Short-Term Rental Laws in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines requires STRs to register as Short-Term Rentals via the Development Services / Permit & Development Center plus collect the Iowa State Hotel/Motel Tax (7% city portion + state sales tax). STRs are permitted in most residential zones (R-1, R-2, R-3, MX, NX) subject to life-safety standards. The 2020 ordinance formalized registration but stopped short of imposing density caps or primary-residence requirements — Des Moines is among the more permissive larger Midwestern cities for investor STRs.

Des Moines Zoning Code permits STR in R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, MX, NX, DX residential and mixed-use zones with proper registration. Multi-family (R-4, R-5) and commercial (CX, C-1, C-2) zones also permit STR. The bulk of investor-friendly STR inventory is in East Village, Sherman Hill, Drake Park, and downtown mixed-use districts. Properties in HOA-governed condo towers may face additional covenant restrictions; verify HOA bylaws separately. Confirm zoning eligibility via the DSM Permit & Development Center before any offer.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

Des Moines Development Services + Building Inspection jointly enforce. Annual STR registration renewal. Iowa State Department of Revenue administers the Hotel/Motel Tax — failure to register or remit triggers state-level penalty assessments plus city-level stop-rental authority. Operating without registration: administrative fines + back-tax + Hotel/Motel Tax audit. Enforcement primarily complaint-driven; the city has not historically operated a platform-data cross-check program as aggressively as larger coastal cities.

Combined short-term lodging tax in Des Moines is approximately 12.000% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

Iowa State sales 6% + Polk County local option 1% + Des Moines Hotel/Motel Tax 7% — combined ~12.0% on transient lodging (Hotel/Motel Tax is state-administered for cities)

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.