Polk County caps single-family building height at 40 feet in agricultural districts and 35 feet in the residential and mixed-use districts. Accessory buildings cannot exceed the principal building's height or 24 feet, whichever is greater. Cities set their own height limits.
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance's Table of Single-Family Bulk Standards (Table 6.1) sets maximum building height by district for unincorporated land: 40 feet in Agricultural (AG) and Agricultural Transition (AT), and 35 feet in Estate Residential (ER), Rural Residential (RR), Low Density Residential (LDR), Medium Density (MDR), High Density (HDR), and Mixed Use (MU). Building height is measured from average ground elevation to the highest point of the building. Accessory buildings are separately limited: the height of an accessory building shall not exceed the height of the principal building or 24 feet, whichever is greater. Special structures like communication towers have their own height standards. Incorporated cities regulate height independently.
Exceeding the district height limit is a zoning violation subject to per-day civil penalties, stop-work orders, and possible denial of a certificate of occupancy.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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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...
See how Polk County's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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