In 2025, DR Horton Iowa took out 487 building permits for single-family homes in the Greater Des Moines area, more than any other home builder, data compiled by the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines shows. DR Horton also took out the most single-family building permits in 2024 (530), 2023 (550); 2022 (310) and 2021 (523), association data shows.

DR Horton, which describes itself as the largest home builder by volume in the U.S., is headquartered in Arlington, Texas. The builder, which has an office in Ankeny, entered the Des Moines area market in 2018 when it acquired Classic Builders.

DR Horton also took out building permits for the construction of 238 townhomes in the Des Moines area, also more than any other builder. The following are the home building companies that took out the most building permits for single-family homes and townhomes in Central Iowa and Ames in 2025. The data also includes the total value of the homes built.

Single-family permits

• DR Horton-Iowa – 487 permits; permit value: $171.9 million
• Jerry’s Homes – 253 permits; $88.4 million
• Hubbell Homes – 172 permits; $52.9 million
• Greenland Homes – 143 permits; $40 million
• Genesis Homes – 124 permits; $45.2 million

Townhome permits

• DR Horton-Iowa – 238 townhome units; permit value: $68 million
• Benson Orth General Contractors – 140 units; $33.2 million
• Genesis Homes – 54 units; $16.5 million
• JCorp – 51 units; $15.2 million
• Hope Development – 48 units; $4.8 million