Marion County, Iowa
Construction & Remodeling
Marion County covers 730 square miles east of the metro and holds 38,153 people. It organized in 1846, and Marion County has been the seat since. Outside Iowa, Marion County is best known for Iowa Speedway.
The housing is old. The median home here went up in 1965, 26.8 percent of the stock predates 1940, and only 4.8 percent dates from 2010 or later. This is a remodeling and additions county.
Call: 844-435-9800 Website: https://busybuildersiowa.com/
Marion 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 homeowners in Marion County, Marion County and rural Marion County call first.
Cities We Service in Marion County
Pella and Knoxville, the two Marion County cities we serve. Marion County adopts no building code of its own, so outside city limits nobody inspects the structure.
Pella
Design permit for any addition
Knoxville
Plan review is half the fee
Full-Service Construction and Remodeling Across Marion County
A new home outside city limits needs a permit from the Marion County Zoning Department at 641-828-2231, option 9. A single family home permit costs $200. The county has adopted no building code, so nobody from the county inspects your footings, framing or final work. Your builder is the quality control, and we build to the IRC anyway. Septic approval has to land before the county approves the permit. Footings go below the 42 inch frost line. Home building starts at $150 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope, materials and complexity.
The median Marion County home went up in 1975, so most projects here start with a house that already stands. About 20.3 percent of the stock predates 1940. The county reviews land use and setbacks, not the work itself, so the standard on rural ground is whatever your contractor holds. Inside Pella and Knoxville a city building official does review it. We open a small area early and price the rest from what we find. Phased work spreads cost across seasons and keeps one bathroom usable throughout.
Move a wall, a vent or a gas line and the permit question follows. Outside city limits that permit comes from Marion County Zoning at 641-828-2231, option 9, and no county inspector reviews the work. Inside Pella the city runs the 2021 IRC and inspects in house. Inside Knoxville, Veenstra and Kimm, now part of Kleinfelder, handles inspections. A 1975 house hides surprises behind the plaster, so we look before we promise. Kitchen remodeling starts at $250 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope, materials and complexity.
Older Marion County basements fail today’s rules in quiet ways. Ceiling height under 7 feet. A bedroom window too small to count as egress. A stair with the wrong rise. We sort the must change items from the want to change items before design starts. On a hillside lot we check the uphill wall first, because the gumbo paleosol pushes groundwater sideways. Seepage has to be solved before drywall goes up. No county inspector will catch that for you, so we handle drainage as our own job.
A bathroom packs more trades into less space than any other room. Marion County adopted no building code, so on rural ground nobody inspects the rough-in. Iowa still licenses the plumbers and electricians who do the work, and we hold the job to code either way. On a septic property, a second bathroom is a capacity question before it is a plumbing question, so we call Environmental Health at 641-828-2238 first. We lay out clearances on the floor before ordering anything, because an inch matters at a door swing.
An addition to your house carries a $50 county permit fee, and the Zoning Department reviews where it lands. Front yards run 35 feet, rear yards 25 feet and side yards 15 feet in the A-1 district. Nobody from the county inspects the footings or the framing that follows, so the standard is the one your builder sets. New footings go below the 42 inch frost line. We build additional stories, sunrooms, garages, ADUs and tornado shelters. Additions start at $300 per square foot, and final costs vary by scope.
Finishing a Marion County basement starts with water, not framing. The gumbo paleosol under the loess sends hillside groundwater sideways, so the uphill wall gets footing drains, free draining backfill and grading first. Then three numbers matter. A bedroom needs an egress opening with 5.7 square feet of net clear area. Habitable ceiling height runs 7 feet minimum. And we test for radon before we finish. Every Iowa county sits in EPA Zone 1, and Iowa averages 8.5 pCi/L indoors against 1.3 nationally.
A deck on rural Marion County ground needs a county permit, and it costs $50. That permit checks where the deck sits, not how it is built, because the county has adopted no building code and employs no inspector. Inside Pella and Knoxville a city building official reviews the structure too. Footings go below the 42 inch frost line either way. Skip that and a deck on shallow piers can heave after a hard winter. We flash the ledger properly and build guard height and stair rise to code.
