West Des Moines, IA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

Subsection A2 of City Code section 9-8-5, within the Home Occupation Ordinance, addresses client traffic directly: to avoid traffic congestion, all customers and clients must be handled by appointment only, with a restriction of only two clients allowed per hour on a daily average basis, unless a different figure is set elsewhere in the chapter. Two named exceptions loosen that cap. Subsection A23 exempts in-home childcare businesses from A2 entirely, since a licensed childcare home already brings families to the door on a schedule set by state childcare rules.

Subsection A24 sets a separate limit for private swim lessons in a home outdoor pool: no more than four students per one-hour period, with hours confined to 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, June through September only. Beyond the numeric cap, subsection A17 separately bars a home occupation from generating vehicular traffic or parking that degrades or is otherwise detrimental to the residential character of the neighborhood, giving Development Services a second, non-numeric basis to act if appointment-based visits still overwhelm a street.

The Director of Community Development reviews the expected client volume when the home occupation permit application under section 9-8-4 is first submitted and can attach additional parking or traffic conditions under section 9-8-6.