Des Moines, IA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curb color
- Red, top and side
- Stripe (no vertical curb)
- 6-inch red stripe
- Lettering interval
- Every 50 feet
- Sign height
- 5-7 feet off ground
- Who maintains it
- Property owner/manager
Summary
Des Moines requires vertical curbs marking a designated fire lane to be painted red on the top and side, with stenciled No Parking. Fire Lane lettering.
(1)Vertical curbs shall be painted red on the top and side, extending the length of the designated fire lane. Rolled curbs or surfaces without curbs shall have a red six (6) inch wide stripe painted the length of the designated fire lane. One of the following identification lettering methods shall be utilized:a.The words "NO PARKING — FIRE LANE (Except for Emergency Vehicles)" shall be stenciled with three (3) inch white letters and a minimum three-quarter (¾) inch stroke on the face of the curbing, or in the absence of vertical curbing, on the red stripe, and spaced at fifty (50) foot intervals or portions thereof, orb.The pavement adjacent to the painted curbs shall be marked with minimum eighteen (18) inch in height block lettering with a minimum three (3) inch brush stroke reading: "NO PARKING — FIRE LANE." Lettering shall be red and spaced at fifty (50) foot intervals or portions thereof.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Municipal Code § 46-444, which inserts Section 511 into the city's fire code, any curb bordering a fire code official-designated fire lane must be marked to warn drivers off. Vertical curbs get painted red on the top and side for the full length of the lane; curbs without a vertical face get a six-inch-wide red stripe instead. The property owner, manager, or person in charge must add stenciled lettering reading "NO PARKING, FIRE LANE (Except for Emergency Vehicles)" in three-inch white letters on the curb face (or on the red stripe where there's no vertical curb), repeated at 50-foot intervals, or use 18-inch block lettering on the adjacent pavement instead.
Fire lane signs must also go up, 18x12 inches with red letters on white, mounted 5 to 7 feet high and spaced every 100 feet. This applies to private commercial, office, multifamily and other high-density sites where the fire code official designates a fire lane, it is not a citywide curb-color scheme for on-street parking.
Violations & Fines
The property owner, manager or person in charge must maintain the red paint, stripe, lettering and signs at their own expense; a faded or missing fire-lane marking is a code violation, and parking in a marked fire lane blocks emergency access and can draw a citation and towing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Des Moines paint curbs red for all no-parking zones?
Who pays to paint and maintain a fire lane curb in Des Moines?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Des Moines
Compare Des Moines to another location·View the Iowa parking rules overview
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