Pop. 68,723 · Polk County
We currently have 1 ordinance verified for West Des Moines, IA. Our research team is actively working to add more categories including noise rules, parking restrictions, fence regulations, building permits, and other local ordinances that affect daily life.
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Polk County's zoning code does not set countywide construction start/stop hours for ordinary building. Construction noise must not be excessive at the lot line, and specific uses carry…
Unincorporated Polk County has no countywide decibel-based quiet-hours ordinance. Noise is handled as a nuisance and, for zoned uses, must not be excessive at the lot line. Inside Des…
A persistently barking dog can be treated as a nuisance in unincorporated Polk County and reported to Polk County animal control, contracted through the Animal Rescue League of Iowa…
Outdoor events in unincorporated Polk County must meet the Polk County Noise Ordinance and obtain a sound permit if required, per the zoning code. Everyday amplified music is governed…
Polk County does not set numeric decibel limits for general noise in the unincorporated area. Its zoning code uses a qualitative lot-line standard instead: noise must not be excessive…
Industrial and utility uses in unincorporated Polk County must keep noise from being excessive at the lot line, and heavy-industrial and extractive/disposal uses require…
Polk County has no ordinance specifically restricting leaf blowers in the unincorporated area. Leaf-blower noise is governed only by the general rule that noise not be excessive at the…
Statewide Iowa law requires every motor vehicle to have a working muffler and bans muffler cutouts and bypass devices. This applies on all highways in Polk County. The Sheriff and city…
Outdoor music events in unincorporated Polk County must meet the Polk County Noise Ordinance, obtain a sound permit if needed, keep noise limited to the site, and are reviewed by the…
Aircraft-in-flight noise is regulated federally by the FAA, not by Polk County. The county's zoning code references a 75-decibel noise cone defined by the Iowa DOT around airports and…
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…
Polk County sets no rule requiring a host to be on-site during stays. A traditional county 'bed and breakfast' use implies an owner living there, but whole-home unhosted rentals are…
Polk County imposes no cap on the number of nights a home may be rented short-term. Any night limit would come from a host city's ordinance. Iowa's lodging tax applies from the first…
Polk County only zones unincorporated land (Iowa Code Ch. 335); it has no county-wide Airbnb license. Most STRs sit inside Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny or Urbandale, where the…
Iowa imposes a 5% state hotel/motel tax on all lodging, plus a local tax of up to 7%. A county's local tax applies only in unincorporated areas; inside Des Moines and other Polk County…
Polk County has no special STR parking ordinance. Off-street parking follows the Polk County Zoning Ordinance for unincorporated homes and each city's zoning/parking code inside its…
There is no county-wide STR registry. Wherever the property sits, the operator must register with the Iowa Department of Revenue for the hotel/motel (lodging) tax before renting to…
Polk County sets no county-wide guest cap for short-term rentals. Occupancy is governed by the host city's rental or building code and by fire/health limits tied to the dwelling…
STR guests must follow the same noise rules as any resident. In unincorporated Polk County the county nuisance/noise ordinance controls; inside a city the municipal noise ordinance and…
Polk County does not require short-term-rental hosts to carry a specific insurance policy. A host city may condition its rental permit on liability coverage, and platforms like Airbnb…
Iowa legalized consumer fireworks in 2017. In unincorporated Polk County the state window applies: use is allowed June 1-July 8 and December 10-January 3, only 9 a.m.-10 p.m. (later on…
Polk County requires a permit for open burning. State rule bars open burning of combustibles except listed exemptions; the county issues permits for disaster rubbish, tree trimmings…
Polk County has no special propane-storage ordinance for homeowners. Storage and use of LP-gas is governed by the fire code and NFPA 58 (the state and county's adopted construction and…
Iowa's open-burning rules exempt recreational fires for cooking, heating, recreation, and ceremonies, so a backyard fire pit is generally allowed. Polk County still bars burning when…
Iowa lets you open-burn landscape waste (brush, branches, leaves) that originated on your own premises, but Polk County requires a permit for it. Clearing and grubbing burns must sit…
Iowa allows backyard burning of residential waste at dwellings of four family units or less, unless a local rule is stricter. That exemption is unavailable inside Des Moines, West Des…
