Public Conduct in Des Moines, IA (2026)
7 verified public conduct rules for Des Moines, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Public Urination
Des Moines makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, or skywalk bridge or corridor open to public view; the ban doesn't apply to private restrooms or public restrooms designated for that purpose.
Public Urination and Defecation Ban in Des Moines
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 70-182
It shall be unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate in or upon any street, alley, sidewalk, skywalk bridge, skywalk corridor or other place open to public view, provided that this section shall not apply to private restrooms or public facilities designated for such purpose.
Skateboarding Rules
Skateboards, coasters and similar devices are banned from Des Moines streets, highways, alleys and parking garages, and from public art, planters, stairways and amphitheater-style seating areas, under Municipal Code section 102-4.
Des Moines Skateboard Ban on Streets, Alleys
Significant RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 102-4
No person upon a skateboard, coaster, or similar device shall operate or use such on any street, highway, alley, or parking garage. No person upon a skateboard, coaster, or similar device shall operate or use such on any work of art, sculpture or monument or on any planter, freestanding flower or tree box, flower bed or garden, fountain or park equipment, nor shall such devices be used on any p...
Loud Party Ordinance
Des Moines loud-party calls trigger DSMPD response under noise ordinance Ch. 42, with second-response fees, host liability for underage drinking, and possible nuisance designations for repeat addresses.
Loud Party Response and Liability
Some RestrictionsIowa Code § 123.47 (Social host — alcoholic beverages)
123.47 Persons under eighteen years of age, persons eighteen, nineteen, or twenty years of age, and persons twenty-one years of age and older. 1. A person shall not sell, give, or otherwise supply any alcoholic beverage to any person knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that person to be under legal age. 2. a. Except for the purposes described in subsection 3, a person who is the owner...
Loitering Rules
Des Moines bans grouping up and loitering on sidewalks, street corners, or public buildings when it blocks people from passing. Violators face a misdemeanor fine or a municipal infraction citation under Municipal Code § 70-38.
Des Moines Loitering and Obstruction Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 70-38
No persons shall collect, assemble or group together and, after being so collected, assembled or grouped together, stand or loiter on any sidewalk, parking or any street corner or at any other place in the city to the hindrance or obstruction to free passage of any person passing on or along any sidewalk or street in the city.
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Iowa Smokefree Air Act bans smoking in most enclosed workplaces and at outdoor city facilities; Des Moines extends bans to playgrounds and Principal Park while leaving sidewalks generally permissive.
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Some RestrictionsIowa Code § 142D.3 (Smokefree Air Act — outdoor smoking)
142D.3 Prohibition of smoking — public places, places of employment, and outdoor areas. 1. Smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in any of the following: a. Public places. b. All enclosed areas within places of employment... 2. In addition to the prohibitions specified in subsection 1, smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in or on any of the following outdoor areas: a...
Jaywalking
Des Moines pedestrians who cross outside a marked or unmarked intersection crosswalk must yield to all vehicles, and jaywalking is barred outright on 30-mph-plus streets and in business or school districts under Sec. 114-328.
Des Moines Jaywalking and Crosswalk Rules
Significant RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 114-328
(a)Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.(b)No pedestrian shall cross a roadway with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour or higher or in any business or school district other than in a crosswalk. (C62, § 30-124; O.8084; C75, C79, § 27-1...
Public Alcohol Use
Des Moines bans drinking alcoholic liquor, wine or beer on public streets, sidewalks or highways, with a narrow carve-out for wine or beer along an active parade route or a street closed by the city council.
Des Moines Public Alcohol Use Ban
Significant RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 70-123
A person shall not use or consume alcoholic liquor, wine or beer upon the public streets, sidewalks or highways, except this prohibition shall not apply to the consumption of wine or beer on a sidewalk along a bona fide parade route while a parade is in progress or along any street, sidewalk or highway which has been temporarily closed by action of the city council during the period of temporar...
Looking for Polk County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Des Moines city rules.
Public Conduct in Polk County →