Ankeny, IA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 192.03(3)(F) of the Ankeny Code of Ordinances sets the maximum height table for the R-1 One-Family Residence District: a principal building used as a dwelling is capped at 35 feet, a principal building used for something other than a dwelling, a church or school, for instance, can go to 45 feet, a garage is capped at 14 feet, and any other accessory building is capped at 12 feet. Subsection (G) adds a story limit on top of the footage cap: a principal building cannot exceed three stories regardless of how the footage is used.

Section 191.11, cross-referenced directly in 192.03(3), modifies these numbers in two ways. First, single-family and two-family dwellings in residence districts can add up to ten feet above the 35-foot cap, reaching 45 feet, if the house provides two side yards of at least 15 feet each, both wider than the 8-to-10-foot minimums that otherwise apply. Second, public and semipublic buildings such as hospitals, schools, and churches can rise to 125 feet if the building sets back from every property line by one additional foot for each foot of height above the district's normal limit.

Height itself is measured under the code's definitions as the vertical distance from the average finished grade to the highest point of the structure, or to the average height of the roof for a building. The Planning and Building Department checks proposed height against this table at building permit review.