Event Planning Permit Requirements in Des Moines, IA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if operating as a business entity (LLC or corporation) or if you have employees. Free from the IRS. You will need an EIN to open a business bank account and sign vendor contracts professionally.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Iowa Business Registration

   An event planning business set up as an LLC, corporation, or limited partnership registers with the Iowa Secretary of State through Fast Track Filing. A sole proprietor or general partnership using a trade name instead records a verified statement with the county recorder where the business sits, under Iowa Code chapter 547 - Iowa has no state-level DBA filing and it is not a county clerk function. An LLC is worth the fee here given the liability exposure of coordinating large events.

   Official government source

   $50 to file an LLC certificate of organization or for-profit articles of incorporation; $7 for a one-page county trade name filing. LLCs then file a $30 biennial report online (profit corporations $60)·Fast Track Filing submissions are generally processed within a few business days

   $50 to file an LLC certificate of organization or for-profit articles of incorporation; $7 for a one-page county trade name filing. LLCs then file a $30 biennial report online (profit corporations $60)

   Fast Track Filing submissions are generally processed within a few business days

2. Iowa Sales Tax Permit (if you sell taxable goods)

   Event planning and coordination services are not among the roughly 75 services Iowa subjects to sales tax, so a planner billing only for coordination generally needs no permit. If you also sell tangible goods - decor, rentals, florals, favors - you register for a sales and use tax permit with the Iowa Department of Revenue through GovConnectIowa and collect the 6% state rate plus any local option tax. Register before your first taxable sale.

   Official government source

   Free - Iowa charges no fee for a sales and use tax permit·Register online through GovConnectIowa; the permit number is issued once the registration is processed

   Free - Iowa charges no fee for a sales and use tax permit

   Register online through GovConnectIowa; the permit number is issued once the registration is processed

1. No Des Moines General Business License Required

   Des Moines does not issue a general business license, so an event planning business needs nothing of the kind. The City Clerk's Office licenses only specific regulated activities (alcohol, tobacco, transient merchants, mobile food vendors, peddlers, pawnbrokers, theaters, coin-operated machines, solid waste haulers, and similar categories), and event planning is not among them. If you run events on public property you need a Special Event Permit instead, and if you work from home the Zoning Enforcement Division handles home occupation review.

   Official government source

   Nothing - there is no such license·Not applicable

   Nothing - there is no such license

   Not applicable

2. Des Moines Street Use or Park Event Permit (events in public spaces)

   Events on Des Moines streets, plazas, or rights-of-way are permitted by the City Manager's Office through the street use program, with application categories for Residential Street Use, Non-Residential Street Use, and Farmers Markets, submitted through the city's self-service portal. Events held in city parks instead require a separate Parks and Recreation facility/event permit. As the planner you may be applying on the client's behalf.

   Official government source

   Fees vary by permit category and are not published as a single schedule — confirm with [email protected]·Deadlines vary by category and event size; apply as early as possible and confirm the deadline with the street use office before booking the date

   Fees vary by permit category and are not published as a single schedule — confirm with [email protected]

   Deadlines vary by category and event size; apply as early as possible and confirm the deadline with the street use office before booking the date

3. Polk County Zoning Approval for Events on Unincorporated Land (if applicable)

   Events on unincorporated Polk County land outside city limits, or large outdoor gatherings on private property in the county, are governed by county zoning rather than any city permit. Polk County Public Works' Planning & Development office (building, environmental health, and planning & zoning) handles these approvals and can tell you whether your event needs one.

   Official government source

   Not published as a set fee — confirm with Polk County Planning & Development, 515-286-3705·Varies with the review required; contact the county well before the event date

   Not published as a set fee — confirm with Polk County Planning & Development, 515-286-3705

   Varies with the review required; contact the county well before the event date

Official Sources

• Des Moines Business Licensing
• Iowa Secretary of State — Business Registration
• IRS EIN Application

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