Moving to Des Moines?
Utilities, city services, schools, moving requirements and the practical stuff worth knowing when you're getting settled.
Your first-week checklist.
You don't need to solve your entire move on day one. Get these basics on your radar first.
Local help for your move.
We're building a small group of useful Des Moines-area resources for the parts of moving PackBetter doesn't do. As we get to know great local businesses, we'll share them here.
happy.healthy.home.
happy.healthy.home. is my passion project, built on 30 years of organizing for fun and catharsis.
Instilling order makes me happy and I love seeing the results make others happy, too.
Working in healthcare for over 20 years, helping people is second nature to me and happy.healthy.home. is my way of combining organization and aid.
Local resources are independently owned businesses. PackBetter does not charge businesses to be featured.
Utilities & Home Services
Start with the services that make the new place function like a home instead of a very expensive indoor campsite.
Water
Des Moines Water Works provides drinking-water service throughout Des Moines. Start here when establishing or managing water service for your new address.
WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE →Energy Service
MidAmerican Energy provides electric and natural-gas service throughout much of Des Moines. Confirm service availability for your specific address when setting up utilities.
MIDAMERICAN ENERGY →Garbage & Recycling
Residential solid-waste and recycling services are handled through the City of Des Moines. Your collection information depends on your address.
FIND MY COLLECTION INFO →Show Me My House
Enter your Des Moines address to find useful city information tied specifically to your property, including service districts, neighborhood and other local details.
LOOK UP MY ADDRESS →Trash, Recycling & Getting Rid of Stuff
Moving has a remarkable ability to reveal how much stuff you've been quietly dragging through life.
Use your address to identify the solid-waste and recycling information associated with your new home.
CHECK MY ADDRESS →Check city Public Works resources for residential recycling, collection guidance and current disposal information.
PUBLIC WORKS →Furniture, appliances and other oversized items may require different handling than ordinary weekly garbage.
DISPOSAL INFORMATION →Paint, chemicals, batteries and other household materials shouldn't automatically follow everything else into the trash.
METRO WASTE AUTHORITY →Address, License, Voting & Vehicles
The thrilling administrative portion of moving. Fortunately, most of what you need starts in only a few places.
Iowa requires new residents to title and register their motor vehicles within 30 days of establishing residency, even if an out-of-state registration is still valid.
New Iowa Residents
Driver's license and ID requirements, documentation, testing information and appointment guidance.
NEW TO IOWA →Vehicle Registration
Title and registration guidance for new Iowa residents, including documents to bring and appointment information.
REGISTER A VEHICLE →Change Your Address
Update your Iowa driver's license or ID information after moving to a new address.
ADDRESS CHANGE INFO →Update Your Voter Registration
Moved recently? Check that your Iowa voter registration is current, update your address if needed and confirm your polling place before the next election.
Iowa's pre-registration deadline for the November 3, 2026 general election is October 19. If you miss that deadline, Iowa also allows eligible voters to register or update their registration when voting early in person or on Election Day.
POLK COUNTY 2026 VOTER INFO →Schools & Families
Once the utilities work and you've found everyone's toothbrush, these are useful places to start settling in.
Des Moines Public Schools
Families entering Des Moines Public Schools can use district enrollment resources and the Welcome Center for registration assistance.
SCHOOL INFORMATION →Des Moines Public Library
Iowa residents can obtain a free Des Moines Public Library card. You can pre-register online before completing registration at a library location.
GET A LIBRARY CARD →Explore Des Moines
Find city parks, trails, recreation facilities, programs and activities throughout Des Moines.
PARKS & RECREATION →Meet “Show Me My House.”
Des Moines has one city tool worth knowing about immediately after you move.
The city's address lookup can help identify information tied to your property, including solid-waste and recycling districts, neighborhood, ward, school district and other city information. The city notes that results are approximate, so verify important details with the listed source.
A little planning goes a long way.
The city paperwork matters. So does not discovering at 9:40 p.m. that your phone charger is buried in Tote 27.
Confirm parking, building access, stairs, elevators or HOA rules before the first load arrives.
Medications, chargers, toiletries, clothes, paperwork and anything you'll want before the rest is unpacked.
Totes handle what you can pack. Mattresses, furniture and awkward pieces need their own moving-day plan.
Totes handle what you can pack.
Move+ helps with what you can't.
Add extra moving equipment for the bigger, awkward parts of the move: mattress protection, lifting straps, extra blankets, furniture sliders, corner protection, stretch wrap, doorstops and organization pouches, plus the extra tote it all comes in.
Getting settled in Des Moines.
You don't need to memorize city government. You just need a few reliable places to start when something comes up.
Explore another local guide.
Pack better.
Move easier.
PackBetter delivers complete moving kits throughout Des Moines and the surrounding area, then picks everything back up when you're done. Check your ZIP using the delivery-area tool we've already built.