Urbandale Asphalt Sealcoating and Repair
Urbandale was platted in 1907 around a station on a streetcar line built two years earlier, and it incorporated on April 16, 1917. When the plat took the name Urbandale, the older Des Moines neighborhood next door adopted the name Beaverdale to tell the two apart. Streetcar service in Urbandale ended on June 19, 1950, just as post-war growth took hold: 1,777 residents in 1950, 5,821 in 1960 and 14,434 in 1970. The 2020 census counted 45,580 people, and the city spans both Polk and Dallas counties.
That history left a spread of housing ages rather than one wave. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey gives a median year built of 1992; the 2000s are the largest single decade, with 4,045 of 18,490 units, and about 18 percent of homes predate 1970. A 1960s drive and a 2000s cul-de-sac drive a mile apart need different things. The age and condition of the pavement, not the city limits, decide whether a drive is ready for crack filling and a coat or needs a patch first.
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Urbandale snow, streets and drainage
Public Works clears about 495 lane miles of streets and 315 cul-de-sacs and plans around roughly 34 inches of snow a year. Vehicles must come off the street until it has been cleared curb to curb, and the city advises assuming a parking ban whenever more than an inch is forecast. An ordinance prohibits shoveling or blowing snow from driveways or sidewalks into or across the street, and sidewalks, crosswalks included, must be cleared within 24 hours after a snowfall ends. The snow has to stay on the property, so where the pile sits decides where the meltwater goes.
Drainage has a program of its own. The Storm Water Grant Program helps owners with erosion control, bank reinforcement, silt removal from detention areas and drain tile to dry a wet backyard; the 2026 round opened on February 1, projects must be approved before work starts, and they must be finished by the end of 2027. Work that cuts into city streets or the right-of-way falls under Chapter 58 of the municipal code, with applications on the shared Metro ROW Permit Application. No Urbandale coal-tar restriction appears on the national ban tally.
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Asphalt Sealcoating Services Available in Urbandale
Each service on this site is available in Urbandale as well:
See the full pricing guide for typical ranges.
Urbandale FAQs
Can Urbandale's storm water grant help with a wet driveway?
Indirectly. The program funds erosion measures, bank reinforcement, silt removal from detention areas and drain tile to dry a wet backyard, and it excludes sump pump removal, purely cosmetic work and interior projects. Paving and sealing are not on the list. A tile line that dries the yard beside a drive can still reduce the water reaching the pavement's edge and base. Applications must be approved before any work begins, and funding runs until it is used up.
Why does Urbandale prohibit blowing snow across the street?
The city says snow shoveled or blown from driveways or sidewalks into or across the street creates hazardous conditions, and it backs that with an ordinance. For the pavement, the rule means the snow stays on the lot. The right spot for the pile is lawn that slopes away from the drive and sits a few feet back from its edge, so that spring meltwater drains into the yard instead of running back across the asphalt and refreezing in its cracks overnight.
Does widening a driveway in Urbandale need city approval?
Widening at the curb means cutting into the public right-of-way, and Urbandale regulates excavation in city streets and the right-of-way under Chapter 58 of its municipal code. Since June 2, 2014, those permits have been submitted on the Metro ROW Permit Application form. A contractor should confirm the permit and any inspection with the city's Engineering and Public Works department before scheduling, and include that step in the bid.
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