Jurisdiction and research scope
City of Des Moines, Iowa only, not West Des Moines, Des Moines County, Des Moines in Washington, or unincorporated Polk and Warren County land. Current online encodeplus Chapters 134 and 135, read November 6, 2026. The viewed sections do not state a whole-code amendment cutoff.
Research by Can I Park My RV?Official municipal sources; access limits shown belowEditorial standard
Des Moines RV parking at a glance
| Location or use | What to check |
|---|---|
| Driveway / yard | Required residential spaces must be outside the required front setback with a compliant surface; RV storage classification needs a separate determination. An unsafe or inoperable vehicle generally requires a completely enclosed building; lawful screened business exception is separate. |
| Street / loading | The cited off-street provisions do not establish public-street RV permission. Confirm the actual loading stay; temporary parking restrictions are not a long-term storage allowance. |
| Sleeping / utilities | No ordinary driveway sleeping allowance is established here; place-of-worship temporary camping requires its own approval. Parking rules do not authorize residential connections or wastewater disposal. |
Required spaces are not storage or repair bays
Section 135-6.6.1 reserves required off-street motor-vehicle spaces for temporary parking of licensed vehicles in operating condition. It bars storage, display or sale of goods, equipment or materials, and all motor-vehicle repair work in a required space. Determine whether the proposed RV position is a required space and whether the intended activity is temporary parking or storage.
Residential setbacks and surfaces
Required parking in any N district, and required parking on any one- or two-household lot in any district, must be outside the required front setback and use a surface meeting section 135-6.8. The edge of a lawn or driveway does not establish a zoning setback. This requirement for required spaces does not establish every rule for an additional RV storage pad.
Unsafe vehicles and occupied use
Section 134-3.9.6 generally requires an inoperable or unsafe vehicle to be in a completely enclosed building, with a distinct exception for legitimate businesses operating lawfully with outdoor areas screened from public view. A tarp is not a building. Section 134-3.10.6 provides an approval-based temporary camping route at principal places of worship, subject to conditions such as sanitation, space and duration; it is not a general driveway sleeping permission. Ask the city to resolve RV storage classification, sleeping, utilities and street rules for the actual location.
Who to contact for your setup
Ask Des Moines Planning or Code Enforcement to confirm jurisdiction, the actual parcel or road, vehicle classification, position, duration and intended use. Obtain the required road, building, electrical, plumbing or wastewater approvals before relying on a parking exception. Easements, HOA rules and leases remain separate. Start with the official rule or permit guidance.
Use the Des Moines parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.
Official sources reviewed November 6, 2026
- Des Moines 135-6.6, Use and Location of Off-Street Motor Vehicle Parking
Required spaces: temporary licensed-operable motor vehicles, no repair work, residential front setback and surface requirements.
- Des Moines 134-3.9.6 and 134-3.10.6
Outdoor unsafe/inoperable vehicle restriction and separate approved place-of-worship temporary camping route.
A review date records when we checked these sources. The notes above explain any use of older code editions or limits on access to the full source; an address-specific city determination may still be required. Read our research method.
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