West Des Moines, IA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Certificate required for
- Any rental, including single rooms
- Owner info deadline
- 5 days after change of ownership
- Local agent required if owner lives outside
- Polk/Dallas/Warren/Madison counties
- New construction grace period
- 2 years from certificate of occupancy
- Reinspection cycle
- Roughly every 2 years
Summary
In the City of West Des Moines, no one may rent or let any dwelling, dwelling unit or even a single room, short-term or long-term, without a valid rental inspection certificate, and every owner must file current mailing address, phone and email contact information, or a local agent's, with the Building Division within five days of any ownership change.
A. Rental Inspection Certificate Required: No person shall rent, lease, let, operate, or otherwise allow the occupancy of any dwelling or dwelling unit or any portion of any dwelling or dwelling unit (including single rooms) on a short- or long-term basis unless they hold a valid rental inspection certificate. The preceding language does not preclude relatives, or similar persons from occupying a portion of an owner-occupied single family dwelling unit, which complies with the single-family rental housing criteria listed in this section. ... Required Owner/Agent Information: Owners of residential rental property in the City, who reside in Polk or Dallas County, Iowa, or any county contiguous thereto, shall provide the Building Division with a rental application that includes their contact information including but not limited to: Mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. ... A new owner shall provide the information required in this subsection within five (5) days from the date of any change of ownership. Failure to give said notice will render the rental certificate null and void.
Full Breakdown
City Code section 8-2A-16.A bars renting, leasing, letting, operating or otherwise allowing occupancy of any dwelling, dwelling unit, or any portion of one including single rooms, on a short- or long-term basis, without holding a valid rental inspection certificate; it carves out relatives or similar persons occupying part of an owner-occupied single-family home that meets the rental housing criteria. Subsection D requires every owner of residential rental property who lives in Polk or Dallas County, or a county contiguous to either, to give the Building Division a rental application with mailing address, telephone number and email address.
An owner living farther away must instead name a local agent, at least 18 years old and residing in Polk, Dallas, Warren or Madison County or a county contiguous to those, to schedule inspections, receive notices and accept service of process. A new owner has five days from any change of ownership to file this information, and failing to do so renders the rental certificate null and void, after which reinstatement requires a re-inspection and its associated fee. New construction that has already received a certificate of occupancy is treated as compliant with the certificate and fee requirements for two years from the issue date.
Under subsection E, the Building Division targets an inspection of every rental dwelling in the city roughly every two years, adjusting the interval up or down based on the dwelling's age and condition, inspection history, and tenant or management complaints.
Violations & Fines
Renting a dwelling or room without a valid rental inspection certificate, or failing to update owner or agent contact information within five days of a change of ownership, voids the certificate and exposes the owner to posted notice that the address is an illegal rental, a Rent Abatement Notice, and municipal infraction penalties under Title 1, Chapter 4, Section 1 of up to $750.00 per violation, rising to $1,000.00 for a repeat violation; reinstating a voided certificate requires a paid re-inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent out a single room in my West Des Moines house without a permit?
What happens if a rental property changes owners in West Des Moines?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in West Des Moines
Compare West Des Moines to another location·View the Iowa rental property rules overview
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