All-Star Community
We’re a back-to-back All-Star Community. Marion is one of only three Iowa communities recognized by the Iowa League of Cities in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021. The designation honors innovative efforts in urban renewal, collaboration or quality of life improvements.

Unique Sense of Community
As one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, Marion is intentional about maintaining its unique sense of community. A variety of festivals and cultural events bring families, friends and neighbors together. The Marion Arts Festival - held each spring - is ranked as one of the nation’s best.

Healthy Living
The City of Marion maintains 600 beautiful acres of public green space, with plenty of manicured parks,
trails and athletic complexes to make it easy to get out and get active. Healthy living is in our DNA.

Historic Uptown Marion
Savvy freethinkers escape the generic by spending their time and dollars in Uptown Marion. This
Main Street Iowa District is home to small businesses that offer unique services, gifts, food, drinks and
entertainment.

Best Place to Grow Your Business
No more than a 10-minute drive from some of Iowa’s best schools, medical facilities, industrial parks and beautiful neighborhoods. Marion is the best place in Iowa to raise a family and grow a business.

Rich in Arts and Culture
Marion is creating a legacy for the future founded in high-quality, relevant and engaging public spaces.
Look no further than the Uptown Artway, featuring nine permanent public art installations in a revitalized
alley, or the Klopfenstein Amphitheater at Lowe Park, a functional work of art itself. The City and its
community partners host dozens of free concerts and events each year.

Community Development/Planning Division
Most all projects start with the planning team. Their responsibilities include zoning oversight, subdivision review and providing technical assistance to the City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Historic Preservation Commission. This team also administers street and alley vacations, variances and conditional uses. When you submit a site plan, the Planning Division reviews it for compliance with the Zoning Ordinance. They’ll make sure your project is a permitted use, building setbacks are correct and help you understand landscaping, parking, signage and other important considerations for your development.

Key Contact: Dave Hockett, Principal Planner
Phone Number: (319) 743-6320
Email

Engineering Department
Engineering staff review all construction plans, verify all installations comply with the Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) and the City of Marion's supplementals, identify engineering concerns on building permits and conduct necessary inspections during construction process (i.e. sanitary sewer service connections, sidewalk & driveway inspection, grading inspections).

Key Contact: Mike Barkalow, City Engineer
Phone Number: (319) 743-6340
Email

Community Development/Building Division
This team administers the building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and construction codes. They will also review your construction plans, issue permits and conduct the necessary inspections during your construction process.

Key Contact: Gary Hansen, Building Official
Phone Number: (319) 743-6330
Email

Fire Department
Permits must be issued for any installation, modification or removal of fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, suppression systems, smoke control systems or underground fire lines. Permits are also required for the installation, removal or abandonment of above ground or underground fuel tanks, the erection of tents over 600 square feet, fireworks or pyrotechnic displays and retail and commercial fireworks sales.

Key Contact: Chief Tom Fagan
Phone Number: (319) 377-8237
Email

Water Department
This team inspects all water main installations on new construction, enforces local, state and federal standards, reviews all plans of improvements, and coordinates installations with Fire Department. They also oversee a checklist of requirements to obtain approval for water main installation.

Key Contact: Todd Steigerwaldt, General Manager
Phone Number: (319) 743-6310
Email

Marion City Council - Meets in work session the first and third Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. Regular session meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the Thursday following each work session.

The Planning & Zoning Commission - Makes recommendations to the City Council regarding rezoning, preliminary and final plats, site plans and certain ordinance changes. The Planning & Zoning Commission meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.

Zoning Board of Adjustment – Considers requests for granting special exceptions, conditional use permits or variances. The board also considers citizen appeals of orders, requirements, decisions or determinations made by planning & development Staff. The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets on the third Tuesday of each month (as needed) at 7 p.m. in Marion City Hall.

Pre-development* begins when you inform us that you’re interested in developing or building in Marion.

After submitting your request, City staff will be in contact by the end of the next business day to schedule a meeting. Staff reserves time twice a week for pre-development meetings. Depending on the project, these meetings can range from 30 minutes to an hour.

At the pre-development meeting we will discuss the general needs, plans and constraints of your project. This discussion will identify the codes, ordinances, infrastructure locations and department requirements that may affect the project.

Please come prepared with a sketch or basic vision of what you have in mind for the project. The goal is to explain the development process you will be following, provide you with any applicable documentation including checklists, timing information and address any questions you may have. Finally, a primary contact person will be assigned to act as your liaison from the beginning to end of the process to facilitate the success of your project.

Minutes from this meeting will be recorded and provided so that all parties understand what has been discussed and what is expected as your project moves forward. A copy of the minutes will be emailed to all participants after the meeting.

Pre-development meetings are not required but are highly encouraged for the benefit of increased efficiency of the project development process.

