Polk County's single-family bulk standards set minimum yard setbacks by zoning district. In Low Density Residential (LDR) the minimums are 35 feet front, 10 feet side, and 35 feet rear; agricultural districts require 50 feet front and rear. City-owned land uses municipal setbacks.
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance's Table of Single-Family Bulk Standards (Table 6.1) fixes minimum setbacks for each residential and agricultural district on unincorporated land. Front/side/rear minimums include: Agricultural (AG) and Agricultural Transition (AT) 50/25/50 feet; Estate Residential (ER) 75/25/75; Rural Residential (RR) 50/15/50; Low Density Residential (LDR) 35/10/35; and Medium/High Density and Mixed Use (MDR, HDR, MU) 30/8/30. Accessory buildings have separate placement rules (5 or 10 feet from side/rear lines depending on floor area, and generally behind the front setback). These are county minimums for unincorporated parcels; incorporated cities such as Des Moines, Ankeny, and West Des Moines set their own setbacks.
Building within a required setback is a zoning violation carrying a per-day civil penalty, a stop-work order, and a hold on further permits until corrected.
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 setback rules rules stack up against other locations.
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