Water restrictions in West Des Moines, IA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Polk County sets no lawn-watering schedule. Central Iowa's water is managed by Central Iowa Water Works / Des Moines Water Works, which can impose voluntary odd/even schedules or, in a shortage, mandatory bans.
Iowa is not a drought-rationing state and Polk County has no county-wide watering ordinance. Outdoor-watering rules come from your water utility, not the county. Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) and Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) manage the regional supply and encourage a voluntary Wise Water Use odd/even, no-Monday lawn-watering schedule for efficiency. In a supply emergency — such as high nitrate levels — CIWW can escalate to a Stage 3 mandatory lawn-watering ban across residential, business, and government customers. Always confirm current rules with your specific water provider, since small-town utilities and rural water districts may differ.
No county penalty. Under a mandatory utility ban, unauthorized lawn watering can result in charges and even water-service termination until paid.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Polk County Conservation parks are open 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. in summer and sunrise to sunset in winter. All visitors must leave before closing time, front...
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Exterior lighting must restrict glare and keep light from encroaching onto adjacent properties and the road right-of-way. Flickering or flashing lights are b...
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Article 12 requires non-residential exterior lighting to use cutoff fixtures. Lighting must be a no-cutoff, total-cutoff up to 90 degrees, or total-cutoff at...
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The Zoning Ordinance has no garage-sale-sign-specific rule. Small temporary/portable signs are treated as portable signs (a temporary sign permit, 14-day val...
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Temporary political signs are allowed in unincorporated Polk County without a sign permit, but may not be erected earlier than 70 days before the election an...
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Portable tiny homes cannot be used as accessory dwelling units in unincorporated Polk County. A fixed, code-compliant tiny house on a foundation is treated a...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in this county.
See how West Des Moines's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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