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Department of Administrative Services

Helpful Hints About Parking on the Capitol Complex

Parking is available on the Capitol Complex for:

  • Hoover building parking lot with Capitol in distancepersons with disabilities,
  • visitors, and
  • employees

Please see the Parking Map for more direction.

  1. Accessible parking for persons with disabilities (shown on the map in white with the blue disabilities parking symbol) - Certain parking spaces near each building have been designated for visitors with disabilities and employees with disabilities. In support of persons with disabilities utilizing the Capitol Complex, appropriate use of these spaces is strongly enforced.
  2. Visitor lots (shown in green on the map) are available only for visitors to the Complex. Employees may not park in visitor parking areas.
  3. Overflow lots (shown with yellow stripes on the map) are available for public parking. They also serve as overflow lots for Complex employees.
  4. Motorcycle parking spots are available for employees and visitors in the Service/Delivery parking area, lot 28, southeast of the Lucas Building. Motorcycles may also park in other non-gated lots - employees in employee lots and visitors in visitor lots.
  5. Employee Parking (shown in red on map) All employee vehicles on the Complex must be registered with DAS or the Legislature and display a Capitol Complex parking decal.
    1. Restricted access - Lots 9, 10, 13, and 14 are restricted to only employees who have been specifically assigned to one of these lots.
    2. Unrestricted access - Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 16, 17 and the parking structure are available to any employee working on the Complex.
  6. Service/delivery vehicle parking (shown with blue stripes on the map) - Limited parking is available for service vehicles near each building. There are also designated spots for the temporary use of delivery vehicles near the dock areas of each building. Employees or visitors needing to be near a building for loading or unloading their vehicle may park in the designated service/delivery area for the time it takes to load or unload. If parking is needed after loading or unloading the vehicle must be moved to the appropriate employee or visitor parking area.
  7. Temporary parking - Permission for temporary parking for those with special circumstances may be obtained by contacting the Iowa State Patrol, District 16 at 515-281-5608. This may include:
    1. An employee without a decal on their vehicle.
    2. A visitor driving a vehicle registered to an employee, or
    3. A driver needing to load or unload outside of the designated delivery areas.

Helpful Hints About Parking on the Capitol Complex

  • It may be difficult for visitors to find parking spaces when the Iowa Legislature is in session from January to early May of each year. If you are visiting the Complex during this period, we recommend you allow extra time to locate parking.
  • If you live in the Des Moines area, we join the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) in encouraging you to ride the bus. The bus line runs along Grand Avenue on the north side of the Capitol.
  • Carpool whenever possible. DART also sponsors a Rideshare program for commuters.
  • Be sure and observe all parking signs. Parking rules are for your protection. Cars in emergency lanes (red curbs) can turn an emergency into a disaster. Other areas (yellow lines and curbs) are restricted to prevent damage to your cars from other vehicles, construction, mowing, or snow removal equipment.
  • Visitor parking is a priority on the Capitol Complex. Employees parking in visitor areas will be ticketed.
  • Parking violators may be towed. Individuals with delinquent tickets (unpaid after 30 days) or habitual violators (6 or more tickets in the last 12 months, regardless of whether paid in a timely manner) are subject to having their improperly parked vehicle towed and may be prohibited from parking on the Capitol Complex.

Who to Contact

Access to parking on the Capitol Complex is managed by the Department of Administrative Services. Assignment of parking for legislative employees is the responsibility of the Legislative Council. See the Iowa Administrative Code for the full text of parking rules. Parking rules are enforced by the Department of Public Safety, Iowa State Patrol. Parking access/identification cards are issued by the Iowa State Patrol (visit the DPS website or contact your agency Access Coordinator for an application). The Department of Administrative Services collects parking fines at the Customer Service Center. If you have questions about parking on the Capitol Complex or have received a ticket, contact:

Iowa Department of Administrative Services
Customer Service Center
Hoover State Office Building, Level A
Des Moines, IA 50319-0101
515-242-5120

Iowa Department of Public Safety
Iowa State Patrol Division - District 16
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
515-281-5608
isp16@dps.state.ia.us