Des Moines, IA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned locations
- Streets, highways, alleys, parking garages
- Also banned on
- Art, monuments, planters, stairways, amphitheaters
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor fine or municipal infraction
- Code sections
- Ban § 102-4, penalty § 102-3
- Coverage
- City streets and public property only
Summary
Skateboards, coasters and similar devices are banned from Des Moines streets, highways, alleys and parking garages, and from public art, planters, stairways and amphitheater-style seating areas, under Municipal Code section 102-4.
No person upon a skateboard, coaster, or similar device shall operate or use such on any street, highway, alley, or parking garage. No person upon a skateboard, coaster, or similar device shall operate or use such on any work of art, sculpture or monument or on any planter, freestanding flower or tree box, flower bed or garden, fountain or park equipment, nor shall such devices be used on any public stairway or access ramps, including those built for use by persons with disabilities, nor on any area designed and used for public seating in an amphitheater or similar area.
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
Des Moines' code bars skateboards, coasters and similar devices from any street, highway, alley or parking garage under section 102-4, and separately bans them from public art, sculptures, monuments, planters, flower beds, fountains, park equipment, stairways, disability access ramps and amphitheater-style public seating. The rule applies citywide on public property; it does not reach city-designated skate parks or private land. Violators face the chapter 102 penalty in section 102-3 -- a simple misdemeanor fine or a municipal infraction civil penalty. West Des Moines, Urbandale, Ankeny, Clive, Windsor Heights and Pleasant Hill set their own separate skateboarding rules.
Violations & Fines
Violating section 102-4 is a simple misdemeanor fine or a municipal infraction civil penalty under section 102-3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard on Des Moines streets?
What's the penalty for skateboarding where it's banned?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Des Moines
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