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Why Steel Works in Iowa
Steel buildings hold up in Iowa when the frame is engineered for its own site. We are a dealer of pre-engineered steel building kits from American steel, and our metal buildings in Iowa, from machine sheds to barndominiums, arrive with PE-stamped drawings for the parcel.
Wind comes first. On August 10, 2020, a derecho crossed the state with winds above 100 mph, damaged millions of acres of corn and soybeans in central Iowa and hit Cedar Rapids especially hard. In May 2008 an EF-5 tornado struck Parkersburg, the strongest to hit Iowa since 1976. The drawings carry the design wind speed and exposure category under ASCE 7. For how the frame is tied down, see our guide to anchors for metal buildings.
Snow and cold come next. Snowfall runs from more than 40 inches a year in the north to about 20 inches in the south.
Frost depth, flood maps and permit rules are in the codes and permits section below.
Iowa at a Glance
What We Engineer for:
Snowfall runs from about 20 inches a year in the south to more than 40 in the north; Des Moines designs for 30 psf of ground snow
The August 2020 derecho brought winds above 100 mph; design wind speed and exposure category set per site under ASCE 7
Rivers form both borders, and flooding is a severe hazard; check your parcel on the FEMA flood map and with your county
Footings go below the local frost line, 42 inches in Des Moines; a local contractor pours them to our anchor bolt layout
The state code follows the 2024 IBC and IRC where a city or county accepts it; county codes and zoning exempt farm buildings
Building Codes and Permits in Iowa
Iowa’s state building code adopts the 2024 International Building Code and the 2024 International Residential Code, administered by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. It applies to state-owned buildings, in any city or county that accepts it by ordinance, and in cities of more than 15,000 people that have no code of their own. Many cities adopt their own edition instead. Drawings are prepared to the edition your jurisdiction enforces; your building department is the authoritative source.
Inside city limits, start with the city building department; a county code applies there only at the city’s option. In the unincorporated area, the county issues permits where it has adopted a building code. State-owned buildings and new buildings paid for with state money go to the state Building Code Bureau for plan review. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
State law keeps farm houses and other farm buildings used mainly for agriculture out of a county building code. County zoning does not reach farm barns and outbuildings either, and a county may not require an application or a fee for that. Zoning can still apply to a building in the floodplain of a river or stream. Linn County treats a house as a farm house only when the people living in it work mainly in agriculture, and notes that well, septic and driveway permits may still be required.
Des Moines city code sets a frost line of 42 inches, a ground snow load of 30 psf and a design wind speed of 115 mph. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. Flooding is a serious hazard in Iowa: in June 2008 the Cedar River rose more than 11 feet above its previous record, and 83 of the state’s 99 counties were declared disaster areas. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Iowa’s state building code adopts the 2024 International Building Code and the 2024 International Residential Code, administered by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. It applies to state-owned buildings, in any city or county that accepts it by ordinance, and in cities of more than 15,000 people that have no code of their own. Many cities adopt their own edition instead. Drawings are prepared to the edition your jurisdiction enforces; your building department is the authoritative source.
Inside city limits, start with the city building department; a county code applies there only at the city’s option. In the unincorporated area, the county issues permits where it has adopted a building code. State-owned buildings and new buildings paid for with state money go to the state Building Code Bureau for plan review. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
State law keeps farm houses and other farm buildings used mainly for agriculture out of a county building code. County zoning does not reach farm barns and outbuildings either, and a county may not require an application or a fee for that. Zoning can still apply to a building in the floodplain of a river or stream. Linn County treats a house as a farm house only when the people living in it work mainly in agriculture, and notes that well, septic and driveway permits may still be required.
Des Moines city code sets a frost line of 42 inches, a ground snow load of 30 psf and a design wind speed of 115 mph. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. Flooding is a serious hazard in Iowa: in June 2008 the Cedar River rose more than 11 feet above its previous record, and 83 of the state’s 99 counties were declared disaster areas. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Steel Buildings We Deliver Across Iowa
What a Steel Building Costs in Iowa
The price of a steel building in Iowa depends on its size, the loads of its site and its finish. Open prairie wind and northern snow add frame weight.
