Do I need a permit for a fence in Des Moines?

Yes, for most fences. The City of Des Moines requires a fence permit for any chain-link fence taller than 4 feet and any other fence taller than 3 feet (City Residential Fence FAQ, read October 26, 2026). A 6-foot privacy fence always needs one; a 3-foot picket fence does not.

How tall can a backyard fence be in Des Moines?

Six feet in a side or rear yard, per the City's fence FAQ. Taller fences, other materials and setback changes go to the City planning office (planning@dmgov.org) as a request to vary from the standards.

Can I put a fence in my front yard in Des Moines?

Only a picket or metal fence 3 feet tall or less, kept out of the vision-clearance area at the street intersection. Privacy and chain-link fences are not allowed in the front yard.

Can I build my fence right on the property line?

The City's FAQ says you may build up to the property line — but not into the public right-of-way, and the decorative side must face outward. You have to know where the line is; if the pins are missing, a survey settles it before the posts go in.

How long does a Des Moines fence permit take?

The City says applications take 7–10 days to process. Unincorporated Polk County asks you to allow 5–7 business days for review of its fence and retaining-wall permit.

Do West Des Moines, Ankeny and Urbandale follow the same rules?

Each city has its own fence code and permit office, and so does each county outside city limits. West Des Moines and Ankeny are summarized on the service-area page (both allow 6 ft in side and rear yards, with front-yard rules that differ from Des Moines'). Urbandale and the other suburbs we have not read, so we state no rule for them; call the building department of the city your address is in before you order materials.

Rules · City of Des Moines & Polk County

Des Moines Fence Permit and Height Rules (2026)

In Des Moines, a fence permit is required for any chain-link fence over 4 feet and any other fence over 3 feet, side- and rear-yard fences are limited to 6 feet, and front-yard fences to 3 feet in picket or metal only — per the City's Residential Fence FAQ, read October 26, 2026. Here is the full rule set, the permit steps, and where the suburbs and Polk County differ.

Published October 26, 2026 · Figures and rules checked against the sources listed at the end of this page.

The Des Moines rules at a glance

City of Des Moines residential fence rules (Residential Fence FAQ, read 2026-10-26)
Where	Maximum height	What's allowed
Front yard	3 ft	Picket or metal only; out of the vision-clearance area at the intersection
Side or rear yard	6 ft	Any permitted style, up to the property line, out of vision clearance
Within 5 ft of the house	4 ft	—
Privacy fence	6 ft	Not in the front yard
Chain link	6 ft	Not in the front yard; not allowed in local historic districts
Metal or picket	3 ft front / 6 ft elsewhere	—
Near an alley	—	15-ft alley vision clearance

Three more rules from the same page apply everywhere in the city:

No fence in the public right-of-way.
The decorative side faces outward.
You may build up to the property line(s).

When you need a permit

The City requires a fence permit for any chain-link fence taller than 4 feet and any other fence taller than 3 feet. In practice that means every privacy fence, every 6-foot wood or vinyl fence, and every 5- or 6-foot chain-link fence needs one. A 3-foot picket fence or a 4-foot chain-link dog run does not.

The City's own sequence if you're building it yourself:

Determine the property lines.
Draw a fence plan.
Obtain the fence permit (DSM.city/fencepermit).
Build the fence.
Request the fence inspection (DSM.city/css).

The plan has to show the property lines, the house, the fence line with its height and style, and a north arrow. The City says applications take 7–10 days to process — so in spring, when every contractor's calendar fills, the permit is often the first thing to start.

If a contractor is doing the job, ask whether they pull the permit and schedule the inspection, and whether that is in the price. Either arrangement is normal; not knowing which one you have is how fences get built without a permit.

Going taller, changing the setback, or using another material

The FAQ's limits are the standard. For a taller fence, a different setback or a material the standards don't cover, the City directs you to its planning staff at planning@dmgov.org. Treat that as a request, not a formality: plan for it before you order panels.

Local historic districts

If your house is in a Des Moines local historic district, the City requires a Certificate of Appropriateness in addition to the permit, and chain-link fences are not allowed. The City keeps its historic-district fence guidance at DSM.city/hdfences; we have not summarized that page here, so read it (or call the City's planning staff) before choosing a material.

An old ordinance you may see quoted

Some fence websites still quote Des Moines Ordinance No. 14,154 from 2002, which amended the old Sec. 134-1296 of the City Code. We read it in full: its numbers (for example, rear-yard fences up to 8 feet) do not match the City's current fence FAQ. The FAQ is the City's current statement of the rules, and it is what this page follows. If a quote or a neighbor cites a different number, ask which document it came from.

Outside the city limits: Polk County and the suburbs

Unincorporated Polk County issues its own Fence & Retaining Wall Permit through Polk County Public Works. The application asks for a detailed site plan, the fence location staked on the ground, the height and the project valuation, and the County asks you to allow 5–7 business days for review. Work has to start within 180 days of the permit and be completed and inspected within a year, and no construction can start before the permit is issued. Retaining walls holding back more than 48 inches of unbalanced fill need a design approved by an Iowa-licensed engineer.

Every suburb has its own fence code and permit office. We read the West Des Moines and Ankeny rules and summarize them on the service-area page. Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Waukee, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Grimes and Norwalk we have not read, so we state no rule for them — heights, front-yard rules and permit triggers are not guaranteed to match Des Moines'. Call the building department of the city on your tax bill before you buy materials. Some of those cities sit partly or wholly in Dallas or Warren County, not Polk; outside every city limit, the county your property is in issues the permit.

HOA rules sit on top of the City's

A homeowners association can set its own rules on height, material, color or which side faces out, and an HOA approval doesn't replace the City permit. If you have an HOA, get its approval in writing and pull the City permit; you need both.

What this page does not cover

Post depth and frost-line requirements: we have not yet read the City's building-code amendment that sets them, so we don't state a depth. Ask each contractor what depth they set posts to and compare. Pool barriers are governed by separate rules and are not covered here.

Sources and dates

Every figure and rule above names where it came from and the date it was read. If a source disagrees with a quote you receive, the quote wins — it reflects your yard, your fence line, and this season's demand. Prices are rechecked at least every six months.

City of Des Moines, Residential Fence FAQ (Permit & Development Center) — read October 26, 2026. Every Des Moines height, location, permit and historic-district rule on this page.
City of Des Moines Ordinance No. 14,154 (passed Oct 21, 2002), amending Sec. 134-1296(i) — read October 26, 2026. Read in full. Its height limits differ from the City's current fence FAQ, so this page cites the FAQ as the current rule.
Polk County Public Works, "Fence & Retaining Wall Permit Application and Checklist" (2022 form) — read October 26, 2026. Unincorporated Polk County permit steps, review time, and the retaining-wall engineering rule.