MARION COUNTY HAS NO BUILDING CODE
Marion County covers 554 square miles southeast of the metro and holds about 34,192 people. Iowa never requires a county to adopt a building code, and most counties simply do not.
Marion County goes a step further and says so on the form a homeowner actually reads. The handout states plainly that the county does not have building codes, and that inspections are neither required nor performed by Marion County. State codes and state inspections still apply where they reach.
That honesty is useful, because it shows exactly where the responsibility sits. Outside Pella and Knoxville, the quality of your house depends on who you hire, not on who signs off. So we build to the IRC regardless, and we document what we did.
- The county's own permit handout says Marion County does not have building codes
- No county building inspector reviews footings, framing or final work on rural projects
- Electrical permits and inspections still run through the State of Iowa, where state rules reach
TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS BUYS THE PERMIT
Plenty of Iowa counties hide the number. Marion County publishes it, and that alone makes a rural budget easier here than in most of our service area.
A single family home permit costs $200. Two family costs $400 and an ADU costs $200. A detached garage, shed, deck, gazebo, pool or playground structure costs $50, and an addition to your house costs $50 as well.
Agricultural buildings carry no fee, but the county still wants the application for valuation and assessment records. Fees come due after the Zoning Official’s preliminary review, and none of them are refundable. The Zoning Department sits at 214 East Main Street, Suite 2, in Knoxville. Call 641-828-2231, option 9, before you assume anything.
- A single family home permit costs $200, a two family $400 and an ADU $200
- Decks, sheds, detached garages, pools and additions to the house each cost $50
- Farm buildings are free but still need a reviewed application on file with the county
SEPTIC AND DRIVEWAY COME FIRST HERE
This is the sequencing that trips up owner builders on rural Marion County ground. Two separate approvals have to land before the building permit can be approved at all.
Septic comes first. The county will not approve a building permit until Environmental Health approves the septic permit. Environmental Health runs a site evaluation when you apply. Call 641-828-2238, extension 3847.
Access comes first too. A new entrance onto a county road needs the Engineer’s approval at 641-828-2225, and so does switching an existing farm entrance to residential use. Neither office moves faster because you are in a hurry.
We start both of these before drawings are final, because these two dates set your whole schedule.
- Septic approval has to come before Marion County approves the building permit
- A new or reclassified driveway entrance needs County Engineer approval at 641-828-2225
- The building permit generates your E911 address, and the marker costs $150 more
THREE ACRES IS THE FLOOR OUT HERE
Rural lot size here is set by the zoning ordinance, not by taste, and it changes what you can afford to buy.
The A-1 Agricultural district requires a three acre minimum lot area and 150 feet of lot width for a home. Front yards run 35 feet, rear yards 25 feet, and each side yard 15 feet. Accessory structures sit 8 feet off the line.
Suburban R-1 ground is easier. It allows 10,000 square feet where shared water and sewer reach the lot. On a private well or septic system, the minimum is one full acre. Every principal home and every ADU needs a permanent foundation, with no exception written in.
- A-1 requires three acres and 150 feet of lot width for a home
- R-1 allows 10,000 square feet on shared utilities, and one acre on a well
- Every principal home and every ADU needs a permanent foundation, with no exception written in
GUMBO SENDS HILLSIDE WATER SIDEWAYS
Marion County sits in the Southern Iowa Drift Plain, the state’s oldest landscape. Wind blown loess caps the ridges, older glacial drift shows on the side slopes, and streams have cut the county into long rolling ground.
Under the loess sits a gumbo paleosol, a buried ancient soil that water will not pass through. Water reaches that layer and moves sideways instead of down. That is why a hillside basement runs wet on the uphill wall while the yard looks dry.
We plan for it with footing drains, free draining backfill and grading that carries water around the house. On a steep lot we pull parcel soil data before designing the foundation.
- Frost depth is 42 inches, the Central Iowa standard, and footings go below it
- The EPA places all 99 Iowa counties in radon Zone 1, its highest category
- Iowa averages 8.5 pCi/L indoors against 1.3 nationally, so we test first
WE COVER TWO CITIES AND SAY SO
Marion County holds nine incorporated cities. We work in two, Pella and Knoxville, and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise on a web page.
