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How to Verify a Professional's License in Cedar Rapids?

Cedar Rapids professionals are regulated by over 160 boards and commissions, one of which is the Iowa Professional Licensing Bureau (IPLB). The IPBL has approximately 32,000 licensees and is responsible for licensing six categories of professionals, including engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers. When you want to embark on a project, hiring a professional that has been licensed by an appropriate board or commission is a good way to make sure that your project is done to an excellent standard. Doing this also ensures that you are adequately protected if the professional does a shoddy job. To find out if the professional you intend to hire in Cedar Rapids is licensed, you may contact the regulatory board that regulates that professional. For example, if the professional you want to hire is a contractor, you may check the registration status of such professional using the Public Search portal maintained by the Iowa Division of Labour. For professionals licensed by the IPBL, you may confirm the validity of their licenses by calling (515) 725-9022 or accessing the license search portal maintained by this bureau.

When embarking on certain projects in Cedar Rapids, employing a licensed professional may not be the only requirement for the job. For example, before you can embark on certain building, construction, or home improvement projects in Cedar Rapids, a permit must be obtained from the Cedar Rapids Building Services Department. To find out about what permits may be required for your intended project and how to obtain these permits, you may call the department at (319) 286-5831.

Do Cedar Rapids Neighborhood Councils
Issue Permits?

No, Cedar Rapids neighborhood groups and associations do not have the authority to issue permits for home improvements, construction, or alteration of structures within the city. Neighborhood associations in Cedar Rapids work alongside the city's Neighborhood Services Division to facilitate service delivery to communities and improve the lives of residents of Cedar Rapids. For example, in a bid to strengthen relations between neighborhoods and improve service delivery, Cedar Rapids implemented a Neighborhood Service Delivery Initiative, which ensures that a member of the city's senior management staff is directly assigned to a neighborhood association, attends its meetings, and serves as a point of contact for that community. On the 28th of June 2021, construction started on a new railyard in the Prairie Park neighborhood. Although the railyard project had been subjected to stiff opposition by some of the residents of the neighborhood, construction finally kicked off in defiance of the protest walks and lawsuit filed by residents.

How to File an Unfair Business
Complaint in Cedar Rapids?

If you reside in Cedar Rapids, you may file an unfair business complaint due to fraud, deception, or unfair practices with either the Office of the Iowa Attorney General or through the licensing or professional body that regulates the business or profession. For example, you can file a complaint against a professional that is regulated by the Iowa Professional Licensing Bureau by completing its online complaint form. Note that complaints can be made to the IPLB against professionals licensed by a board under the Bureau and against other professionals not licensed, or certified by a board under the Bureau.

Similarly, unfair business complaints can also be made to the Office of the Attorney General via an online consumer complaint form. This form allows you to attach supporting documents such as contracts, emails, advertisements, and other correspondence. If you are unable to fill the form online, you can download and complete a printable complaint form, which can be emailed along with all supporting documents to the Attorney General's Office. Alternatively, you can send the form and supporting documents by mail to

• Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
• Consumer Protection Division
• Hoover State Office Building
• 1305 E. Walnut Street
• Des Moines, IA 50319-0106

Note that the Office of the Iowa Attorney General only serves as a mediator between you and the business and cannot force any outcomes from either side. Also, while the Attorney General cannot represent private individuals, it may carry out enforcement actions in the interest of the public. As such, if you are unsatisfied with the outcome of any of the aforementioned complaint processes, you can take further steps, such as filing a private action against the business in question at the Linn County Courthouse.