West Des Moines, IA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 6-6-1 of the West Des Moines City Code lists the places where no one may stop, stand, or park a vehicle unless avoiding a traffic conflict or following a peace officer's direction. The list bars parking on a crosswalk, on or across a sidewalk, on a street's center parkway, within twenty feet of a mailbox, within three feet of a public or private driveway, within ten feet of an intersection or of a stop or yield sign, within five feet of a fire hydrant, within fifty feet of a railroad crossing, and on the roadway side of a car already stopped at the curb (double parking).

The chief of police may also mark hazardous curbs yellow and post no-parking signs where restricted visibility makes parking dangerous. Separately, section 6-6-9 requires every vehicle to park parallel to and within eighteen inches of the curb, headed in the direction of lawful traffic movement, and at least four feet from the next vehicle, which is why parking facing oncoming traffic on a two-way street is not allowed. Section 6-6-10 requires the city engineer to post signs before any of these restrictions can be enforced against a driver.