West Des Moines, IA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Subsection A4 of City Code section 9-8-5, within the Home Occupation Ordinance, is the sign rule: no signs relating to the home occupation are allowed, other than what is required by state law, and any sign that is allowed is limited to one square foot in area and is nontransferable. That one square foot ceiling sits well below the sign allowances the city gives to standalone commercial uses under Title 9, Chapter 18, underscoring that a home occupation is meant to stay visually indistinguishable from a residence.

The nontransferable language ties the sign to the specific home occupation permit issued under section 9-8-4, so a new operator taking over the business, or a homeowner selling to a buyer who wants to continue the same use, must obtain a fresh permit rather than simply keep the existing sign in place. The sign restriction operates alongside subsection A6, which bars building, altering, furnishing or decorating a dwelling in a way that changes its residential character or lets it be recognized as a place where a home occupation is conducted, and subsection A7, which generally confines home occupation activity to inside the dwelling or garage so it is not visible or otherwise noticeable outside the structure. Development Services reviews proposed signage as part of the home occupation permit application before any sign is installed.