Iowa building permit authorities
2025 Census Building Permits Survey directory.
788 permit-issuing authorities
The Census Building Permits Survey lists 788 authorities in Iowa. They reported 13,670 residential units permitted in 2025; 657 of them (83%) reported activity.
No single authority dominates: the largest, Des Moines, accounts for 12% of the state total.
Largest authorities by 2025 residential units
| Authority | Units permitted |
|---|---|
| Des Moines | 1,676 |
| Ankeny | 1,326 |
| Waukee | 678 |
| Urbandale | 646 |
| North Liberty | 520 |
| Cedar Rapids | 511 |
| West Des Moines | 344 |
| Waterloo | 337 |
| Coralville | 260 |
| Norwalk | 237 |
| Knoxville | 223 |
| Dubuque | 216 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, 2025. Inclusion confirms that an authority issues permits — not that it publishes an open feed, and not that any address has an active project. What we measure before covering a market →
Key takeaways
This directory records 788 authorities that issued permits in Iowa and 13,670 residential units reported for 2025. Our analysis of the Census survey shows reporting scale, not whether an authority has an open permit database or whether a particular project is active. Those questions need the authority’s own current record.
- Use the authority name to locate the primary record.
- Check local data availability separately.
- Verify a project before outreach or a bid decision.
Common question
Does inclusion mean Projects Ahead has a usable project signal there?
No. Inclusion means the Census survey identifies an authority that issues permits. A usable project signal requires separate testing of source access, fields and the ability to reconstruct a project timeline.