Iowa
Buying Land in Washington County, Iowa
Washington County, seat Washington, sits in southeast Iowa between the Iowa City and Burlington areas and includes Kalona, home to a historic Amish settlement founded in 1846. The single most consequential fact for a land buyer here is that the county rescinded its zoning ordinance in 2013 -- but subdivision review, septic and well permitting, and floodplain rules are all still very much in force.
Zoning: rescinded in 2013, but not a regulatory vacuum
Washington County adopted a county zoning ordinance effective July 1, 2010, and then rescinded it on September 27, 2013 -- a reversal the county documents on its own site. The practical effect: no county zoning permit is required for any use or building project in the unincorporated county, and there's no zoning-district map, no conditional-use-permit process, and no county setback or lot-size ordinance layered on top of what state law and other county ordinances already require. That's a real simplification compared to most Iowa counties, but it isn't the whole picture -- the county's subdivision ordinance, floodplain ordinance, and state manufactured/modular home law are all still in force regardless of the zoning rescission. See our dedicated page on zoning in Washington County for the full picture of what was rescinded, what still applies, and what that means in practice for building, dividing, or placing a manufactured home on a parcel here.
Subdivision: Chapter 45 survived the zoning rescission
Even without zoning, Washington County still enforces Chapter 45, its Subdivision & Platting Ordinance, most recently amended September 19, 2024 (it was originally adopted May 12, 2005). A Subdivision Coordinator administers and enforces the ordinance, and the county's Land Use & Planning Commission reviews and recommends preliminary plats to the Board of Supervisors, along with any proposed amendments to the Subdivision Ordinance or Comprehensive Plan. If you're planning to split off a parcel or create new lots from a larger tract, this process -- not zoning -- is the one that governs, and it runs through the Planning & Development office at (319) 653-7710.
Wells and septic: Environmental Health, separate from Planning & Development
Washington County Environmental Health, based at the Orchard Hill Complex (Building #3, 2175 Lexington Boulevard, Washington, IA), handles septic inspections, private well water testing, food safety, and swimming pool inspections -- a separate office and phone line ((319) 653-7782) from Planning & Development. Private onsite wastewater systems fall under Iowa Administrative Code 567 Chapter 69 and county Code Chapter 66, and a permit is required when building a new home, when a complaint is filed, at property transfer (Time of Transfer inspection), or when any part of an existing system needs replacement. If you're evaluating a parcel with an older or unknown septic system, budget time for this office to review it before you close.
Agriculture: one of Iowa's leading livestock and cover-crop counties
Washington County (568 square miles, roughly 365,200 total acres) is consistently ranked among Iowa's top counties for hog, poultry, and organic dairy production, with proximity to meat processors and buyers shaping decades of livestock specialization. It's also a genuine conservation leader: the county has the widest lead in the state for cover-crop acres enrolled in cost-share programs, with 21,353 acres planted in fall 2016, and ISU Extension consistently ranks significant portions of the county's cropland above 80 on the CSR2 soil-productivity scale, with average farmland value around $8,386/acre. Kalona, a community of roughly 2,600 in the county's western third, anchors a historic Amish settlement founded in 1846 -- one of the largest Old Order Amish communities in Iowa -- with a real cottage-manufacturing and retail economy built around it. If you're evaluating land near an existing or planned confinement operation, note that Iowa's DNR Master Matrix process requires the county's supervisors to re-adopt a construction-evaluation resolution annually before it applies to new permit applications in a given year; confirm current adoption status and any nearby permitted or proposed facilities directly with the county and Iowa DNR.
Flooding: the English River, and a real, repeated flood history
The English River's north and south forks join in the county's extreme northwest corner and flow roughly 37 miles east, past Riverside and Kalona, before joining the Iowa River northeast of the county. This isn't a theoretical risk: the City of Kalona's own flood-hazard page documents major flooding in 1993 and 2008, with additional flood years in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, and 2004, and describes the English River flooding of April 2013 as having a larger local impact in some respects than the 2008 event. FEMA finalized the countywide Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Washington County in 2012, effective January 16, 2013, and the county's Floodplain Management Ordinance -- administered by Planning & Development, separately from zoning -- still applies regardless of the zoning rescission. Pull the current FIRM for any parcel near the English River or its forks, and confirm floodplain permit requirements directly with the county before assuming distance from the channel alone settles the question.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Washington County
Planning & Development ((319) 653-7710) and Environmental Health ((319) 653-7782) are separate offices -- route subdivision, floodplain, and general building-permit questions to the former, and septic/well questions to the latter. Direct access to washingtoncounty.iowa.gov was blocked by a network egress restriction during this research pass, so contact details come from search-indexed page summaries rather than a direct full-text read; confirm phone numbers, emails, and current fees directly before relying on them.
Planning & Zoning
Washington County Planning & Development
Rural building and development permits, subdivision/platting review, floodplain permits, and GIS mapping support for unincorporated Washington County. No county zoning permit is required (the zoning ordinance was rescinded in 2013).
Subdivision & Land Development
Washington County Subdivision Coordinator / Land Use & Planning Commission
Preliminary and final plat review under Chapter 45 (Subdivision & Platting Ordinance, amended September 19, 2024).
Floodplain / Stormwater
Washington County Planning & Development (Floodplain Management)
FEMA flood-zone determinations and floodplain development permits for parcels near the English River and its forks.
Environmental Health
Washington County Environmental Health
Private septic permits and inspections, private well water testing, food safety, and pool inspections.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Washington County Environmental Health (Onsite Septic Systems)
Septic permits triggered by new construction, complaints, Time of Transfer, or system replacement, under Iowa Administrative Code 567 Chapter 69 and county Chapter 66.
Wells / Private Water
Washington County Environmental Health (Private Wells)
Private well water testing and general well questions. We could not confirm a separate dedicated private-well permitting page for this county; route well questions to the Environmental Health office above.
Assessor / Property Tax
Washington County Assessor
Assessed value, property record cards, and property tax questions for a specific parcel.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Washington County Recorder
Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.
GIS / Parcel Records
Washington County GIS Services
Parcel maps and GIS data for a specific address or parcel.
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Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Washington County
Sources
- Zoning Ordinance (Rescinded on September 27, 2013) — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Planning & Development — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Subdivision & Platting — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Chapter 45 Subdivision & Platting Ordinance (amended 9/19/2024) — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Land Use & Planning Commission — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Rural Building & Development Permits — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Environmental Health — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Private Onsite Septic Systems — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Floodplain Management — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Know Your Flood Hazard — City of Kalona, Iowa (accessed 2026-09)
- Assessor — Washington County Assessor (accessed 2026-09)
- County Recorder — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- GIS Services — Washington County, Iowa Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Rural Rockstars: Washington County farmers are stewards of the land — Center for Rural Affairs (accessed 2026-09)
- Iowa Farmland Values: Washington and Johnson County — People's Company (accessed 2026-09)
- The Amish of Kalona, Iowa — Amish America (accessed 2026-09)
- Master Matrix — Iowa State Association of Counties (accessed 2026-09)
- AFO Construction Permits — Iowa Department of Natural Resources (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09