Municipal Codes — Dubuque County

At a Glance

Legal Framework

Dubuque County and its municipalities are governed by layered law, from most specific to broadest:

• Municipal ordinances — each town, city, or village within Dubuque County publishes its own code. See the town pages under Dubuque County for municipality-specific codes.
• County ordinances — published by the Dubuque County Board of County Commissioners. Contact the County Clerk for the current code.
• State statutes — Iowa Statutes (Iowa)
• Federal code — U.S. Code · Code of Federal Regulations

How to Find a Specific Code

To find the code that applies to a specific address or situation, start with the most specific layer and work outward:

1. Check the municipal code for the town, city, or village where the address is located.
2. If the address is in an unincorporated area, the county code (Dubuque County ordinances) applies directly.
3. State statutes (Iowa) govern matters not covered by local code.
4. Federal code applies everywhere within the United States.

References

• Iowa Statutes — https://www.legis.iowa.gov/law/iowaCode
• U.S. Code — uscode.house.gov
• Code of Federal Regulations — ecfr.gov