Des Moines, IA Zoning

Downtown (DX) districts

District family covering the downtown area, ranging from residential neighborhoods to high-intensity downtown areas.

Allowed uses: Residential neighborhoods, Higher-intensity downtown development

Neighborhood (N) districts

Neighborhood residential districts that include single-household and two-household residential areas with various building types.

Allowed uses: Single-household residential, Two-household residential

Neighborhood Mix (NX) districts

Districts intended for a mix of single- and multiple-household uses and building types, including infill housing, commercial home occupations, and housing along corridors.

Allowed uses: Single-household residential, Multiple-household residential, Infill housing, Commercial home occupations

Mixed-Use (MX/X) districts

District family intended to enhance existing and create new compact nodes and corridors throughout Des Moines, including walkable and auto-oriented areas, regional nodes, transitional areas, outdoor sales/storage areas, and mid-scale employment areas.

Allowed uses: Residential uses in mixed settings, Office uses, Higher-intensity commercial uses, Outdoor sales and storage, Warehouse and low-intensity industrial uses

Industrial (I) districts

Districts associated with general and higher-intensity manufacturing, warehousing, other industrial uses, and transportation terminals.

Allowed uses: Manufacturing, Warehousing, Industrial uses, Transportation terminals

Public, Civic and Institutional (P) districts

Districts for public, private, quasi-public, and institutional facilities, including parks, schools, utilities, rail corridors, and community facilities.

Allowed uses: Parks and recreation areas, Religious assembly, Cultural or arts centers, Community centers, Schools

Agriculture (A) districts

Low-density districts addressing agricultural areas.

Allowed uses: Agricultural uses, Low-density uses

Flood (F) districts

Flood-related zoning district category addressing flood plain and floodway areas in the city zoning framework.

Allowed uses: Uses subject to floodplain restrictions

PUD Legacy districts

Planned Unit Development zoning districts that were in existence before the 2019 zoning ordinance took effect.

Allowed uses: Uses governed by approved legacy PUD controls

Home occupation

Home occupation activity is reviewed by the Zoning Enforcement Division, and applications for home occupations are specifically identified as a city zoning function.

• Must comply with Chapter 134 zoning regulations.
• Project-specific standards were not provided in the research excerpts and should be verified directly in the code.

Temporary uses

Applications for temporary uses are handled by the Zoning Enforcement Division.

• Must comply with Chapter 134 zoning regulations.
• Detailed eligibility, duration, and operational standards were not provided in the gathered sources.

Wireless telecommunications facilities

Chapter 134 Article 4 provides where allowed, application procedures, review and approval procedures, and design requirements for new towers and other wireless facilities.

• Where-allowed rules apply.
• Application and approval procedures are codified.
• Design requirements apply to new and modified towers and other facilities.

Flood (F) district

The ordinance summary identifies Flood (F) districts addressing flood plain and floodways in the city.

FEMA / NFIP-regulated floodplain context

Des Moines participates in floodplain management efforts recognized by FEMA and improved its Community Rating System class from 6 to 5 in 2024.

What zoning districts are in Des Moines, IA?

Des Moines, IA includes districts such as Downtown (DX) districts, Neighborhood (N) districts, Neighborhood Mix (NX) districts, Mixed-Use (MX/X) districts, Industrial (I) districts, Public, Civic and Institutional (P) districts, Agriculture (A) districts, Flood (F) districts.

Are there flood zones or overlay districts in Des Moines, IA?

Floodplain and stormwater risk are clearly the strongest confirmed environmental constraints in the provided source set. Des Moines has invested heavily in levees, storm sewers, detention, and buyouts, and floodplain mapping remains an important site-level due diligence step.

Have there been recent zoning changes in Des Moines, IA?

The main confirmed recent citywide zoning event in the source set is adoption of Des Moines’s new Chapter 134 zoning ordinance in 2019, with later amendments noted through 2022 in the PDF source and codification through Ordinance No. 16,543 adopted March 9, 2026 in the Municode library.