Polk County, Iowa is not in a designated wildfire hazard zone. Iowa has no wildland-urban-interface (WUI) map or defensible-space code like Western states. Fire risk here is managed…
Iowa Code 10A.518 (formerly 100.18) requires smoke detectors in all single-family rental units and multiple-unit residential buildings statewide, including Polk County. Homes built…
In unincorporated Polk County, dogs may not run at large. The Sheriff's Animal Control enforces county Ordinance 18-068 and Iowa Code 351; loose dogs are impounded and taken to the…
Polk County has no breed-specific ban. County Ordinance 18-068 and Iowa Code 351 regulate dogs by behavior — an individual dog is declared 'dangerous' based on its conduct, not its…
Iowa bans private ownership of dangerous wild animals statewide, and this applies in Polk County. Under Iowa Code Chapter 717F you cannot own big cats, bears, wolves, primates, large…
In unincorporated Polk County, chickens and livestock are governed by the county Zoning Ordinance under Iowa Code Chapter 335. Bona fide agricultural use is exempt from zoning, so…
Polk County sets no specific beekeeping ordinance. In the unincorporated county, hives fall under the Zoning Ordinance — treated as an agricultural use, so genuine farm apiaries are…
In unincorporated Polk County, livestock is a zoning matter under Iowa Code Chapter 335. Genuine agricultural use is exempt from county zoning (Iowa Code 335.2), so working farms keep…
Polk County's Animal Control Ordinance (18-068) covers licensing, vaccination and dangerous animals but sets no fixed household pet cap for the unincorporated county. Excessive numbers…
Polk County has no ordinance specifically banning the feeding of wildlife such as deer or waterfowl. Problem feeding that draws nuisance animals is handled through the county nuisance…
Polk County's Animal Control Ordinance (18-068) covers cats as well as dogs — including rabies vaccination and at-large control — and impounded cats go to the Animal Rescue League of…
Animal hoarding is addressed through Iowa's animal-neglect law (Iowa Code 717B.3), which applies in Polk County. Keeping so many animals that they lack food, water, sanitation, or…
Polk County zones unincorporated land but does not run a city-style curbside parking program; on-street rules on county roads follow Iowa Code Chapter 321. Any vehicle a police…
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance defines a commercial vehicle as any motor vehicle used for business or bearing a business sign; farm equipment is excluded. Off-street parking counts…
New access onto Polk County roads is regulated for safety, and residential development must take access to local streets where possible. Business parking areas and driveways must be…
Polk County's Zoning Ordinance lets a licensed RV or camper be used as temporary shelter for up to 21 days a year (max 14 consecutive nights). Storing an unlicensed or inoperable…
Polk County has no countywide overnight on-street parking ban for its rural roads. State law lets a police authority impound a vehicle left illegally or unattended on public property…
Iowa Code 321.89 lets a police authority impound a vehicle abandoned on public property (24-hour trigger) or private property. Separately, Polk County's Nuisance Regulation bans…
Polk County's Zoning Ordinance treats a place storing more than two inoperable vehicles (or parts exceeding 240 cubic feet) as a junkyard, which is a restricted use. Storing inoperable…
Polk County's Zoning Ordinance sets no dedicated electric-vehicle charging-station standard; EV chargers are treated as a normal electrical/building installation requiring a permit…
Polk County's rural county roads are largely uncurbed, so there is no county curb-color parking code; roadway traffic-control markings follow the state and MUTCD standards. Off-street…
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance requires off-street loading berths for buildings of 6,000+ square feet that need deliveries. Berth counts scale with floor area, each berth is at least…
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance sets fence height rules but does not require a standalone fence permit for an ordinary fence within limits. A building permit IS required for any…
In unincorporated Polk County, a retaining wall over 4 feet tall needs a building permit and must be set back from any property line at least 1.5 times its height. Walls closer than…
In unincorporated Polk County, residential fences may be up to 4.5 feet in the front yard and 6 feet in side/rear yards, never over 6.5 feet overall. Non-residential fences max out at…
Polk County's zoning ordinance requires fence posts and rails to face the property interior (finished side out) and bars any fence from blocking sight distance. It does not assign…
Beyond height limits, Polk County requires swimming pools to be enclosed by a non-climbable fence at least 4 feet high with a self-latching gate, and livestock-confining fences to sit…
