In unincorporated Polk County, chickens and livestock are governed by the county Zoning Ordinance under Iowa Code Chapter 335. Bona fide agricultural use is exempt from zoning, so genuine farms need no permit; hobby fowl on small residential lots may be restricted by district. Cities set their own hen rules.
Iowa Code 335.2 exempts land and buildings 'primarily adapted...for use for agricultural purposes' from county zoning, and bars the county from charging a fee for that exemption. Polk County's Zoning Ordinance (administered by Planning & Development) applies this agricultural exemption in its A-1 and rural districts, so working farms may keep poultry and livestock without a county permit. On smaller residential-zoned parcels, the district's use table and setback rules govern whether hens or other animals are allowed. Within Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale and other cities, the municipal code (hen counts, coop setbacks, rooster bans) controls instead.
Zoning violations in unincorporated Polk County are enforced by Planning & Development as municipal-infraction citations; keeping livestock in a district that prohibits it can require removal and civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Polk County allows backyard composting but regulates it through the Health Nuisance Regulation: a compost pile that harbors vermin, produces offensive odors,...
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Polk County has no ordinance for or against artificial turf on residential lots. Installation on unincorporated land is generally unrestricted; cities and HO...
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Polk County has no ordinance banning native or prairie landscaping, and the county promotes native roadside vegetation. The one legal limit: your planting ca...
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Iowa has no state ban on collecting rainwater, and Polk County sets no rain-barrel ordinance. Residents may capture roof runoff in barrels or cisterns; only ...
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Polk County sets no lawn-watering schedule. Central Iowa's water is managed by Central Iowa Water Works / Des Moines Water Works, which can impose voluntary ...
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Iowa Code 317.10 requires every landowner to destroy all noxious weeds on their land as directed by the county board of supervisors. Polk County's Weed Commi...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in this county.
See how West Des Moines's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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