State Building Code Adopted Codes and Plan Review Submittals

Applications for plan review shall be submitted through the State Fire Marshal Iowa License Management System (LMS) online application process. One paper copy of full scale construction documents and an electronic copy (thumb drive) shall be submitted to the Building Code Bureau at:

Iowa Department of Public Safety
State Fire Marshal Division
215 E 7th St
Des Moines IA 50319

Plan review fees will be calculated and billed at the time of application submittal.  Please review the LMS User Guide for Building Code Plan Review Submittals.

Request for Foundation Only Approval form

Plan Review Fee Calculation (Excel) form based on Iowa Code Chapter 661-301.4(2).

Fire Alarm and Fire Sprinkler/Suppression Plan Review Fees

***project valuation is based on the costs of the fire alarm or fire sprinkler/suppression project only

All new and existing State Licensed Childcare Facilities, that require approval from the State Fire Marshal, shall have submittals signed by an Iowa Licensed Architect or Engineer.  Please review the Licensed Childcare Centers informational handout for details.

State Fire Code compliance for assisted living facilities is required by the Department of Inspection and Appeals. In all assisted living facilities, the State Fire Marshal Division enforces the State Fire and Building Codes, regardless of whether there is local enforcement. All project plans, including additions, alterations, and renovations shall be submitted to the State Building Code Bureau for review prior to work beginning.

The following presentation can be used as a helpful tool to understand which codes and policies apply.

• Assisted Living Presentation (Codes, Policies, Procedures; Commonly Cited Deficiencies; and Fire-Rated Systems)

The Building Code requires wet signed/sealed paper plans that are “100% construction sets”. We do not accept “preliminary” or “not for construction” plans – this is a requirement for paper AND digital plan submittals. If submittals do not meet this criteria, a notification will be sent.

Please review the LMS User Guide for Building Code Plan Review Submittals.

Please refer to the Architectural/Engineering Combined Matrix from the Iowa Building Code Official's Handbook to determine when an architect and/or engineer is required.  That matrix may be found online at https://plb.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Architectural-Engineering%20Combined%20Matrix.pdf

Sample Code Plan

Architectural plan review questions: bcinfo@dps.state.ia.us

Fire alarm/fire sprinkler plan review questions:  fasp@dps.state.ia.us

Paper plans and thumb drives will NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED in the State Fire Marshal Division for Fire Alarm/Fire Sprinkler/Fire Suppression projects as of November 1, 2022.

The Building Code requires wet signed/sealed paper plans that are “100% construction sets”. We do not accept “preliminary” or “not for construction” plans – this is a requirement for paper AND digital plan submittals. If submittals do not meet this criteria, a notification will be sent.

ALL Fire Alarm/Fire Sprinkler/Suppression system plans (to include: submittal data and any pertinent calculations) shall be submitted to the following email address (including project name and assigned State Fire Marshal project number): 
SFMBuildingCodeBureau@dps.state.ia.us

**THIS IS THE ONLY PART OF THE PROJECT PROCESS THAT HAS CHANGED FOR FIRE ALARM/FIRE SPRINKLER/FIRE SUPPRESSION**
Any questions on this process change may be submitted to SFMBuildingCodeBureau@dps.state.ia.us
 

Current Required Life Cycle Cost Analysis Guidelines

Construction documents for the following projects are required to be submitted to the Building Code Bureau for plan review:

• Any facility housing an adult day service
• Any assisted living facility
• Any residential care facility
• Any elder group home
• Any facility owned by the state or an agency of the state.
• Any new building that has state funding
• Any licensed healthcare facility listed under 661-Chapter 205

Construction documents for the following projects shall be submitted to the Building Code Bureau for plan review unless the plans have been submitted to a local department that is approved by the State Fire Marshal Division.  List of approved departments for local code enforcement

The Building Code requires wet signed/sealed paper plans that are “100% construction sets”. We do not accept “preliminary” or “not for construction” plans – this is a requirement for paper AND digital plan submittals. If submittals do not meet this criteria, a notification will be sent.

