
Ankeny enforces the 2024 I-codes. Des Moines moved to the 2024 editions on January 1, 2026. Unincorporated Polk County and Pleasant Hill sit on the 2021 codes, and West Des Moines is still on 2015.
That gap shows up on ordinary work. An egress opening or a garage separation assembly that clears plan review in one city can get flagged two miles away. We ask which edition applies before drawings go out, every time. It costs one phone call and saves a redesign.
- Chapter 20, the county Construction Code, took effect September 2, 2024, for unincorporated land
- It adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with more than a hundred local amendments
- Plumbing, mechanical, electrical and energy work follows Iowa state codes, not the I-codes
TWO COUNTY RULES CROSS CITY LINES
Most county authority stops at the city limit. Two Polk County rules do not.
Septic systems and private wells answer to Polk County Environmental Health across the whole county, with one exception: the City of Des Moines. Live in Ankeny or Grimes and your septic question still goes to 515-286-3705. Polk County bans aerobic treatment units by ordinance, so a system that works in another county may not work here.
Driveways are the second one. A new entrance onto a county secondary road needs a Polk County entrance permit even when the lot sits inside a city. We pull that permit with the building permit, not after the concrete truck is scheduled.
- Polk County Environmental Health covers septic and wells everywhere except the City of Des Moines
- The county bans aerobic treatment units by ordinance, so plan the system before you buy
- A driveway onto a county secondary road needs a county entrance permit, city or not
THE COUNTY PRICES PERMITS BY SQUARE FOOT
Polk County does not guess at your project value. It runs a valuation table, then charges the permit off that number.
The county values one and two family dwellings at $155 per square foot. A new finished basement counts at $62, an attached garage at $64, and a deck without a roof at $19. Run a 2,000 square foot home through that table and the building permit lands near $1,514, before separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.
The other county permits carry flat prices. Septic runs $246, a private well $272, and a county road entrance $368. One and two family dwellings pay no plan review fee, which is a genuine break. Cities set their own fee schedules, so ask the desk that issues your permit before you budget.
- The county values one and two family dwellings at $155 per square foot
- A finished basement counts at $62 per square foot, an attached garage at $64
- A septic permit costs $246, a private well $272, and a road entrance $368
THE RACCOON RIVER SPLITS YOUR SOIL
Polk County is two places to build, and the Raccoon River draws the line. North of it sits the Des Moines Lobe, young glacial till on flat ground. The county calls it poorly drained, with ponds and marshes that have no outlet.
South of the river, the Southern Iowa Drift Plain takes over. Silty clay sits over older glacial till, cut into rougher terrain by streams. The county says those southern slopes are highly erodible and carry limits for building and on-site wastewater.
Water history matters too. The governing FEMA study took effect February 1, 2019, and major floods hit in 1954, 1973, 1993, 2008 and 2010. Where drainage is a question, we pull parcel data from the USDA Web Soil Survey before design.
- About 30 drainage districts still run in Polk County, some under ground that is now subdivision
- The county publishes a 42 inch frost line, 30 PSF snow load and 115 mph wind
- Polk County counted more than 3,000 properties inundated in the 1993 flood
AVON LAKE HAS NO CITY HALL
We build across every Polk County community. Eleven cities run their own building departments: Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Altoona, Grimes, Bondurant, Polk City and Pleasant Hill.
Avon Lake is the wrinkle. People talk about it like a town, but it is not a city. It is an unincorporated place in Allen Township with no city hall. Projects there fall in unincorporated Polk County, so permitting goes through the county rather than a city desk.
Nine community school districts serve the county, and district lines do not follow city lines. Confirm the district before you buy a lot, especially near Grimes, where Dallas Center-Grimes reaches in from Dallas County.
- Eleven Polk County cities run their own building departments, and none defers to the county
- Avon Lake sits in Allen Township, so Polk County issues the permits there
- Nine school districts serve the county, from Ankeny and Johnston to Southeast Polk and Saydel
Our Building Partners.
- Achievement
Your Dream, Our Passion.
Since 2020, more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners have trusted us with their projects, and it shows.
Quality Construction at the Right Price.
Additions
Based on Average Pricing in Polk County.
- Additional Story
- Tornado Shelter
- Living Room
- Bedroom
- Sunroom
- Bathroom
- Garage
- ADU
Kitchen Remodeling
Based on Average Pricing in Polk County.
- Countertops
- Appliances
- Cabinetry
- Windows
- Islands
- Lights
Home Building
Based on Average Pricing in Polk County.
- Dream Build
- Multi-Family
- Tiny Home
- Spec Build
- Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs About Building in Polk County
Do I need a permit for a deck in Polk County?
Almost certainly. In unincorporated Polk County the fee table values a deck without a roof at $19 per square foot, which tells you it is permitted work. Inside any of the eleven cities, that city’s building department sets the rule, so ask before you order material. Common exemptions stay small: a shed under 120 square feet, a fence six feet or under, a retaining wall under four feet. Footings are the part people miss. The county publishes a 42 inch frost line, and deck footings go below it.
Which building code applies to my Polk County project?
It depends on your address, not on the county. Ankeny enforces the 2024 I-codes. Des Moines moved to the 2024 editions on January 1, 2026. Unincorporated Polk County and Pleasant Hill run the 2021 codes, and West Des Moines is still on 2015. That means three IRC editions are live inside one county at the same time. A detail that clears plan review in one city can get flagged two miles away. We confirm the edition with the issuing desk before drawings go out. One phone call, and the redesign never happens.
Who inspects my project?
In unincorporated Polk County, Polk County Building Services inspects in house. Call 515-286-3705 to schedule. Inside a city, that city’s inspectors handle it, and their schedules and lead times differ. Energy code compliance is the one item the county may hand to a third party. Either way, the inspector is not your enemy. We build the job to pass the first time. We schedule inspections at the points where a failed one would cost the most: footings, framing and final. Waiting on a re-inspection is the expensive kind of delay.
Does Polk County handle my septic system even though I live in Ankeny?
Yes. Polk County Environmental Health has jurisdiction over septic systems and private wells across the entire county, with one exception: the City of Des Moines. So a septic question in Ankeny, Grimes, Bondurant or Polk City still goes to the county at 515-286-3705. One rule surprises people who move here from out of state. Polk County bans aerobic treatment units by ordinance, so a system design that is normal elsewhere will not get approved. A septic permit runs $246 and a private well permit $272. Budget for both before you close on rural ground.
Should I test for radon before finishing a Polk County basement?
Yes, and test before the work, not after. The EPA places Polk County in Zone 1, its highest radon category, meaning a predicted average indoor screening level above 4 pCi/L. Polk County Health Department reports more than 70 percent of homes above that level. Statewide, Iowa averages 8.5 pCi/L indoors against 1.3 nationally. Testing first is cheaper because mitigation is easy to rough in behind an open wall and expensive to retrofit through finished space. Iowa now requires a passive radon method in new single-family and two-family construction.
Is Busy Builders licensed in Iowa?
Iowa registers general contractors rather than licensing them. We hold registration with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. Iowa Code Chapter 91C requires it of anyone earning $2,000 or more a year from construction. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians do hold separate state licenses, and we work with licensed trades on every job. If a contractor tells you they are a licensed general contractor in Iowa, ask what they mean. Busy Builders has served more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners since 2020, most of them in Polk County.
- Our Articles
