The City of West Des Moines permits and inspects construction from 4200 Mills Civic Parkway for a city that spans three counties. The older part sits in Polk County, the sustained westward growth of the last two decades has been into Dallas County, and a southern portion reaches into Warren. The city issues every permit inside its own limits regardless, so the county boundaries do not divide the permitting — but they do divide the recording, the assessment and the adjoining unincorporated jurisdictions.
That matters at the edges. A parcel on the city's fringe adjoins unincorporated territory belonging to whichever of the three counties it sits in, each with its own zoning and its own permitting for the land beyond the boundary. And on a title search, a records enquiry or a tax question the county matters directly. The statewide Iowa provisions apply as everywhere, with the energy compliance statement on every application except a one- or two-unit residential remodel.
This guide covers the City of West Des Moines, which lies in Polk, Dallas and Warren counties. Des Moines, Clive, Waukee, Urbandale and Norwalk are separate cities, and each of the three counties permits its own unincorporated territory.
One city, three sets of county records. West Des Moines spans Polk, Dallas and Warren counties. The city issues every permit inside its limits, so permitting is not divided — but recording, assessment and the adjoining unincorporated jurisdiction all depend on which county the parcel sits in, and that is established from the record rather than from the address.
What requires a building permit in West Des Moines?
Iowa splits its building code into a part that applies everywhere and a part that does not. The State of Iowa Building Code sits at 661 Iowa Administrative Code, adopted under Iowa Code chapter 103A by the Building Code Bureau within the State Fire Marshal Division of the Department of Public Safety. Under chapter 103A a local jurisdiction has discretion to adopt the state code, to adopt a different code, or to adopt no building code at all — but certain portions apply to construction statewide regardless, most notably the energy conservation requirements at 661 IAC chapter 303. The state fire code and the state plumbing and electrical codes likewise run statewide through their own chapters and their own authorities. In West Des Moines the questions are what has been adopted locally, what applies whether or not it has been, and the city's adopted code and its three-county extent.
Where West Des Moines has adopted a building code, that code draws the exemption line and the jurisdiction may amend it. Ordinary repairs generally need no permit; construction, alteration, repair, demolition and any change of occupancy generally do. The statewide provisions apply either way: an application for a building permit, other than one to renovate or remodel a residential building of one or two units, must include a statement that the construction will comply with all applicable energy conservation requirements.
Typically permit required
- Construction, alteration, repair, demolition or change of occupancy of a building or structure
- Zoning and site plan approval from the city ahead of the building permit
- A statement of compliance with applicable energy conservation requirements, on every application except a one- or two-unit residential remodel
- New buildings, additions and structural work on an existing building
- Alterations, repairs and renovations, and any change of occupancy
- Decks, accessory structures above the local threshold, retaining walls and swimming pools
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and small accessory work below the city's adopted threshold, and one- and two-unit residential renovation from the energy statement requirement
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress or systems
- Painting, papering, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
- Small accessory structures below the locally adopted threshold — zoning still applies
- Renovation and remodelling of one- and two-unit residential buildings, from the energy statement requirement
What is local, and what applies regardless
The general building code is West Des Moines's choice. It may adopt the state code by ordinance, adopt something else, or adopt nothing; where it adopts the state code it may also adopt its own administrative and enforcement provisions, establish a building department and designate a building official. What is not its choice is the statewide core: the energy conservation requirements, which apply to all commercial construction and to new one- and two-family residences whether or not a local code exists; the state fire code, enforced by the State Fire Marshal with local fire departments acting under agreement; and the state plumbing and electrical codes. Beyond those, the three county boundaries running through the city and the records that follow them.
Who handles permitting in West Des Moines?
Development Services is the building authority for the whole city, whichever county a parcel sits in, enforcing the code West Des Moines has adopted alongside its zoning and site plan review. Polk, Dallas and Warren counties permit their own unincorporated territory, the Building Code Bureau maintains the state code, and the trades are licensed at state level.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | West Des Moines Development Services |
| Office | 4200 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50265 |
| Phone | (515) 222-3620 |
| Counties | Polk, Dallas and Warren — the city spans all three |
| Permitting | The city issues throughout its limits, county boundaries notwithstanding |
| Energy statement | Required with the permit application |
Permit types
Residential permits
A West Des Moines house project files with Development Services against the code the city has adopted, wherever in the three counties the parcel sits. The energy compliance statement goes with the application, and on a title or records enquiry the county recorder for that particular parcel is the relevant office rather than the one nearest the city hall.