 *The Pre-development meetings and process have not yet been finalized but will soon be implemented. Check back for live links that will direct you to the pre-development meeting requests and checklist. Contact Brady Quinn with questions: (319) 743-6018.

Check Your Zoning - Before significant time is invested in your project, check the zoning map to ensure that your project complies with existing zoning codes or requires a zoning change in order to proceed.

The Zoning Map is available here.

Want to dig deeper? Zoning regulations can be reviewed here.

The purpose of Marion’s Zoning Regulations is to establish standards and procedures that:

• Implement a comprehensive plan for the community;
• Promote, preserve and protect the health, safety morals and general welfare of the community;
• Preserve architecturally, historically and archaeologically signification areas of the community;
• Preserve environmentally sensitive areas of the community;
• Provide a balance between the rights of the landowners and the responsibility and authority of the
  City to review and regulate the subdivision of land and the installation of public improvements
  within the community; and
• Provide for a balance between the rights of individual land owners and the economic, social and
  environmental concerns of the public.

Amendments to Zoning Regulations are reviewed and recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission to the City Council.

Request a Rezoning (if needed) - Rezoning requests must be made in writing and submitted to the
Planning and Development Department. A Rezoning Application will outline the material needed to submit
the request. The Planning and Zoning Commission must review the request, hold a public hearing and
make a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council will then review the request, including three
readings of the proposed ordinance change and hold a public hearing, before final action can be taken.

A rezoning process typically takes three to six months from submission to completion. We recommend that you attend both the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and City Council meeting in which the
request is acted upon.

If you have any questions regarding the rezoning instructions and application, please contact Ama Bartlett at (319) 743-6320 or via email.

Rezoning Instructions and Application

Does your property need to be platted? Preliminary Plats indicate how unplatted land will be subdivided between individual lots, out-lots and right-of-way prior to being final platted. Preliminary plats involve a lot of details that must be completed by a civil engineer. A preliminary plat must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month in order to be approved at the following month’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

Once the commission has acted on the request, it is forwarded to the City Council for final consideration. This process typically takes two months from submission to final consideration.

Preliminary Plat Checklist

Preliminary Plat Instructions & Application

Fee Schedule

Final Plats are required to create the subdivided legal parcels of ground illustrated by a preliminary plat. Final plats are recorded with the County.

Once the Final Plat application has been submitted, City staff will forward it to the Subdivision Review Committee prior to proceeding to a City Council meeting. Once City staff has received any revised documents, associated fees, a signed memorandum of agreement and a request from the applicant to proceed to Council, the plat is forwarded to the City Council for final consideration. This process typically takes one month from submission to final consideration. 

For a final plat to be approved, the developer is required to pay a Storm Water Drainage Fee equal to $400 acre. It is due prior to the City Council approving your final plat. This fee goes towards expenditures for stormwater management to accommodate additional runoff from new development. Final plat’s may have sanitary/storm hookup or access fees due with submission. Associated fees can be found in Chapter 100 and 100A of the Marion City Code.

Final Plat Checklist

Final Plat Instructions & Application

Fee Schedule

Submit a Site Plan – A site plan is a dimensional representation of your project that includes
basic layout information, landscaping, signage locations, architectural sheets, engineering details and other important specifications about your project. A fee is required with the submittal of your site plan.

After submitting your initial site plan, City staff will prepare written comments and invite you to attend a
review meeting with various city departments. Depending on the size of the site, different stormwater
detention practices are required. For sites over one acre, the Iowa DNR requires a permit application and the City of Marion requires a Major Erosion Control Permit. For questions or concerns regarding any stormwater or sanitary sewer related issue, please call the City of Marion Engineering Department.

Based on your project type/location/zoning, there will then be two possible approval paths.
Path 1: If staff determines that the proposed site plan/building elevations do not require additional review, the applicant will receive written notice of the approved site plan. The site plan will then need to be resubmitted with the formal building plans to ensure no changes have occurred. Approved site plans expire 120 days from the notice of approval.

Path 2: If City staff determines that your site plan and associated building elevations require City Council
approval, a tentative approval timeline will be developed during the site plan review. Depending on your project location, additional review may be required by the Uptown Marion Main Street Design Committee, the Historic Preservation Commission, as well as the Planning & Zoning Commission. 

Fee Schedule

Apply for Permits – A variety of permits may be required for your project to commence. Complete information about required permits can be found here.

All permits can now be applied for online by State of Iowa registered contractors here. The online permit service allows for viewing of past and current permits for all property in the City of Marion. Contractors are also able to track status, pay for permits online and view inspection results.

If you have questions or need assistance in completing an application please contact the Building Division at (319) 743-6330 or by visiting us on the second floor at City Hall - 1225 6th Avenue, Marion, IA 52302.

Online Permit Service –The online permit service allows for viewing of past and current permits for property in the City of Marion, Iowa. Contractors are also able to apply for permits, track status, pay for permits online and view inspection results.