West Des Moines House Mover Bond
What it is & who requires it
Contractors moving a building or structure in West Des Moines. The bond guarantees the permittee’s payment for any damage done to the city or to public property and all costs the city incurs in the course of the move, which puts the city’s own administrative expense inside the penal sum. Insurance runs alongside for the duration of the permit at two hundred fifty thousand dollars per person and five hundred thousand per accident for bodily injury, and is a separate obligation. This is the same model provision several other Iowa cities carry, and West Des Moines is on the publishable side of it: its text says in the sum of, where the neighboring versions in Clive and Anamosa say in the minimum sum of and therefore publish nothing. A contractor working across the metro should not assume the figure travels.
Obligee: City of West Des Moines (City Clerk). Citation: West Des Moines Municipal Code § 3-9-6(A) (Bond and insurance requirements), Title 3 (Business and Licensing) ch. 9 (House Movers); § 3-9-6(B) (insurance); § 3-9-9 (Removal by city); 1985 Code § 7-1.0205; 1993 Code.
Bond amount
The required bond amount is $5,000.
How to get it
This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
Request a bond quote
Tell us about the bond and the project. A licensed producer follows up — these bonds are individually underwritten, so they are not issued instantly.
Term & renewal
Term: Posted with the clerk and held for the duration of the permit.
Renewal: Per permit or with the license, depending on how the city processes the move.
Filing
Posted with the city clerk. The figure renders because the section states a flat penal sum issued by a surety company authorized to issue such bonds in the state, with no cash or deposit alternative. Note that a circulating listing attaches this figure to sign erectors in this city; the section it comes from is the house mover chapter.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-03).
Related Iowa bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the West Des Moines House Mover Bond?
- It’s required by City of West Des Moines (City Clerk) (West Des Moines Municipal Code § 3-9-6(A) (Bond and insurance requirements), Title 3 (Business and Licensing) ch. 9 (House Movers); § 3-9-6(B) (insurance); § 3-9-9 (Removal by city); 1985 Code § 7-1.0205; 1993 Code). Contractors moving a building or structure in West Des Moines. The bond guarantees the permittee’s payment for any damage done to the city or to public property and all costs the city incurs in the course of the move, which puts the city’s own administrative expense inside the penal sum. Insurance runs alongside for the duration of the permit at two hundred fifty thousand dollars per person and five hundred thousand per accident for bodily injury, and is a separate obligation. This is the same model provision several other Iowa cities carry, and West Des Moines is on the publishable side of it: its text says in the sum of, where the neighboring versions in Clive and Anamosa say in the minimum sum of and therefore publish nothing. A contractor working across the metro should not assume the figure travels.
- How much is the West Des Moines House Mover Bond?
- The bond amount is $5,000.
- How do I get the West Des Moines House Mover Bond?
- This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
- What is the term?
- Posted with the clerk and held for the duration of the permit. Renewal: Per permit or with the license, depending on how the city processes the move.
- Is this bond insurance for me?
- No. It protects the obligee and the public — not you. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety.
- How is this requirement verified?
- We verify it against the obligee’s primary source (last checked 2026-09-03); the source link is on this page.