Polk County's zoning ordinance does not broadly ban residential fence materials such as wood, vinyl, or chain-link, but it requires chain-link with barbed-wire topping for certain…
Polk County allows common fence materials for residential fences and does not impose a general material list, so long as height, sight-distance, and orientation rules are met. Special…
In unincorporated Polk County, the Weed Commission takes complaints for grass over 12 inches or plants on the Iowa Noxious Weed List. Cities set their own limits — inside Des Moines…
Polk County sets no tree-removal or heritage-tree ordinance for private property. Removing your own tree is generally unrestricted; tree removal inside a city is governed by that…
Polk County's Weed Commission explicitly does not handle complaints about trees or bushes. Tree-trimming disputes between neighbors are civil matters, and tree rules inside cities are…
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 Commission enforces this and…
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 odd/even schedules or, in a…
Polk County has no ordinance banning native or prairie landscaping, and the county promotes native roadside vegetation. The one legal limit: your planting cannot include listed noxious…
Polk County allows backyard composting but regulates it through the Health Nuisance Regulation: a compost pile that harbors vermin, produces offensive odors, or accumulates garbage can…
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 plumbing tie-ins to potable…
Polk County has no ordinance for or against artificial turf on residential lots. Installation on unincorporated land is generally unrestricted; cities and HOAs may regulate synthetic…
A building and electrical permit is required before building any swimming pool in unincorporated Polk County. Only an electrical permit is required for a hot tub. Public/semipublic…
A Polk County pool must be enclosed by a four-foot-high barrier (wall, fence, or house wall). Fences used as a barrier must be at least 48 inches high, with gates self-closing and…
Where a house wall serves as the barrier and doors/windows below 48 inches open toward the pool, Polk County requires self-closing/self-latching devices, an ASTM F1346 cover, or a UL…
In unincorporated Polk County a hot tub needs only an electrical permit. Hot tubs and immersion pools are treated as swimming pools and need the 4-foot barrier unless equipped with a…
Above-ground pools in unincorporated Polk County need the same building and electrical permits and setbacks as inground pools. The pool wall itself can count as part of the required…
Polk County's Customary Home Occupation Class I definition allows "no display" in connection with the home occupation, and the Class II standards state "Outdoor displays are not…
The Polk County Zoning Ordinance permits a "Customary Home Occupation, Class I" — a use conducted entirely within a dwelling, incidental and secondary to residence, using no more than…
Customary Home Occupation Class I is a permitted use in essentially every Polk County zoning district, and Class II is permitted in the qualifying rural/residential districts. Confirm…
Iowa allows an unregistered "child care home" to care for five or fewer children (or six or fewer if one is school-aged). A "child development home" providing care to seven or more…
Under Iowa Code 137F.20, cottage food is exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging and labeling laws if sold and delivered by the producer directly to the…
A shed under 720 sq ft must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear property lines; larger sheds need 10 feet. Sheds must be at least 10 feet from the house, cannot exceed 24 feet in…
A carport is regulated as an accessory building. It must be at least 10 feet from the house, 5 feet from side/rear lines (10 feet if over 720 sq ft), cannot exceed 24 feet in height…
Portable tiny homes cannot be used as accessory dwelling units in unincorporated Polk County. A fixed, code-compliant tiny house on a foundation is treated as a single-family dwelling…
Unincorporated Polk County allows one ADU per property, up to 1,200 sq ft and no larger than the principal residence. The owner must live on-site, the ADU meets principal-dwelling…
Polk County's Zoning Ordinance has no separate garage-conversion rule. Converting a garage to living space is treated as an addition or an accessory dwelling unit and must meet ADU…
Backyard barbecuing is treated as a recreational/cooking fire under Iowa's open-burning rules, so grilling with propane or charcoal at a single-family home is allowed without a permit…
A backyard smoker is a cooking fire, exempt from Iowa's open-burning prohibition under 567 IAC 23.2(3)(e), so no Polk County burn permit is needed to smoke meat at home. Smoke that…
