RV parking rules in West Des Moines

West Des Moines RV parking at a glance

Who can use the thirty-day guest route?

Section 9-5-4 (E)(3)(b) names nonpaying guests of an occupant of a single-family dwelling and limits sleeping to thirty nonconsecutive days in any calendar year. Track the full annual total, not a fresh allowance each visit. The RV must also comply with all applicable parking and storage rules.

Can those guests sleep on the street or in a parking lot?

The same guest paragraph excludes sleeping in an RV on a public street, private street, off-street parking lot or loading area. A willing host or an unused lot does not alter that location rule. Confirm that a proposed home space is outside those excluded categories and is legally approved for the unit.

Can the owner live there instead?

Section 9-5-4 (E)(3)(a) excludes ordinary RV occupancy outside an approved campground or RV park, subject to the separate guest-sleeping wording. The guest exception is not a general right for the owner to create a second dwelling, charge rent, or conduct ongoing housekeeping in the RV.

Why is the home-storage answer unresolved?

The publisher shows an express amendment notice for Ordinance 2566, passed May 15, 2023, whose text is not incorporated on the parking page. Displayed paragraphs discuss hard supports, legacy gravel, adjacency to drives/garages/alleys, front coverage and street/alley setbacks, but that body is not treated here as a cleared current layout. Obtain the enacted amendment and a City determination before building or relying on a pad.

Does a long trailer automatically become commercial storage?

The reviewed use section excludes recreational travel trailers and personal recreational trailers from its general over-twelve-foot trailer category, and identifies resident-owned/leased private recreational equipment separately. These classification distinctions do not waive parking or occupied-use requirements. Give the City the actual equipment, ownership and use.

Are hookups or loading included?

No utility-connection approval or ordinary street-loading clock is established by the guest-sleeping allowance. Even a qualifying unpaid guest needs the independently lawful parking location. A permit or inspection for electrical or sanitary work may involve a separate authority and should not be assumed from the parking result.

Who to contact for your setup

Give the City the exact address, vehicle classification and complete footprint, proposed dates, prior visits and any connections. Start with the cited official source and its review limits.

Use the West Des Moines parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.

Official sources reviewed October 21, 2026

• West Des Moines Code §9-5-4: specific use regulations

  Full §9-5-4 operative body read October 21, 2026 in 2026 S-20; section history includes Ordinance 2662, July 7, 2025. Guest sleeping route is §9-5-4 (E)(3); parking compliance and utility approval remain independent.

• West Des Moines Code §9-15-4: off-street parking, amendment caveat

  Publisher expressly flags Ordinance 2566, May 15, 2023 as not yet incorporated, despite later section history. The amendment link redirected to the code landing page; its full adopted effect was not available for review. Displayed home surface/setback wording requires City confirmation, not a cleared current home-storage permission.

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.