Who has to shovel the sidewalk at a rental house in Des Moines, landlord or tenant?

Both of you, in the city's eyes. Des Moines makes the owner, the tenant and any agent jointly responsible for clearing the public sidewalk next to a property within 48 hours after a snow or ice storm ends. Iowa law then lets the landlord and tenant of a single-family house agree in writing that the tenant does it, as long as the deal is made in good faith.

## What the city requires

Section 102-124 of the Des Moines Municipal Code, from Ordinance 14,164, tells the owner of property next to a public sidewalk to remove snow, ice and accumulations within a reasonable time and in no case more than 48 hours. The same section makes owners, contract buyers, agents, tenants and lessees jointly and severally responsible, and presumes a violation was committed by whoever owns or occupies the property. The Director of Public Works can extend the 48 hours in extraordinary weather and announces any extension through the news media.

The city repeated the rule in a February 2025 notice and pointed residents who cannot shovel because of age, disability or cost to United Way 2-1-1 for help.

## What it costs if nobody shovels

The city's penalty schedule covers the snow season from October 15 to April 15 and climbs with each failure:

- First: $75 - Second: $100 - Third: $125 - Fourth: $150 - Fifth and after: $175

Penalties are due within 30 days of the notice. A later ordinance, 15,408, sends notices to the owner of the property next to the sidewalk and lets the city collect unpaid removal costs the same way as a property tax. For an out-of-town owner, that means the bill can land on the house even when the tenant was the one who skipped the shovel.

## Handing the job to the tenant

Iowa Code section 562A.15 requires a landlord to keep common areas clean and safe. Subsection 2 lets the landlord and tenant of a single family residence agree in writing that the tenant takes on specified repairs and maintenance tasks, but only if the agreement is made in good faith. For a duplex or larger building the statute sets stricter conditions, so read subsection 3 before you write a snow clause for a multi-unit property.

For a first single-family rental, the practical steps are:

- Put snow and ice removal in the lease by name, with the 48 hour rule and who pays a city penalty. - Leave a shovel and ice melt at the house. - Arrange a backup, such as a neighbour or a paid service, for when the tenant is away.

## Put it in the numbers

A paid service is an estimate you set yourself until you have a quote. If you plan to handle snow for the tenant, ask two local services for a seasonal price and add it to operating costs. The rental calculator on this site takes the purchase price, the current investor rate and the county tax figure, so you can see whether the house still cash flows with winter costs included.

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