Polk County does not impose a primary-residence requirement on short-term rentals. Whether a whole-home, non-owner-occupied rental is allowed depends on the host city's zoning; unincorporated STRs must fit an allowed residential/lodging use under the county Zoning Ordinance.
No countywide rule limits STRs to a host's primary residence. In unincorporated Polk County, a rental must conform to the Zoning Ordinance's residential and lodging-use provisions, where a 'bed and breakfast' is traditionally defined as an owner-occupied residence providing lodging to guests. Inside cities, some Polk County municipalities distinguish owner-occupied from non-owner-occupied (whole-home) rentals and may cap or condition the latter. Check the zoning district and the host city's rental ordinance to confirm whether non-owner-occupied whole-home renting is permitted at your address.
Operating a use not permitted in the zoning district (for example a non-owner-occupied rental where only owner-occupied lodging is allowed) can trigger zoning enforcement and cease-use orders.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Polk County allows backyard composting but regulates it through the Health Nuisance Regulation: a compost pile that harbors vermin, produces offensive odors,...
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Polk County has no ordinance for or against artificial turf on residential lots. Installation on unincorporated land is generally unrestricted; cities and HO...
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Polk County has no ordinance banning native or prairie landscaping, and the county promotes native roadside vegetation. The one legal limit: your planting ca...
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Iowa has no state ban on collecting rainwater, and Polk County sets no rain-barrel ordinance. Residents may capture roof runoff in barrels or cisterns; only ...
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Polk County sets no lawn-watering schedule. Central Iowa's water is managed by Central Iowa Water Works / Des Moines Water Works, which can impose voluntary ...
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Iowa Code 317.10 requires every landowner to destroy all noxious weeds on their land as directed by the county board of supervisors. Polk County's Weed Commi...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in this county.
See how West Des Moines's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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