Pella carries the strictest design review we work under anywhere in Central Iowa, and it runs the 2021 IRC. Knoxville contracts its building official work to Veenstra & Kimm, now part of Kleinfelder. Both cities already sit near the outer edge of a comfortable drive.
Call us anyway, whatever the address is. If the project fits we will say yes, and we will say it quickly. If the drive would make us a worse contractor than the one down the road, we will say that instead.
- Marion County holds nine incorporated cities, and Pella extends into Mahaska County
- Knoxville sits about 37 road miles from Des Moines and Pella about 44
- Rural addresses permit through the county zoning office, not through either city hall
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 Marion County.
- Additional Story
- Tornado Shelter
- Living Room
- Bedroom
- Sunroom
- Bathroom
- Garage
- ADU
Kitchen Remodeling
Based on Average Pricing in Marion County.
- Countertops
- Appliances
- Cabinetry
- Windows
- Islands
- Lights
Home Building
Based on Average Pricing in Marion County.
- Dream Build
- Multi-Family
- Tiny Home
- Spec Build
- Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs About Building in Marion County
Does Marion County inspect my new home?
No. The county’s own building permit handout says inspections are not required or performed by Marion County. The Zoning Department checks setbacks, access, septic and land use, and nothing else. Nobody reviews footings, framing, rough-in or final, and no certificate of occupancy gets issued. Inside Pella and Knoxville you do get a real building official. Outside those two city limits, compliance rests entirely on your builder, which is exactly why we build to the IRC anyway. We also photograph the work that gets covered up, because a buyer will ask later.
What does a Marion County building permit cost?
The county publishes the numbers, which is unusual in Iowa. A single family home permit is $200, a two family is $400 and an ADU is $200. Additions to a house, and detached structures like garages, sheds, decks and pools, cost $50 each. Agricultural buildings carry no fee but still need an application on file. Fees come due after the Zoning Official’s preliminary review, and none of them are refundable. The E911 address marker adds $150. Confirm your own figure at 641-828-2231, option 9, before you budget.
Which building code applies to my Marion County project?
It depends entirely on where the lot sits. Unincorporated Marion County has adopted none. Pella enforces the 2021 IRC and 2021 IBC with the 2020 National Electrical Code, and it inspects in house. Building Official Jerry Byers takes calls at 641-628-0043. Knoxville publishes the 2012 energy code but not its IRC edition, so ask Planning and Zoning at 641-828-0550 before anyone prices your job. Knoxville also books inspections through Veenstra & Kimm, now part of Kleinfelder, and wants 24 hours notice. Three addresses in one county can produce three different answers, and that is normal here.
How big does my lot have to be outside city limits?
Three acres in the A-1 Agricultural district, with 150 feet of lot width for a home. Front yards run 35 feet, rear yards 25 feet, and side yards 15 feet each. Accessory structures sit 8 feet off the line. Suburban R-1 ground allows 10,000 square feet where shared water and sewer reach the lot. On a private well or septic system the minimum is one full acre. A permanent foundation is required either way, and that applies to an ADU too. Call 641-828-2231, option 9, before you buy.
Why do you only list two Marion County cities?
Because those are the two we can serve properly. We work out of West Des Moines. Knoxville sits about 37 road miles out and Pella about 44. Both sit right at the edge of the drive that keeps a crew on your site instead of on the road. Bussey, Harvey, Hamilton, Marysville, Melcher-Dallas, Pleasantville and Swan sit further out again. Padding this page with seven more towns would look better and help you less. Call about any address in the county and you get a straight answer.
Is Busy Builders licensed in Iowa?
Iowa registers general contractors rather than licensing them. We are registered with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. That registration is required of anyone earning $2,000 or more a year from construction. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians do hold separate state licenses, and we use licensed trades on every job. Anyone who calls a general contractor licensed in Iowa is using the wrong word. Where Marion County inspects nothing, that registration is one of the few things you can check. We have served more than 1,285 Central Iowa homeowners since 2020.
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