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Tenants and landlords are provided with additional resources to assist with the renting process and living in the Ames community. Information about the tenant and landlord law, the City of Ames, and Iowa State University can be found by clicking on resource links.

City of Ames

Ames Human Relations Commission

The Ames Human Relations Commission's (AHRC) purpose is to study the existence of discrimination in the community and work to minimize or eliminate it, promote goodwill among the various racial, religious, and ethnic groups in the City, and cooperate with other organizations to develop programs designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural, and intergroup tensions. AHRC generally meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm. For questions, contact the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101.

Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team

Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team (ASSET) is a partnership between the City of Ames, United Way of Story County, Story County, Iowa State University Student Government, and Central Iowa Community Services. The purposes of ASSET are to promote coordination of human services planning and funding among the sponsoring organizations and to provide assistance in funding recommendations or allocations to any funding sponsor requesting such assistance. ASSET generally holds its meetings on the second Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m.

Campus and Community Commission

The Campus and Community Commission provides a public forum to facilitate discussion of common interest to the City of Ames, Iowa State University, and Iowa State University Student Government. The members offer recommendations to the Council regarding issues that have been brought forward as common interests. Upon City Council approval, this commission will investigate those issues. The commission prepares and gives a report of its activities to the Mayor and City Council yearly. The Campus and Community Commission generally meets the fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 pm. For questions, please call the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101.

Inspections

The City of Ames Inspection Division is responsible to ensure that all rental properties are maintained in compliance with Chapter 13 of the Ames Municipal Code (Rental Housing Code). This is accomplished through regular rental inspections of each property. If safety issues arise outside of the inspection process, please follow this link to fill out a tenant complaint form.

Public Art Commission

Citizens are appointed to the Public Art Commission by the Mayor for the purpose of establishing public art philosophy and developing a public art plan for the City, monitoring the public art budget and recommending funding allocations for public art within City facilities, developing guidelines for selecting artwork, seeking private and governmental funding for public art, and developing educational, promotional projects for public arts programming. PAC meets the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm. For questions, call the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101.

Parks and Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Department manages 38 parks and offers approximately 180 athletic, aquatic, instructional, and wellness programs. Indoor programs are provided year-round at the Community Center, Ames/ISU Ice Arena, and Municipal Pool. For more information, please call the Community Center at 515.239.5350.

Ordinances and Policies

Follow this link to read more about City of Ames Ordinances and Policies.

Occupancy Regulations

The City Council held Workshops on February 20, 2018 and March 20, 2018 to discuss occupancy-related changes to the Rental and Zoning Codes. At the March 20th meeting, the City Council made several motions for revisions to the Rental Code. Those motions can be read in the March 27th Council Action Form. At the March 27th meeting, Council approved the first reading of an ordinance addressing the motions from the March 20th Workshop. These changes include amendments to the number of required parking spaces, the number of bedrooms counted for occupancy purposes, and clarification of the definition of adult and owner-occupied.

Health and Safety

Ames Fire Department

The website for the Ames Fire Department is designed to be informative and helpful, to allow you to find information relative to our City and department, and to learn more about the work our firefighters perform everyday. On this site you will find our mission statement, be able to browse department statistics, and meet each one of our dedicated members. You can learn about the insurance classification of the Fire Department, find out about some of the services we provide, and even discover what skills and requirements are needed to join the ranks of the Ames Fire Department.

Ames Police Department

The Ames Police Department remains committed to community relationship building and problem solving. This mission is complex and challenging in today’s world, particularly when applied to the wide array of challenging situations confronting police officers. To accomplish this mission, employees of the police department must commit to a standard of community service that embodies the tenets of the our Code of Ethics and embrace our professional commitment to our community, our citizens, and our colleagues.

Food Assistance

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

Public health is a partnership of local public health, IDHHS, non-profit organizations, health care providers, policymakers, businesses and many others working together to protect and improve the health of Iowans. Public health strives to improve the quality of life for all Iowans by assuring access to evidence-based population-health programs, services and activities in the following areas:

Promote healthy living;
Prevent injuries and violence;
Protect against environmental hazards;
Assure access to quality health services;
Prevent epidemics and the spread of disease;
Improve and support public health performance; and
Prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

Medical Care

Iowa State University

Campus Maps

Follow this link to view campus maps online! These maps include bike paths, buildings, parking lots, and more. Download the Iowa State MyState app to use these maps conveniently on your phone.

Commuting to Campus

There are several options for parking on campus. Follow this link to view the parking options or to apply for a parking permit.

CyRide

CyRide is the city bus system for Ames and operates 13 fixed routes, a East Ames Service Extension (EASE) zone service, a Dial-A-Ride service for persons with a disability, and a late-night service called Moonlight Express. The fixed routes and Dial-A-Ride operate every day of the year except Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Moonlight Express, our free late night bus service, operates from 10:30pm - 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights when Iowa State University is in full session (summers excluded). All fixed route trips shown in the timetables are wheelchair accessible and service animals are allowed (pets that are not service animals are prohibited).

CyRide offers real-time bus prediction service called MyRide. With MyRide, you can use your touchtone telephone, mobile device, or web enabled computer to see exactly where the bus is at anytime and its predicted time of arrival at your bus stop location. You can also view real-time maps. Visit MyRide for more information. For routes, timetables, fares and more information, call 515-292-1100 or visit www.cyride.com.

Student Legal Services

Funded by Iowa State University Student Government, Student Legal Services (SLS) is a legal aid office that provides free and confidential legal services for currently enrolled, activity fee paying Iowa State University students, spouse cardholders, and recognized Iowa State University student groups. SLS is also available to provide law related educational programs on a variety of topics for students, student groups, and others within the university community.

Local Resources

Ames Chamber of Commerce

With over 600 members, the Ames Chamber of Commerce strives to make Ames a better place to live, work, and do business by strengthening the economic vitality and the quality of life in the Ames community. Follow this link to view upcoming events in Ames.

Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support

ACCESS address' the roots and impact of domestic and sexual violence through services that enhance safety, empower survivors, and promote understanding and social justice within our community. Follow this link to learn more.

Discover Ames

Discover Ames strives to be the recognized resource (authority) in the growth, development and execution of the meeting, convention and event industry for Ames and Iowa State University. Follow this link to learn more about where to stay, what to do, where to eat, and where to shop during your stay in Ames.

Legal Aid Society of Story County

Legal Aid Society of Story County is a non-profit corporation, formed in 1974 to provide legal assistance in civil matters to families who cannot afford to hire an attorney in private practice. Follow this link to view their website.

The Bridge Home

Founded in 1985, The Bridge Home is devoted to bridging the gap between homelessness and housing by providing shelter, support, and inspiring a pathway forward to individuals and families experiencing or on the verge of homelessness.

United Way of Story County

United Way of Story County (UWSC) has been impacting the quality of life in Story County for more than six decades. UWSC, along with strong community partners and dedicated donors, helps children prepare for adulthood, keeps seniors in healthy environments and offers a helping hand to hard-working families.

Work in Ames

The Ames Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) job board, services Ames, Boone, and Story County. Our community is fortunate to offer a wide range of career opportunities. Follow this link to search current full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities.