Business Licensing & Operations in Ankeny, IA (2026)
4 verified business licensing & operations rules for Ankeny, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
A sexually oriented business in the City of Ankeny, Iowa needs a City Council permit under Code § 140.04 and may only locate in a C-3 commercial district at least 1,000 feet from a church, school, park, day care, residential district boundary or another such business under § 140.12.
Ankeny Sexually Oriented Business Permit and Spacing
Significant RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 140.04
140.04 PERMIT REQUIRED. ... 1. It is unlawful for a person to operate a sexually oriented business without a valid permit issued by the City Council. ... 140.12 LOCATION RESTRICTIONS. Sexually oriented business shall be permitted in any C-3 zoned commercial district, provided that: 1. The sexually oriented business may not be operated within 1,000 feet of: A. A church, synagogue or regular plac...
Massage Establishments
A massage therapy business or individual practitioner operating in the City of Ankeny, Iowa must hold a valid Iowa Code Chapter 152C license under Code § 139.03, or the police chief can placard the location as unsafe to enter under § 139.05.
Ankeny Massage Therapy License Requirement
Some RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 139.03
139.02 DEFINITIONS. 2. ... "Massage therapy business" means any business or place of business, including mobile, temporary, and transient businesses, wherein, or on whose behalf, any of the treatments, techniques, or methods of treatment referred to as "massage therapy" are administered, practiced, used, given, advertised or applied. 139.03 STATE LICENSE REQUIRED. The practice of massage therap...
Tobacco Retail License
Every retailer selling cigarettes, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products or vapor products in the City of Ankeny, Iowa needs a City-approved retail permit under Code § 131.02, displayed publicly at each place of business, before a single sale can be made.
Ankeny Tobacco and Vapor Retail Permit
Some RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 131.02
131.02 PERMIT REQUIRED. ... 1. Retail Cigarette Permits. It is unlawful for any person, other than a holder of a retail permit, to sell cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products at retail and no retailer shall distribute, sell, or solicit the sale of any cigarettes, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products within the City without a valid permit for each place of busin...
Pawnbrokers
No one may run a pawn business in the City of Ankeny, Iowa without a pawnbroker license issued by the City Clerk. The Ankeny Police Department vets every applicant, licenses cost $500 a year, and pawnshops may only locate in commercial or industrial zones at least 1,000 feet from homes, schools, churches or parks.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Ankeny, Iowa
Significant RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 141.02
No person shall engage in the pawn business without first obtaining a pawnbroker license. Applicants for such licenses shall apply, in writing, to the City Clerk. All license applications shall contain the following information: (1) full name, residential address, business address, and date of birth, of the applicant, and whether the applicant is a corporation or partnership, of the officers or...