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Building Permit Index · City Profile
Des Moines, IAbuilding permit approval score and national rank
National Rank
#67 of 500
Approval score
Composite Score
85 of 100
Higher = faster, more consistent approvals
Approval Speed
91
0-100, higher = faster
Approval-Quality Signal
97
0-100 tags score
Reporting Coverage
20
0-100, data completeness
Des Moines vs. Iowa average
Des Moines approval speed
91
0-100, this city
Iowa state average
96
0-100, commercial permits statewide
Both scores use the same 0-100 scale, so they compare directly. See the full state permitting table for every state.
Where this data comes from
Des Moines's approval score is built from municipal permit records and reporting completeness across 500 tracked US cities, refreshed quarterly. Read the full methodology for how the composite is calculated.