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The City of Cedar Rapids, IA building permits

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

15,190 building permits were issued in the City of Cedar Rapids from October 2024 to September 2026, about 7,595 a year. HVAC permits lead with 3,162, then plumbing (2,562) and electrical (2,502). 72% were for homes. The city's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here: these pages show what was built, where and when.

15,190permits issued
7,595a year
72%for homes
Sep 2026records through

What gets built here

HVAC

3,162permits
1,622last 12 mo

Plumbing

2,562permits
1,254last 12 mo

Electrical

2,502permits
1,246last 12 mo

What this page can and can't show

  • ✓Permits the city issued, by kind of work, month and ZIP code.
  • ✓What the job was declared at on the permit.
  • Who did the work. The city's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here.
  • Which permits were finished. Each monthly report shows a permit's status only on the day it was run and is never updated.
  • Street addresses or owners. We publish counts and permit rows without them.

Building, trade, sewer, demolition and sign permits the City of Cedar Rapids Building Services issues inside the city limits only. Marion, Hiawatha, Robins and unincorporated Linn County issue their own permits and are not in this file.

Hiring someone here?

The permit file can't tell you who does good work. Ask for the contractor's license number and look it up at the Iowa contractor registration (DIAL), then ask the city whether they pulled the permit for your job.

How to check a contractor's license (registration) in Iowa →

Permits by kind of work

Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, every kind of work with 100 or more. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026. Homes is the share issued as residential permits.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo
HVAC3,16221%1,622
Plumbing2,56217%1,254
Electrical2,50216%1,246
Demolition135under 1%54
Other6,82945%3,235

Download this table (CSV)

Cedar Rapids permit statistics →Cedar Rapids permits by ZIP code →Cedar Rapids building permit search: where to look up permits in Cedar Rapids, IA →

Before you start a project

All guides →

Guides for Cedar Rapids

Local permit rules and lookups, each with Cedar Rapids's own permit numbers.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Cedar Rapids Building Services, monthly Permit Reports (Permits Issued by Permit Type), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out. Each monthly report shows a permit's status only on the day it was run and is never updated, so no finished share is shown.

Building, trade, sewer, demolition and sign permits the City of Cedar Rapids Building Services issues inside the city limits only. Marion, Hiawatha, Robins and unincorporated Linn County issue their own permits and are not in this file.

  • The city's monthly reports name no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Cedar Rapids.
  • Each monthly report shows a permit's status only on the day the report was run and is never updated, and it has no final inspection date, so these pages cannot show which permits finished or how long a permit takes.
  • In mid-2025 the city moved to a new permit system whose reports describe a building permit only as residential or commercial. So the two years compare like with like, all building permits are counted under Other; heating and air conditioning, electrical, plumbing and sewer, and demolition permits are split out.
  • Zoning clearances, oversize-load, erosion-control and floodplain permits are left out.
  • The value is the valuation on the permit, which sets the fee; trade permits often carry none. It is not a final cost.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "The City of Cedar Rapids, IA building permits", https://contractorrecords.com/cedar-rapids/, data through September 2026, from the City of Cedar Rapids Building Services building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · Browse the permits · Permits each month.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits in the last 12 months.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Cedar Rapids issue a year?About 7,595 a year in the City of Cedar Rapids: 15,190 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 7,411 of them in the last 12 months. That counts the permits the city issued, homes and commercial, not denied or withdrawn applications.
  • Can I find a contractor's permits in Cedar Rapids?Not from this file: the city publishes its permits without the contractor's name, so we can't list or rank firms. Check a license at the Iowa contractor registration (DIAL) and ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job.
  • What do people build most in Cedar Rapids?HVAC: 3,162 of the 15,190 permits (21%), then plumbing (2,562), electrical (2,502), October 2024 through September 2026.
  • How do I look up a building permit in Cedar Rapids?Filter the permit list on this page by month, kind of work and ZIP code to see what was issued. For one property's permits, search the city's own records by address or permit number; we don't publish addresses. How to look up a permit in Cedar Rapids →
  • How many permits were issued in Cedar Rapids last month?614 in September 2026, the last full month on file; 7,411 over the last 12 months.

Browse the permits

Browse 15,190 permits

Every permit in the file issued October 2024 through September 2026, newest first. Pick a month, a kind of work or a ZIP code. Each row is one permit: no street address, no names.

The list loads as you reach it (15,190 permits).

IssuedKind of workCity permit typeZIP

Permits each month, the last 12 months

Permits issued each month and the kind of work with the most. A month opens its permits in the list above.

MonthPermitsTop kind of work
Sep 2026614HVAC (127)
Aug 2026611HVAC (130)
Jul 2026663HVAC (140)
Jun 2026698HVAC (175)
May 2026720HVAC (157)
Apr 2026628HVAC (136)
Mar 2026593Plumbing (110)
Feb 2026519HVAC (132)
Jan 2026455HVAC (122)
Dec 2025461HVAC (113)
Nov 2025603HVAC (131)
Oct 2025846HVAC (153)

Download this table (CSV)