In Polk County, Iowa, which covers part of Des Moines, we have measured 67,520 parcels on septic and 68,315 on sewer. That is a county measurement. We do not hold a septic count for Des Moines on its own and this page does not estimate one. Des Moines also extends into Warren County, which are reported separately below and are not included in that figure.
Des Moines is a city in Polk and Warren Counties, Iowa. The Census Bureau puts its internal point at 41.57259, -93.610243 and its land area at 88.16 square miles. Septic permitting and record keeping happen at the county level, not the city level, which is why every figure below is attributed to the county and linked back to the county page it came from.
| County | Records we hold | Parcels on septic | Parcels on sewer | County records portal | Searchable without an account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 1,529 | 67,520 | 68,315 | county portal | no account needed |
| Warren County | 680 | 11,316 | 7,275 | county portal | no account needed |
Our collection for Polk County, Iowa is small, at 1,529 septic records. Treat it as a starting point for a Des Moines property rather than a search that settles the question. The county is genuinely mixed: 67,520 of 135,835 classified parcels are on septic and the rest are sewered. Which side of that line a Des Moines address falls on is worth establishing before anything else. The county publishes a records portal that we were able to search without creating an account, which makes checking a specific parcel something you can do yourself in a few minutes.
Septic is one subject with very different jobs inside it. These go straight to the page that does yours.
| If you are a | Go to | Because it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowner | Septic pumping in Des Moines | keeping the system you have working |
| Buyer or seller | Buying or selling in Des Moines | what to pull and check before closing |
| Realtor | Buying or selling in Des Moines | the same records a seller needs on file |
| Designer or engineer | Septic design in Des Moines | design flow, tank capacity, dispersal sizing |
| Installer or contractor | Septic installation in Des Moines | site evaluation, permit sequence, inspection |
| Septic pumper | Septic pumping in Des Moines | tank access, lids and service interval |
| Inspector | Septic inspection in Des Moines | what gets checked and what a failure means |
| Land investor | Septic installation in Des Moines | whether raw land can take a system at all |
These are real businesses we hold an address for, not a ranked or paid list. We take no fee and list nobody preferentially. Confirm current licensing with your county or state before hiring.
With an address in Des Moines itself
| Business | Town on file | Phone | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| A King's Throne | Des Moines | (515) 288-5464 | — |
| Bob's Septic Tank & Portable Restroom Service | Des Moines | (515) 262-9174 | 1.0 (2) |
| Gallon Plumbing | Des Moines | (515) 331-0030 | 1.0 (2) |
| Greenwood's Sewer Service | Des Moines | (515) 285-9713 | 3.5 (11) |
| H2O Plumbing Services | Des Moines | (515) 556-4925 | — |
| O.w.w.t | Des Moines | (515) 244-4646 | — |
| Robinson Septic Tank Service | Des Moines | (515) 261-0088 | — |
| Rogers Septic Maintenance & Repair | Des Moines | (515) 745-8352 | — |
| Varied Construction Services | Des Moines | (515) 240-7340 | — |
| VCS Septic | Des Moines | (515) 240-7340 | — |
| Waste Solutions of Iowa | Des Moines | (515) 288-0924 | — |
No. We measure septic and sewer at parcel level and roll it up by county. In Polk County, Iowa, which covers part of Des Moines, we have measured 67,520 parcels on septic and 68,315 on sewer. That is a county measurement. We do not hold a septic count for Des Moines on its own and this page does not estimate one. Des Moines also extends into Warren County, which are reported separately below and are not included in that figure.
Des Moines is in Polk and Warren Counties, Iowa.
From the Census ZCTA-to-place relationship file, with the share of Des Moines’s land area that falls in each. A ZIP is not a place boundary and the two only ever partly agree, which is exactly why both pages exist.
Straight-line distance from the Census internal point of Des Moines.
Parcel Perfect generates a code-shaped septic design and as-built style drawing for a parcel from the records and site data we hold, and shows every parcel we have classified as septic or sewer on one map. Both are open to use for any parcel in Polk and Warren Counties, Iowa.