West Des Moines, IA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

City Code section 9-7-4.C.4, part of the Setback and Bulk Density Regulations chapter, sets the height limit for principal single-family dwellings at three stories in every single-family zoning district in the city, from Agricultural/Open Space and Residential Estate through the standard R-1, SF-CR, SF-VJ, MH and VJHB districts. The code's zoning definitions section, 9-2-2, measures "building height" as the vertical distance from the average finished ground grade at the building line to the highest point of the coping on a flat roof, the deck line of a mansard roof, or the mean height level between the eaves and ridge on gable, hip and gambrel roofs; a basement is not counted as a story for this purpose.

Detached accessory structures in the same single-family districts carry a separate, lower ceiling: Table 7.5 caps detached accessory buildings at 20 feet regardless of district, whether OS, RE, RS, R-1, SF-CR, SF-VJ, MH or VJHB. The three-story limit is distinct from the height standard that applies to non-single-family principal buildings placed within a residential district, such as a daycare, church or school, which is instead governed by Table 7.4 of the same chapter. Development Services checks proposed building height against these standards when it reviews building permit applications, and a structure that exceeds the three-story limit cannot be permitted without a variance from the Board of Adjustment.