CEDAR RAPIDS - Angie Reinert and her family of six are finally home after the flood put four feet of water in their first floor.

"And we still have stuff in other peoples garages, so hopefully this weekend we'll be moving the rest of our stuff," said Reinert.

The Reinherts say the city finally cleared them to live in the home last week.

City inspectors say its okay for families to work on their homes during the day and evening, but they can't live and sleep there without having an inspection to get the right permits.

So, later in the evening, the fire department looks for homes with the lights on to see if somebody could be spending the night.

The city will spend the next week cross-referencing those addresses and the permits on file. Then, Jim Thatcher with the city's code enforcement office says they will approach the homeowners who don't have all the right permits.

Thatcher says they're most worried about families that don't have a furnace hooked up correctly, or families that are using space heaters because the furnace isn't hooked up at all.

Reinert says they got their furnace set last week. Now, they're here to stay.

"It was wonderful where we were at, but, wow that first night back I was like, uh, I'm home," said Reinert.

The city says it's hoping after more families take the same steps, they will be home too.

If you have any questions about the permitting process, or to schedule an inspector, you can call the code enforcement office at 319-286-5831.

Email Justin Foss at Justin.Foss@kcrg.com