Polk County's single-family bulk standards set minimum yard setbacks by zoning district. In Low Density Residential (LDR) the minimums are 35 feet front, 10 feet side, and 35 feet…
Polk County caps single-family building height at 40 feet in agricultural districts and 35 feet in the residential and mixed-use districts. Accessory buildings cannot exceed the…
Polk County limits maximum building coverage by zoning district, from just 5% in agricultural districts up to 40% in the higher-density residential and mixed-use districts. Coverage…
Place your MWA cart within 18 inches of the curb on a level surface, lid closed, with the short metal bar facing the street. Keep three feet between carts, yard-waste bags, and…
Recycle paper, plastics with twist-off lids, aluminum and tin cans, and glass bottles and jars. Rinse them, keep them loose, and never bag recyclables – plastic bags are not recyclable…
Most Polk County households use Metro Waste Authority (MWA) curbside service. Set your cart out by 6 a.m. on collection day (or after 5 p.m. the night before). Extra bags and large…
Large items (sofas, chairs, mattresses) go out curbside with $5 Large Item Stickers on your regular collection day, no scheduling. Appliances need seven $5 stickers and a scheduled…
Iowa Code 455B.307A bans discarding solid waste onto any land or water of the state or into receptacles you're not authorized to use. Violators face a civil penalty up to $1,000 per…
Under Iowa's noxious weed law (Iowa Code 317.10), every landowner must destroy noxious weeds on their land. Polk County treats weeds over 12 inches as a viable complaint; contact the…
In unincorporated Polk County, junk, debris, inoperable/unlicensed vehicles, and dilapidated buildings are "health nuisances" the owner must abate. Cities (Des Moines, Ankeny, West Des…
Unmaintained vacant lots and abandoned or unsafe buildings in unincorporated Polk County are health nuisances. An "abandoned building" is one vacant and in code violation for six…
In unincorporated Polk County, letting litter, garbage, or organic waste accumulate on your property is a health nuisance. Storage in authorized receptacles subject to regular pickup…
Polk County's unincorporated area has no county-wide garage-sale permit in its nuisance code. Rules on frequency, duration, and signs are set by your city (Des Moines, Ankeny…
Iowa Code section 364.12 universally authorizes cities to require abutting property owners to remove snow, ice, and accumulations from sidewalks. The statute creates statewide tort…
The Zoning Ordinance has no garage-sale-sign-specific rule. Small temporary/portable signs are treated as portable signs (a temporary sign permit, 14-day validity, 32 sq ft max) and…
Temporary political signs are allowed in unincorporated Polk County without a sign permit, but may not be erected earlier than 70 days before the election and must comply with Iowa…
Article 12 requires non-residential exterior lighting to use cutoff fixtures. Lighting must be a no-cutoff, total-cutoff up to 90 degrees, or total-cutoff at less than 90 degrees type…
Exterior lighting must restrict glare and keep light from encroaching onto adjacent properties and the road right-of-way. Flickering or flashing lights are banned, and lighting near…
Iowa Code 124E and Iowa Admin Code 641 chapter 154 control medical cannabidiol dispensary licensing, location count, and operations. Only state-licensed dispensaries may sell…
Iowa law prohibits all home cannabis cultivation, including by registered medical cannabidiol patients. Chapter 124E restricts production to state-licensed manufacturers, and Iowa Code…
Commercial drone flights in Iowa require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and compliance with federal airspace rules. State-level limits in Iowa Code 808.15 restrict government…
Recreational drone use in Iowa is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and the Recreational Flyers exception, with state limits in Iowa Code 808.15 on government surveillance. Iowa…
Iowa Code 331.301(6) preempts counties and cities from adopting minimum wage rates that exceed the Iowa state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Iowa Code 331.301(6) and 364.3(12) preempt cities and counties from mandating private-sector paid leave benefits beyond state and federal law.
Iowa Code 331.301(6) and 364.3(12) bar cities and counties from imposing predictive scheduling, hiring, or workplace rules on private employers.
Iowa Code 455B and Iowa Admin Code 567 chapters 70 through 72 require state DNR approval for floodplain or floodway development on streams above defined drainage thresholds. The…
Iowa Code chapter 455B authorizes the DNR to administer NPDES stormwater permits statewide. Construction sites disturbing one or more acres need state General Permit No. 2, regardless…
Iowa has allowed permitless concealed carry for adults 21 and older since July 2021, while still issuing optional non-professional permits for reciprocity.
