FAQs

The City of Rock Valley bills utilities a month in advance and adjusts for water usage. The first utility bill after moving will be higher than normal as it includes the current month and the following month. If you'd like to view utility bill payment options, please click here.

Liz Arkema – Deputy Clerk
Phone: (712) 476-5707
Email: liz@cityofrockvalley.com

If you'd like to view utility bill payment options, please click here.

Garbage pickup is Tuesday for residents on the east side of Main street and Wednesday for residents on the west side of Main street.

Recycling is the 1^st and 3^rd Thursday of the month for residents on the east side of Main street and the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of the month for residents on the west side of Main street.

For a month with 5 Thursdays, there is no recycling pickup on the 5^th Thursday of the month.

You can find a printable schedule here.

Tags can be purchased throughout the year from the City Office for extra trash bags and large items. Tags are $3 per garbage bag and $25 for large items. Items without a tag will NOT be picked up.

Rock Valley also has an annual junk drop-off day in May. There is a fee to participate. Please call the City Office at 712-476-5707 for more info.

Yes, the City of Rock Valley offers two sizes of garbage containers. The large can is 96 gallons and is $22.89 per month. The small can is 48 gallons and is $15.60 per month. Please contact the City Office at 712-476-5707 to exchange your trash can size.

Pets are required to be registered each year. You can register your pet at the City Office at 1303 10th Street, Rock Valley, IA 51247. You will need an updated copy of your pet's vaccine record in order to register them and registration costs $5. Any owner of an unlicensed pet is subject to a $90 fine if the police pick up that animal or that animal is reported to the city office.

To update or obtain a driver's license, you will need to go through the Sioux County DOT. Please visit their website for more information.

https://siouxcountyia.gov/treasurer/

Chapter 69, Article 69,09 Section 321.236 [1], of the City Code of Rock Valley, Iowa, which prohibits parking on the city streets for more than 30 minutes between the hours of 2 am and 5 am during the period from November 1 to April 1. The fine will be $20 per night. Studded tires may be put on vehicles on November 1.

Shelter houses may be reserved by contacting the City Office at 712-476-5707.

The City of Rock Valley follows the County ATV laws and regulations. To register an ATV/UTV, please contact the County Treasurer.

Contact the Porter Funeral Home at (712) 476-2106. The Rock Valley Cemetery is located on 16th Ave, just South of town. Click here for directions.

You can make camping reservations at Rivers Bend Campground 60 days in advance or by reserving online. Bicentennial Park campsites can be reserved at the City Office and are based on a first-come, first-served basis.

Submit your feedback by submitting our contact us form.

Sioux County has several outdoor warning sirens. Sirens are located in the towns of Alton, Boyden, Chatsworth, Granville, Hawarden, Hospers, Hull, Ireton, Matlock, Maurice, Orange City, Rock Valley, and Sioux Center. All sirens are activated by the Sioux County Communications Center to insure the radio equipment and the sirens are operating properly and will sound in an emergency. All sirens are tested during the first Friday of the month for the months of April through September at 9:30 AM unless the following conditions are met:

· Sioux County is included a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Watch OR Warning

· Thunderstorms are within a 50 mile radius of Sioux County.

The Emergency Management Coordinator can aid in the decision on whether to cancel the test. In the event the Coordinator is unavailable, the dispatcher should consult with the Sheriff. If neither is available, the dispatcher performing the test should feel free to use their best judgment.

Sioux County Warning Sirens will be activated during:

1. Tornado Warnings
2. If an accredited weather spotter requests Sioux County to sound the sirens for a specific community related to a threat they are monitoring.

You need a building permit when building a new house, or for an addition to a house or garage. A permit is needed for building an unattached garage, storage shed, fence, or deck. A building permit is needed when any structure/s are built or altered by way of square footage and/or elevation.

The city owns the right of way; however, the property owner is responsible for maintaining the right of way. You cannot plant a tree or build a fence on the right of way. If sprinklers are installed on the right of way, the city is not responsible for damage either by snow removal or utility repairs.

All sprinkler systems must have a vacuum breaker. You may locate a sprinkler in the right of way, but the city is not responsible for damage either by snow removal or utility repairs. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to follow watering guidelines set forth by the City Council in drought conditions. Failure will result in fines.

Footings shall be a minimum of 42 inches below the final grade for all slab construction. #4 or 1/2 inch rebar is the minimum to be used in all footings. Basement exterior walls shall be supported on continuous solid or fully grouted masonry, concrete footings, or other approved structural systems. Basement footings must be 8 inches thick and 16 inches wide with two #4 or 1/2 inch thick rebar continuously connected.

Basements with a habitable space and every sleeping room need at least one emergency escape and rescue opening. Basements with more than one sleeping room are required to have an opening/rescue window in each sleeping room. An egress window is not required for adjoining rooms. The sill height (bottom) of each window shall be no more than 44 inches above the floor and have minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet.

You can get a building permit by filling out the Building Permit Application and submitting it to the City.

No, but if you are removing part of a curb or street gutter, see below.

No. The curb must be cut, broken, and removed. All cuts must be made with a saw and may not be made less than 4 feet from an existing joint. Concrete must be broken up by pneumatic jackhammer or sledgehammer. Use of a hydraulic device to lift whole slabs is prohibited. This can cause cracks and/or spalling to the street, which the homeowner will be responsible for the damage and cost of replacement. Use of rebar in the new curb section is required.

A minimum of two 1/2 inch rebar dowels in the traverse joints and replaced in 4-foot intervals on longitude joints with a 1/2 inch expansion joint filled with bitumen sealant. Inspection by the city is required before installation of concrete in the new curb/gutter. Cost of a replacement for grinding or not following code will be at the homeowner’s expense.

Yes. Fences cannot be higher than 6 feet. Fences shall not be closer than 6 inches to any property line. Fences less than 4 feet in height many be located on the front/rear/sides of the the property. Fences greater than 4 feet, but no more than 6 feet, may only be located on the sides and/or rear of the property. Fences can be constructed of chain link, non-decomposing wood products, molded plastic, or wrought iron. Fences are not permitted in the right of way.

If you are not altering square footage or elevation, you will not need a permit.