Permits
Permits
Helpful Links:
Building, Sewer & Curb Breaking Permits (see list of what requires permit below)
"811 Call Before You Dig" Underground Locating Service
Electrical Permits (handled by the IA Dept. of Public Safety)
Situations Requiring a Building Permit:
- New Construction: houses, garages, commercial buildings (including modular, mobile homes, or moving a home or commercial building to a lot.)
- New accessory structures: sheds, detached garages, swim pools, decks (including moving a shed or garage on to a lot)
- New or replacement foundations
- New fencing
- New or replacement signs
- New sidewalks and sidewalk additions
- Structural additions to an existing house or building
- Alterations to structure involving load-bearing walls, new window and/or door openings or expansions
- Changing Roof Line (Ex.: Pitched to hip roof )
- New driveways, driveway additions, and parking pads (whether paved, blacktopped or rock)
- Electrical - see below
- Plumbing:
- New plumbing
- Alterations to plumbing system
- Alterations to drainage system
- Mechanical:
- New Heating, Air Conditioning or Ventilation
- Conversions from one type HVAC to another (ex.: Gas to electric or vice versa)
Situations Requiring an Electrical Permit:
The State of Iowa handles ALL Electrical permits for the City of Harlan.
- New wiring
- Re-wiring
- New service entrance
- Changing electrical panel or fuse box to panel
- Addition of new lighting, outlets, etc.
Situations NOT Requiring a Building Permit:
- Siding, roofing, painting, carpeting, dry wall, insulation
- Repairs and replacement of existing doors, windows, driveways, sidewalks, fences
- Plumbing: Replacement or repair of worn valves, faucets, broken pipes and drains, lavatories, tubs and toilets
- Electrical: Replacement of switches, receptacles, light fixtures, fans, etc.
- Repairs and/or replacements of furnaces, water heaters, and central air conditioning, (like to like).
"811" Call Before You Dig - Underground Locating Service:
Effective May 1, 2007, Iowa and the rest of the nation are a part of the new, national “811” call-before-you-dig underground locating system.
“811” is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-designated national number for homeowners and professional excavators to call before digging. A national awareness campaign for the new system has been implemented by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a coalition of businesses, services and agencies, including: excavators; locators; road builders; electric, telecommunication, oil and gas utilities; railroads; one call centers; public works departments; equipment manufacturers and suppliers; state regulators; insurance & engineering/design officials; and emergency services.
811 will not replace the state and local offices that have been in place – calls to 811 will still be directed to local One Call centers – but represents a national effort to simplify the process of calling to locate underground infrastructure. Currently, there are 62 separate and distinct one-call centers in the United States – which equates to 62 different “800” phone numbers. In Iowa, Iowa One Call will retain its toll-free number (800/292-8989) and this number can still be used for locating purposes, as before. Iowa One Call will still include the original number in materials promoting 811.