From 20×20 to 30×40: garages, sheds and backyard shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: barndominiums, machine sheds and shop buildings.
From 40×100 up: grain and equipment storage, livestock barns and commercial buildings.
A 40×60 machine shed in open farm country, where nothing breaks the wind, is drawn to a more exposed wind category than the same building among houses and trees in a Des Moines suburb, so its frame gets heavier.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and our guide to what it costs to build a barndominium covers homes.
From 20×20 to 30×40: garages, sheds and backyard shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: barndominiums, machine sheds and shop buildings.
From 40×100 up: grain and equipment storage, livestock barns and commercial buildings.
A 40×60 machine shed in open farm country, where nothing breaks the wind, is drawn to a more exposed wind category than the same building among houses and trees in a Des Moines suburb, so its frame gets heavier.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and our guide to what it costs to build a barndominium covers homes.
How Iowa Owners Use Steel Buildings by Region
Northwest Iowa (Sioux City, Le Mars, Orange City, Sheldon, Spencer; Woodbury, Plymouth, Sioux, O’Brien, Clay counties)
Northwest Iowa is livestock country. Iowa led the nation in hog sales in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, with about 23.8 million hogs and pigs on hand at the end of the year, and Sioux County ranks first among Iowa counties for sales of hogs, cattle and milk. Livestock brings in about four-fifths of Sioux County’s farm sales. Feed storage and shelter for cattle fit under our livestock barns.
See also: Metal hay barns · Metal red barns
North-central Iowa (Mason City, Fort Dodge, Algona, Clear Lake, Webster City; Cerro Gordo, Webster, Kossuth, Hancock, Hamilton counties)
North-central Iowa grows corn and soybeans on flat, open ground. The state harvested corn for grain on about 12.6 million acres in 2022 and soybeans on about 9.5 million. Kossuth County has more land in farms than any other Iowa county and led them all in corn production that year, with 57.1 million bushels. Combines, grain carts and planters need wide, tall doors; see our tractor barns.
See also: Metal carports · Barn with living quarters
Central Iowa (Des Moines, Ames, Ankeny, Marshalltown, Newton; Polk, Story, Dallas, Marshall, Jasper counties)
Central Iowa mixes the Des Moines metro with farm ground. The average Iowa farm covers 345 acres, and families on smaller acreages outside Ankeny, Ames and Waukee build homes, garages and hobby barns. Homes and garages start with our residential metal buildings.
See also: RV garages · Metal office buildings
Eastern Iowa (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, Dubuque, Davenport; Linn, Johnson, Black Hawk, Dubuque, Scott counties)
Eastern Iowa follows the Cedar River valley to the Mississippi. Cedar Rapids took some of the worst damage of the 2020 derecho, and the Cedar River set its flood record here in 2008. Contractors and small businesses around Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities store equipment and stock in our metal warehouses.
See also: Metal storage unit kits · Recreational steel buildings
What can we design for you today?
Talk to a building specialist to learn more!
Design Your Building NowFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it applies only in some places. The state code follows the 2024 IBC and IRC and covers state-owned buildings, cities and counties that accept it by ordinance, and cities of more than 15,000 people without a code of their own. Our drawings follow your jurisdiction’s edition; your building department has the final word.
Often not from the county. State law keeps farm buildings used mainly for agriculture out of county building codes and county zoning, and a county may not charge a fee to confirm that. Zoning can still apply in a floodplain, and well, septic or driveway permits may still be required.
They are engineered for the loads of the exact site. Des Moines, for example, designs for 30 psf of ground snow and 115 mph wind, with footings 42 inches deep. Send the full address with your quote request.
Yes, we deliver across Iowa, from Sioux City to Des Moines and Dubuque. Make sure a truck can reach the pad. We confirm your production schedule and delivery window when your order is finalized. Your crew or a local erector assembles the building; if you want installation arranged, ask when you request your quote.
Yes. A barndominium starts as a pre-engineered steel building kit drawn for your site’s snow and wind loads, with the living space finished inside. In Linn County, for example, a house counts as a farm house only when the people living in it work mainly in agriculture; otherwise it goes through your city or county like any home. Tell us the floor plan size and site address with your quote request.
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