Iowa Code 724.28 broadly preempts cities and counties from regulating firearms, ammunition, components, and accessories more strictly than state law.
Iowa permits open carry of handguns by qualifying adults statewide, though local preemption under Iowa Code 724.28 prevents stricter city rules.
Iowa allows qualifying adults 21 and older to carry loaded handguns in private vehicles without a permit under permitless carry reforms in House File 756.
Iowa has no general HOA assessment statute, so a planned-community HOA's lien rights come from its recorded declaration plus contract law. For condominiums under the Horizontal…
An Iowa HOA organized as a nonprofit corporation follows the Revised Iowa Nonprofit Corporation Act (Ch. 504): an annual membership meeting is required (§ 504.701), members may inspect…
Iowa has no statute setting covenant or architectural-review standards for HOAs. Restrictive covenants are enforced as recorded equitable servitudes under common law and the…
Iowa has no statute authorizing, capping, or regulating HOA fines. Whether an association may fine at all, the dollar amount, and any notice or hearing rights come entirely from the…
Iowa gives HOAs broad freedom because no general state act limits them, but one targeted protection exists: under Iowa Code § 564A.8, cities and counties may prohibit new-subdivision…
Iowa has no statewide mandate requiring private employers to use E-Verify, though state agencies and certain contractors must verify employment eligibility.
Iowa Code Chapter 27A prohibits sanctuary policies and requires local entities to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and honor ICE detainer requests.
Iowa Code Sec. 562A.27(2) lets a landlord terminate after 3 days' written notice for nonpayment of rent. For other material lease breaches, Sec. 562A.27(1) requires a 7-day notice with…
Iowa Code Sec. 562A.15 requires landlords to keep rental units fit and habitable, comply with codes affecting health and safety, maintain common areas and major systems, and supply…
Iowa Code Chapter 562A governs eviction grounds and procedures statewide and allows no-cause termination of month-to-month tenancies. There is no Iowa just-cause eviction statute, and…
Under Iowa Code Sec. 562A.19, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice before entering and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. Tenants may not…
Iowa Code Sec. 562A.9(4) caps late fees by rent amount. If monthly rent is $700 or less, a lease may not charge over $12 per day or $60 per month total. If rent is more than $700, the…
Iowa Code Sec. 562A.34 lets either party end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date, a week-to-week tenancy with at least 10…
Iowa preempts local rent control. Iowa Code 364.3(9) bars any city from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that limits the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or…
Iowa has no rent control and no statute setting a dedicated rent-increase notice period or cap. A rent change for a month-to-month tenancy works as a new term, so a landlord…
Iowa Code 364.3(5) restricts how cities regulate rental manufactured or mobile homes: a city cannot impose registration, licensing, or safety standards on them unless the same…
Iowa caps a security deposit at two months' rent. Under Iowa Code 562A.12, a landlord must return the deposit, or a written statement of deductions, within 30 days after the tenancy…
Iowa requires 10 years of open, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession under a claim of right or color of title to claim title by adverse possession, drawing on the 10-year…
Iowa Code 335.2 exempts most farm structures and uses from county zoning regulations, preserving broad rights to operate agricultural land.
Iowa Code 657.11 protects qualifying animal feeding operations and farms from most nuisance suits unless plaintiffs prove specified statutory exceptions.
Iowa Code 364.3(3)(c) (cities) and 331.301(6) (counties) preempt local governments from regulating consumer merchandise containers, including plastic bags, foam containers, cups, and…
Iowa Code 364.3(3)(c) (cities) and 331.301(6) (counties) preempt local bans or fees on polystyrene foam cups, plates, and food containers as regulated consumer merchandise.
Iowa has no statewide plastic straw restriction, and Iowa Code 364.3(3)(c) prevents cities (and 331.301(6) counties) from banning or charging fees on straws.
Iowa Code 453A.6 sets the minimum age to purchase or possess tobacco, alternative nicotine, and vapor products at 21 in alignment with federal law.
Iowa has not enacted a statewide flavored tobacco ban, and Iowa Code chapter 453A's permitting framework limits local authority to prohibit flavors.
Iowa Code chapter 453A regulates vape and tobacco retail permits, requires retailer registration, and preempts conflicting local licensing schemes.