How Iowa contractor credentials work
Iowa registers contractors with the Division of Labor and licenses the trades separately at state level. Electricians are licensed through the state electrical examining board and plumbers, mechanical and HVAC contractors through the plumbing and mechanical systems board, each valid across the state. A contractor doing business in Iowa registers with the Division of Labor, and out-of-state contractors face additional bonding requirements. West Des Moines may require its own local licence or registration on top of the state credential, and that is the requirement to confirm before a permit is pulled.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in West Des Moines — the Jordan Creek retail district, the financial and insurance campuses along the interstate and the westward office development — clears zoning and site plan review, then plan review against the city's adopted code, with the statewide energy requirements applying to all commercial construction.
Establishing what applies to the site
The first step on an Iowa project is establishing whether the jurisdiction has adopted a building code and, if so, which. A city or county that has adopted the state code enforces it locally; one that has adopted a different code enforces that; one that has adopted nothing has no general building permit requirement at all, though the statewide energy, fire, plumbing and electrical provisions still apply and the State Fire Marshal retains its own jurisdiction. That question is answered by the jurisdiction rather than assumed from its size. In West Des Moines the Raccoon River and Jordan Creek corridors bring floodplain and stormwater review into the file, the westward growth into Dallas County drives the city's development pattern, and each of the three counties administers its own unincorporated land beyond the boundary.
West Des Moines permit costs and fees
Fees follow the city's schedule throughout its limits, with trade licensing handled at state level and county recording charged by the relevant county.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | The city's fee schedule, throughout the city's limits |
| Zoning and site plan | City approval ahead of the building permit |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical, each separately |
| Energy statement | Required with the application; no separate fee |
| County recording | Through the recorder for the county the parcel sits in |
| County permits | Polk, Dallas or Warren, for unincorporated land beyond the city |
The permit is one office; the records are three. Because the city permits throughout its limits, applicants often assume the county is irrelevant. It is not: deeds, plats, assessments and title work all sit with the recorder for the county the parcel is actually in — Polk, Dallas or Warren — and a search run against the wrong one comes back empty rather than wrong, which is harder to notice.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work is permitted separately, under state codes that apply across Iowa rather than under whatever the local jurisdiction has adopted for general building.
Permit required
- Any parcel — establish which of the three counties it sits in for records and adjoining jurisdiction
- Electrical — separate permit, under the state electrical code and state licensing
- Plumbing — separate permit, under the state plumbing code and state licensing
- Mechanical — separate permit, under the state mechanical code and state licensing
- Fire protection — under the state fire code and the State Fire Marshal's jurisdiction
Typically exempt
- Like-for-like replacement the applicable trade code places below the permit threshold
- Work a property owner performs on their own residence, where the jurisdiction allows it
How to apply for a West Des Moines building permit
The state code, another code, or none at all; chapter 103A leaves the choice local.
Energy conservation, the state fire code and the state plumbing and electrical codes run statewide.
Zoning and subdivision are local in every case and precede the building permit.
Division of Labor registration, state trade licences, and any local requirement on top.
Required on every building permit application except one- and two-unit residential remodelling.
Footing to final, with the trades on their own permits, then the certificate of occupancy.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
West Des Moines reviews against its adopted code throughout the city. What delays a project here is a records search run against the wrong county, and a missing energy compliance statement.
Inspections in West Des Moines
Inspections follow the sequence of the code the jurisdiction has adopted — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the local building department by permit number, with the trades inspected on their own permits. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings and changes of occupancy. West Des Moines inspects in the sequence its adopted code sets, with the trades inspected on their own permits and the certificate of occupancy following the finals.
West Des Moines permit search and official resources
- City of West Des Moines — the city government and Development Services
- Iowa State Fire Marshal Division — the Building Code Bureau and the state fire code
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
- Iowa State Fire Marshal Division — the Building Code Bureau, the state building code and the state fire code
- 661 IAC chapter 301 — state building code general provisions — the codes adopted by reference and the state's amendments
- Iowa Code chapter 103A — the statute leaving general code adoption to local discretion
Frequently asked questions
Which county is West Des Moines in?
Three — Polk, Dallas and Warren. The city spans all of them, though it issues every permit inside its own limits.
Does the county affect my permit?
Not the permit itself, but recording, assessment and title work all sit with the recorder for the county the parcel is actually in.
What is the energy compliance statement?
A statement that the construction will comply with all applicable energy conservation requirements, required on every Iowa permit application except a one- or two-unit residential remodel.
Which code does the city enforce?
The code West Des Moines has adopted; under Iowa Code chapter 103A each jurisdiction chooses its own.
Who permits land just outside the city?
Whichever of the three counties that land sits in, each administering its own unincorporated territory.
Who licenses electricians and plumbers?
State boards license the trades across Iowa.
Simplify West Des Moines permitting with Alliance Permitting
West Des Moines permits from one office and records into three counties. We establish which county a parcel is in before any search or title work begins.
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More Iowa permitting guides
More Iowa permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about West Des Moines permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.