Short-term rentals in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines has a demand profile built on steady work travel and a few very big weeks. The insurance and financial companies headquartered downtown, state government, Drake University and the hospitals keep weekdays busy. The Iowa State Fair in August is the city's signature event, the Drake Relays fill April, and the caucus cycle brings campaigns and media every four years. Owners rent houses in Sherman Hill, the East Village, Beaverdale and the Drake neighborhood, and condos downtown.

A city that cannot single out rentals

Iowa law gives Des Moines very little room. Under Iowa Code 414.1, a short-term rental, meaning a property rented for thirty days or less, must be classified as a residential land use for zoning. A city may not adopt or enforce any regulation, restriction or ordinance relating to short-term rental property, a conditional use permit requirement included, and may not charge a license or permit fee for one. That is why our atlas marks Des Moines Open, with no quota and no residency requirement possible.

What the city can still enforce

• fire and building safety, sanitation and traffic control;
• noise, property maintenance and nuisance rules;
• bans on housing sex offenders, drug activity and adult businesses;
• a requirement to provide an emergency contact.

All of this must be enforced the same way it is for similar homes that are not rented. A general noise ordinance applies to your guests; a rental-only curfew would not be allowed.

Taxes

Stays carry Iowa's state hotel and motel tax and the local hotel and motel tax, both reported to the Iowa Department of Revenue. Platforms collect on the bookings they process; direct bookings require your own registration and monthly returns.

The limits that remain

• Associations: condo declarations downtown and HOA covenants in newer neighborhoods can forbid short stays, and the statute does not touch them.
• Suburbs: West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale and the other cities are also bound by 414.1, but properties on unincorporated county land fall under county zoning, which that section does not cover.
• Nuisance history: a party house still draws police calls and code enforcement.

Our advice

Des Moines is one of the simplest cities in the Midwest to run a legal short-term rental. Plan the calendar around the State Fair and the business week, register for hotel and motel tax, and keep house rules tight. We study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.