Ames building & ADU permits
Recent permit activity, updated continuously.
Ames, home to Iowa State University, is Igni's first Iowa jurisdiction. Iowa leaves accessory-dwelling and zoning rules to local governments, and the city's permit records carry the site address, the project valuation and both the application and issue dates.
Igni is tracking 191 residential and building permits in Ames, IA. The most active ZIP is 50010. The most recent filing Igni tracked was Sep 24, 2026. All records come from City of Ames GIS (ArcGIS), an official government open-data feed, and are refreshed continuously.
191
Permits tracked
0
ADU permits
2
Distinct ZIP codes
Sep 24, 2026
Newest permit
Recent permits
A sample of the freshest permits in this jurisdiction — ZIP and city only (no street addresses).
| ZIP | Permit type | ADU type | Valuation | Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50014 | Residential | — | $6,556 | Jun 16, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $449,000 | Jun 18, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $30,000 | Jun 18, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $86,520 | Jun 22, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $3,000 | Jun 22, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $11,611 | Jun 22, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $1,200 | Jun 22, 2026 |
| 50014 | Commercial | — | $10,000 | Jun 23, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $1,000 | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $18,290 | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $6,187 | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 50014 | Commercial | — | $24,000 | Jun 26, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $7,400 | Jun 29, 2026 |
| 50014 | Commercial | — | $92,400 | Jun 29, 2026 |
| 50010 | Commercial | — | $31,000 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $32,000 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $950,000 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 50010 | Residential | — | $85,000 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $475,000 | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 50014 | Residential | — | $200,000 | Jul 1, 2026 |
Top ZIP codes by recent activity
Permit activity in Ames
Igni counted 626 permits issued in Ames over the last 12 months (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) — up 9.4% on the 572 in the 12 months before. The forecast expects about 312 over the next 6 months.
Forecast: trailing mean, typical error ±18% in backtests one to six months ahead. How we forecast
| Permit type | Last 12 months | Year over year | Forecast, next 6 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| All permits | 626 | Up 9.4% | ≈ 312 |
| Residential building | 476 | Up 19.0% | ≈ 240 |
| Commercial building | 149 | Down 13.4% | ≈ 67 |
| Trade (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | 0 | — | — |
| ADU | 0 | — | — |
Monthly figures
| Month | Permits | 10th–90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | 50 | — |
| Oct 2023 | 49 | — |
| Nov 2023 | 50 | — |
| Dec 2023 | 29 | — |
| Jan 2024 | 23 | — |
| Feb 2024 | 29 | — |
| Mar 2024 | 39 | — |
| Apr 2024 | 60 | — |
| May 2024 | 56 | — |
| Jun 2024 | 53 | — |
| Jul 2024 | 49 | — |
| Aug 2024 | 39 | — |
| Sep 2024 | 35 | — |
| Oct 2024 | 64 | — |
| Nov 2024 | 33 | — |
| Dec 2024 | 36 | — |
| Jan 2025 | 27 | — |
| Feb 2025 | 38 | — |
| Mar 2025 | 61 | — |
| Apr 2025 | 66 | — |
| May 2025 | 55 | — |
| Jun 2025 | 73 | — |
| Jul 2025 | 47 | — |
| Aug 2025 | 37 | — |
| Sep 2025 | 67 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 67 | — |
| Nov 2025 | 35 | — |
| Dec 2025 | 29 | — |
| Jan 2026 | 41 | — |
| Feb 2026 | 47 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 50 | — |
| Apr 2026 | 68 | — |
| May 2026 | 61 | — |
| Jun 2026 | 47 | — |
| Jul 2026 | 51 | — |
| Aug 2026 | 63 | — |
| Sep 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 32–72 |
| Oct 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 32–69 |
| Nov 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 32–69 |
| Dec 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 37–69 |
| Jan 2027 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 44–70 |
| Feb 2027 (forecast) | ≈ 52 | 47–70 |
Counts are permits issued per calendar month as Ames publishes them to its open-data feed — not a complete census; a change in what the city publishes moves them too. The current month is left out, and the most recent months are provisional. A forecast is a statistical estimate with a range, not a prediction for any project. Informational only.
How long do permits take in Ames?
Based on 1,582 Ames permits applied for between Sep 2023 and Jun 2026, the typical (median) permit was issued 13 days after application, and the middle half of permits took 6–26 days. One in ten took longer than 66 days.
| Permit type | Median | Typical range | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| All permits | 13 days | 6–26 days | 1,582 |
| Residential building | 11 days | 5–22 days | 1,147 |
| Commercial building | 15 days | 8–34 days | 434 |
Typical, not guaranteed: individual permits vary with project scope, application completeness and plan-review workload. Days are calendar days from application to issuance; applications still pending are counted as not-yet-issued rather than dropped. Informational only, not legal advice. How we calculate approval times.
Housing law — Iowa
Accessory dwelling units in Iowa are handled locally; there is no statewide ADU mandate, so requirements differ by city and county.
Iowa has no statewide upzoning law; residential density is set by local zoning.
Data source
Sourced from City of Ames GIS (ArcGIS). Public records (Iowa Code ch. 22).
Learn more about ADUs & building permits
Background reading on accessory dwelling units, building permits, and how Igni turns Ames permit records into leads.
Ames permit data — FAQ
Where does Igni get Ames permit data?
How fresh is Ames permit data?
How long does it take to get a building permit in Ames?
Is construction activity growing in Ames?
Does Ames allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?
Get permit leads — Ames
Fresh, filterable residential and ADU permit leads from Ames — delivered before your competitors even know.
Informational only, not legal advice. Headline counts reflect all permits Igni has tracked for this jurisdiction; the table shows recent activity. Housing law changes — verify current statutes before relying on this.