West Des Moines Driveway and Lot Sealcoating
The city began as Valley Junction, founded in 1893 where crossing rail lines met, with railroad car shops and roundhouses at its heart; it took the name West Des Moines at the end of 1937. Growth came later and fast. The census counted 11,964 residents in 1960 and 31,702 in 1990, then 68,723 in 2020, and the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate is 74,224. The city now reaches into four counties, Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison, and its pavement runs from the old Valley Junction business district to subdivisions finished within the last decade.
Water is the local lesson. In 1993 record rains burst the levees and flooded Valley Junction deep enough for boats on 5th Street, and every business in the district closed, with anywhere from 6 inches to 6 feet of water inside the buildings. The Raccoon River and Walnut Creek both run through the city, and lots on the low ground near them share that history. That is why drainage comes before sealer in the clay and drainage guide, and why a sinking drive near the river deserves a patching quote before a sealing one.
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What shapes pavement in West Des Moines
The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey puts the median year built at 1994, and 58 percent of the city's 34,006 housing units date from 1990 or later: 6,537 from the 1990s, 6,594 from the 2000s and 6,569 since 2010. Only about 12 percent predate 1960. With an age profile like that, the everyday questions are crack filling and a fresh coat, with overlays beginning to come up on the earliest subdivision drives. The weather is the same one measured at the Des Moines airport station: about 80 freeze-thaw days and 35.3 inches of snow in a normal year.
West Des Moines is its own city with its own code, so the Des Moines snow and right-of-way rules described elsewhere on this site do not carry over automatically. A contractor planning to cut, replace or widen an approach should confirm the permit steps with the City of West Des Moines before scheduling. The state picture is simpler: Iowa has no coal-tar sealant rule, and no West Des Moines restriction appears on the national ban tally, so the product choice rests with the owner. Naming an asphalt-based sealer, and sealing between mid-May and mid-September, settles the two decisions that matter most.
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Asphalt Sealcoating Services Available in West Des Moines
Each service on this site is available in West Des Moines as well:
See the full pricing guide for typical ranges.
West Des Moines FAQs
Which county is a West Des Moines driveway in?
It could be any of four. West Des Moines spreads across Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison counties, so the county line affects the assessor and property records for a given address. For pavement work it changes little: the city sets the rules for its streets and right-of-way, and the climate normals from the Des Moines airport station apply across the whole city. A quote request needs only the address, the approximate square footage and a description of the surface.
Is pavement near Valley Junction different from the rest of West Des Moines?
The setting is. The Valley Junction Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, is the oldest part of the city and the part that stood in 6 inches to 6 feet of water in 1993. Most of the rest of the housing, 58 percent of it, dates from 1990 or later. A drive on low ground that has held floodwater, or that settles every spring, should have its base checked before anyone quotes a coat of sealer.
What should a West Des Moines owner check before booking a sealcoat?
Four things, on a dry day after the snow has gone. Look for cracks wide enough to hold water, which need filling first. Check the edges where the drive meets the lawn and the apron. Watch where water stands after a rain, since a dip that holds water needs a patch. Then follow the downspouts and sump line to see where they empty. A drive that passes all four is ready for two coats in the May-to-September window.
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