West Des Moines, IA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 2:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. daily
- Covered streets
- Elm, Maple, Railroad Place, Walnut, Fifth, Sixth
- Exemption
- Physicians and persons on emergency calls only
- Maximum penalty
- $105.00 fine or 30 days jail
- Enforcing agency
- West Des Moines Police Department
Summary
The City of West Des Moines prohibits parking on Elm, Maple, Railroad Place, Walnut, Fifth and Sixth Streets in the Valley Junction area between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. every day under City Code section 6-9-5-5. Only physicians and persons responding to emergency calls are exempt. Police issue citations under the chapter's flat penalty schedule.
6-9-5-5: ALL NIGHT PARKING PROHIBITED: ... No person, except physicians or other persons on emergency calls, shall park a vehicle on any of the following named streets between the hours of two o'clock (2:00) A.M. and six o'clock (6:00) A.M. of any day: ... Street Side From To ... Elm Street North Fourth Street Sixth Street ... 6-9-14: PENALTY: ... Unless otherwise provided herein or by the Code of Iowa, any person who violates the provisions of this chapter, upon conviction, shall be punished not in excess of a one hundred five dollar ($105.00) fine or in excess of thirty (30) days' imprisonment.
Full Breakdown
West Des Moines City Code section 6-9-5-5, All Night Parking Prohibited, bars parking between two o'clock (2:00) A.M. and six o'clock (6:00) A.M. on a specific list of downtown streets: both sides of Elm Street between Fourth and Sixth (with a narrower southern stretch to the alley between Sixth and Seventh), both sides of Maple Street between Fourth and Sixth, the north side of Railroad Place between Fourth and Fifth, the south side of Walnut Street between Fourth and the alley near Fifth and Sixth, the east side of Fifth Street between Vine Avenue and Railroad Place, the west side of Fifth Street between Locust Street and Railroad Avenue, and the west side of Sixth Street between Elm and Maple.
The only exemption written into the section is for physicians and other persons on emergency calls; there is no exception for residents without a driveway or for short errands. The restriction sits inside City Code chapter 9, alongside separate winter, school-day and temporary-project no-parking rules found elsewhere in the chapter, so the same downtown blocks can carry more than one time-based restriction depending on the season. Enforcement is a Police Department function: officers ticket any vehicle found parked on the named blocks during the restricted hours.
Section 6-9-14 sets the penalty for the whole parking chapter at a fine of not more than one hundred five dollars ($105.00) or up to thirty (30) days in jail, unless the Code of Iowa specifies otherwise, and that flat schedule applies to a section 6-9-5-5 violation.
Violations & Fines
A citation for parking on Elm, Maple, Railroad Place, Walnut, Fifth or Sixth Street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. is a straight violation of section 6-9-5-5 enforced by West Des Moines Police. Section 6-9-14 caps the penalty for the entire parking chapter at a $105.00 fine or up to 30 days imprisonment; there is no separate escalating fine tied to repeat overnight-parking violations, and only physicians or emergency responders are exempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the overnight parking ban apply citywide?
Is there any exception to the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. ban?
What is the fine for an overnight parking violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in West Des Moines
How West Des Moines compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare West Des Moines to another location·View the Iowa parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.