• Any educational building or facility serving kindergarten through twelfth grade
• Any college or university building or facility
• Any child care facility intended to serve seven or more children at one time
• Any correctional facility
• Any gaming facility

Preliminary meeting shall be conducted prior to the submittal of construction documents for plan review.

Meetings shall be conducted in person or remotely at the discretion of the Construction/Design Engineer assigned to the project.

The following national codes are recognized in the Department of Public Safety Administrative Code and enforced by the State Fire Marshal:

• 2015 International Building Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-201 and 661-301
• 2015 International Fire Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-201
• 2015 International Residential Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-301
• 2012 International Energy Conservation Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-303
• 2015 International Existing Building Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-301 and 661-350
• 2012 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-205
• 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-302
• Smoke Alarms/Detectors as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-210 (effective July 1, 2021)
• Carbon Monoxide Alarms as adopted by Iowa Administrative Rule 661-211
• State Mechanical Code as adopted by the Department of Public Health Iowa Administrative Rule 641-61
• State Plumbing Code as adopted by the Department of Public Health Iowa Administrative Rule 641-25 
• State Electrical Code as adopted by the State Electrical Licensing Board Iowa Administrative Rule 661-504 

1. State Building Code Inspectors perform inspections for new buildings and additions when:
   • The construction is for a building owned by the State of Iowa.
   • The construction is financed by a State of Iowa agency.
   • The local jurisdiction has adopted the State Building Code.
   • The construction is funded by the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education program (Grades K-12) and there is not locally adopted and enforced Building Code.
2. State Building Code Inspectors  perform inspections required by the Department of Inspection and Appeals for:
   • A Health Care Facility as defined by Iowa Code 135C.1 such as but not limited to:
     • Residential Care Facility
     • Nursing Facility
     • Intermediate Care Facility for Person with Mental Illness
     • Intermediate Care Facility for Person with an Intellectual Disability
   • An Elder Group Home as defined by Iowa Code 231B.1
   • A building serving an Assisted Living Program as defined by Iowa Code 231C.2
   • A building providing Adult Day Services as defined by Iowa Code 231D.1
3. State Building Inspections are required for manufactured/mobile homes upon new installation.
4. Fire Code Inspectors perform inspections that are separate and distinct from inspections that are performed by Building Code Inspectors. Fire Inspections are conducted by the Fire Prevention Bureau. 

The fees listed below apply to Inspections under group 1 above. (Fees do not apply to any building or facility owned by the board of regents or by any institution subject to the authority of the board of regents.)

Base Inspection Fees:

**inspection fees are assessed based on project valuation

Additional Inspection Fees:

• Additional fees will be incurred if a State Building Inspection is required for any of the following reasons:
  • A code violation during a basic inspection that requires a follow-up inspection to verify that the violations have been corrected.
  • The inspector is scheduled and, upon arrival, the project in ready for the type of inspection requested.
  • A special request is made by the project designer, contract, or owner that is beyond one the three basic inspections.
• The fee for additional inspections are as follows:

• These additional inspection fees will be billed to the responsible architect or building contractor on a monthly basis.
• Only temporary approval of occupancy will be granted if unpaid inspections fees remain at the time of the final inspection.

A facility owned by or subject to the authority of the board of regents will have a flat fee of $900 that is paid as an inspection fee.

The state of Iowa is covered by three building code inspectors.

• Building Code Inspector Eric Neddermeyer covers the following counties:  Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clayton, Crawford, Dallas, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Franklin, Guthrie, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Humboldt, Ida, Jasper, Kossuth, Lyon, Marshall, Mitchell, Monona , O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth, and Wright.  Inspector Neddermeyer may be reached by phone at 515.238.1674 or by email at nedderme@dps.state.ia.us
• Building Code Inspector Valerie Reeves covers the following counties:  Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Washington, and Winneshiek.  Inspector Reeves may be reached by phone at 319.213.0711 or by email at reeves@dps.state.ia.us
• Building Code Inspector Mike Bruce covers the following counties:  Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Cass, Clarke, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Fremont, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Monroe, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, and Wayne.  Inspector Bruce may be reached by phone at 515.725.1137 or by email at bruce@dps.state.ia.us