West Des Moines, IA Home Business: Home Daycare (2026)

Subsection A23 of City Code section 9-8-5, added by Ordinance 1949 in 2012, requires an in-home childcare business to obtain a home occupation permit before initiating the activity. It limits operation to childcare homes serving 5 or fewer children at any one time, or child development homes registered in accordance with Iowa Department of Human Services guidelines, including category C homes staffed with two providers; any other applicable state or federal childcare regulation still applies on top of the city rule. Because a licensed childcare home necessarily brings multiple families and providers to the property on a schedule the city does not control, subsection A23 expressly exempts these businesses from four of the general home occupation restrictions in section 9-8-5: A2, the two-clients-per-hour appointment limit; A3, the one nonresident employee cap; A11, the bar on using an accessory structure other than a garage; and A17, the general ban on traffic that degrades the residential character of the neighborhood.

Every other restriction in section 9-8-5, including the 500 square foot floor area cap, the ban on visible commercial signage beyond one square foot, and the prohibition on deliveries outside 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., still applies. The permit itself must be renewed every two years under section 9-8-4.C and is not transferable if the home changes hands or the provider changes.