Tama County reviews zoning changes to allow accessory dwelling units after Iowa code update
The Tama County zoning commission recommended adding accessory dwelling unit provisions to County Ordinance 6.1-1998 to comply with a 2025 change to Iowa Code Chapter 335 that requires counties to allow at least one ADU per parcel. The board discussed setbacks, 911 addressing and whether to bundle ordinance updates into one recodification.
The full story
County staff presented a letter and draft ordinance changes from the Tama County Zoning Commission recommending an amendment to Ordinance 6.1-1998 to incorporate accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and to update related definitions. Staff explained that "Code of Iowa revised chapter 335 in 2025 requiring every county to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit per parcel," and said the zoning commission voted 3-0 to recommend the draft to the board with clarifying language about setbacks and size limits.
Sign up to keep reading.
Your free newsletter brings you what your city council, county, and school board discussed and decided.
Keep reading for free
Create a free account to finish this story and see the video, transcript and key details.
Continue with GoogleContinue with emailAlready have an account? Log in