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Ames City Government












City of Ames IA

Ames City Clerk
515 Clark Ave.
Ames, IA 50010-0811
Phone: 515-239-5105
Fax: 515-239-5142
E-mail:
dvoss@city.ames.ia.us

 

(RightNavigation)City Clerk's Office

Encroachment Permits 

Encroachment Permits are required for anything of a "fixed character" which is "upon, over or under" the surface of any "street, alley or sidewalk."

A Certificate of Insurance naming the City of Ames as an additional insured with comprehensive general liability limits in the amount of $500,000 combined single limit shall be in full force and effect during the life of the permit. A copy of the current insurance certificate shall be maintained on file with the City Clerk. Encroachment Permit Applications require approval of the Ames City Council.

Completed applications should be submitted to the City Clerk's Office, along with the following:

  • A sketch of the encroaching item (i.e., sign, canopy/awning, etc.) drawn to scale.
  • A sketch showing the placement of the encroaching item on the property.
  • A Certificate of Insurance evidencing general liability insurance in the amount of $500,000 combined single limit. Said Certificate should be accompanied with a copy of Endorsement CG 2013, Additional Insured - Political Subdivisions, naming the City of Ames and its employees as an entity which is an insured under the policy.

The drawing(s) will be used by the City's Building Official to determine the fee. (The fee is $1.00 per square foot of encroachment or a minimum of $25.00.)

The insurance must be approved by the City's Risk Manager.

An Encroachment Permit Agreement will be drawn up in the City Clerk's Office. The Agreement must be signed by the owner of the property where the encroachment will occur before the request for approval is made of the City Council.

You are encouraged to be present at the City Council meeting at which your request is considered. An agenda will be mailed to you the Friday prior to the scheduled meeting date.

Scheduled meetings of the Ames City Council generally take place on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Ames City Hall. Please call the City Clerk's Office at (515) 239-5105 to verify the time, location and agenda of a particular meeting.

If your encroachment is a sign, please contact the Inspections Division at (515) 239-5153 about obtaining a sign permit first.

NOTE: Mailboxes may be installed without an encroachment permit if they are designed to bend or fall away when struck by a vehicle, and are constructed in accordance with the specifications for mailboxes erected on highways published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C., on May 24, 1984. Applications for permits to construct, use or maintain a non-breakaway mailbox within the limits of any street, alley or sidewalk, must be made in writing to the City Traffic Engineer in the Public Works Department, 515 Clark Ave., Ames, IA 50010.

 

Application for Encroachment Permit*
(This form is not to be used for mailboxes.)

Please read Section 22.3* of the City of Ames Municipal Code before completing the application.