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Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in North Salt Lake, Utah

North Salt Lake Municipal Code § 10-19-17 (amended effective April 1, 2025; originally Ordinance 2018-14, November 2018) allows five ADU configurations on single-family lots: Basement Apartment, Attached, Detached, Second-Story Detached (e.g., above garage), and Tiny Home — broader than neighboring Davis County cities that permit internal-only ADUs.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Maximum one ADU per owner-occupied single-family dwelling, or in a detached accessory structure associated with a single-family dwelling Owner-builder
  • Working smoke detectors required in bedrooms and hallways
  • GFCI outlets required in kitchens and bathrooms
  • Earthquake strapping required for water heaters
  • Compliant bedroom egress windows
  • Handrails required for basement apartments
  • Additional off-street parking required where applicable

Required documents

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Fee schedule

ADU Land Use PermitNorth Salt Lake Accessory Dwelling Units page (nslcity.org/519/Accessory-Dwelling-Units): 'There is no fee for the land use permit.'
No fee
Building Permit (if new construction involved)North Salt Lake Comprehensive Fee Schedule, Section 4.1 — standard building-permit valuation fees apply to any construction/remodeling component of creating an ADU; no ADU-specific fee line item is published.
Valuation-based per ICC Building Valuation Data Schedule

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permit actually take in North Salt Lake?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final (if construction involved)

    Verify smoke detectors, GFCI outlets, water heater strapping, egress windows, handrails (basement units), and parking compliance

See the full North Salt Lake inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • North Salt Lake allows detached ADUs (including tiny homes and above-garage units) — a notably broader policy than neighboring Davis County cities like Kaysville, which permit internal ADUs only.
  • The Land Use Permit itself is free; only new construction associated with the ADU triggers standard building-permit valuation fees.
  • A single-family dwelling with an ADU may have separate utility meters (water, gas, electricity) for each unit, but the property owner's name must be on all meters and the owner remains responsible for all utility payments.

Frequently asked questions

North Salt Lake requires an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit for: Maximum one ADU per owner-occupied single-family dwelling, or in a detached accessory structure associated with a single-family dwelling; Working smoke detectors required in bedrooms and hallways; GFCI outlets required in kitchens and bathrooms; Earthquake strapping required for water heaters; Compliant bedroom egress windows; Handrails required for basement apartments; Additional off-street parking required where applicable. If your project isn't listed, confirm with North Salt Lake City Building Department (Community Development Department) at (801) 335-8720 before starting work.

The Land Use Permit required for all ADUs is free. If new construction is involved (e.g., a detached ADU), standard valuation-based building permit fees apply to that construction. (nslcity.org/519/Accessory-Dwelling-Units)

North Salt Lake does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact North Salt Lake City Building Department (Community Development Department) at (801) 335-8720 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Land Use Permit. Depending on your project, North Salt Lake may also ask for: Building Permit (CityInspect). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

North Salt Lake requires 1 inspection(s) for an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit, in order: Final (if construction involved). Schedule each through North Salt Lake City Building Department (Community Development Department) ((801) 335-8720).

Apply through North Salt Lake City Building Department (Community Development Department) at 10 E Center Street, North Salt Lake, UT 84054. Phone: (801) 335-8720, email: permits@nslcity.org. Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM (closed Fridays); inspections available Monday–Thursday only, AM (8-12) or PM (1-4). Official information: https://www.nslcity.org/97/Building.

North Salt Lake, Utah has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); North Salt Lake's Adopted Model Codes page (nslcity.org/113/Adopted-Model-Codes) was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL lists '2021 International Building Code' — city page lags the statute; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — REMAINS CURRENT; Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b) did not change this edition in the 7/1/2026 amendment. Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16) correctly lists '2021 International Residential Code'; Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(c); not separately itemized on North Salt Lake's Adopted Model Codes page, added here per statute; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); Adopted Model Codes page live-checked 2026-07-16 STILL lists '2021 International Mechanical Code' — city page lags the statute; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); Adopted Model Codes page live-checked 2026-07-16 STILL lists '2021 International Plumbing Code' — city page lags the statute; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); Adopted Model Codes page live-checked 2026-07-16 STILL lists '2021 International Fuel Gas Code' — city page lags the statute; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), single unsplit statewide edition — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); Adopted Model Codes page live-checked 2026-07-16 STILL lists '2021 Energy Conservation Code' — city page lags the statute; 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16, still lists 2021). NOTE: the IFC is NOT among the codes adopted by Utah Code § 15A-2-103 (which governs Title 15A Chapter 2, State Construction Code) — Utah's Fire Code is separately adopted under Title 15A Chapter 5, State Fire Code Act; left as published by the City, no statutory edition change applies via § 15A-2-103; 2021 International Property Maintenance Code — Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16, still lists 2021). NOTE: the IPMC is NOT among the codes adopted by Utah Code § 15A-2-103 (property-maintenance code, not a construction code), so no statewide edition change applies here — left as published by the City; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); not listed at all on North Salt Lake's Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16), added here per statute since the City's own materials omit it entirely; Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n); not listed at all on North Salt Lake's Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16), added here per statute since the City's own materials omit it entirely; 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) as published by North Salt Lake — Adopted Model Codes page (live-checked 2026-07-16, still lists '2020 National Electrical Code'). This is INCORRECT and out of date independent of the 7/1/2026 transition: Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g) requires the 2023 NEC statewide, and that subsection was NOT changed by the 7/1/2026 amendment (2023 NEC has been the statutory baseline since before this re-verification, matching the 2023 edition used by neighboring Davis County cities such as Kaysville). The statutorily-governing edition is 2023 NEC, not the 2020 edition North Salt Lake's own page displays — confirm with the Building Department at (801) 335-8721 before relying on the city page for NEC edition; 2017 ICC/ANSI A117.1 Standard for Accessibility — Adopted Model Codes page; not part of Utah Code § 15A-2-103's construction-code list, left unchanged; 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings — Adopted Model Codes page; not part of Utah Code § 15A-2-103's construction-code list, left unchanged; Utah state amendments to adopted codes (Utah Admin. Code R156-56) — referenced directly on the Adopted Model Codes page; NOTE (2026-07-16 re-verification): The Utah Code § 15A-2-103 version effective 7/1/2026 (superseded 1/1/2027) took effect 15 days before this re-verification. IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/IEBC/residential ISPSC are now 2024 statewide; IRC (2021) did NOT change. North Salt Lake's Adopted Model Codes page (nslcity.org/113/Adopted-Model-Codes) was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL lists 2021 editions across IBC/IMC/IPC/IFGC/IECC/IFC/IPMC (confirmed via raw HTML, not an AI summary) — the city page has NOT been updated to reflect the statutory transition. Separately, the city's page also shows 2020 NEC, which was already non-compliant with the (unchanged) 2023 NEC statutory requirement before this transition. This file now states the governing statutory codes (2024/2021/2023 editions per subsection) as current per Utah's statewide-mandatory code regime (Utah Code § 15A-1-204), while preserving the City's own (lagging) page text above as historical/local-document context. The Utah Code § 15A-2-103 citation in the sources array below has been updated to the current in-force version link. Local amendments apply — see the North Salt Lake overview page for the full list.

Yes. North Salt Lake Municipal Code § 10-19-17 allows Basement Apartment, Attached, Detached, Second-Story Detached (e.g., above garage), and Tiny Home ADU configurations on single-family lots — broader than some neighboring cities that restrict ADUs to internal-only.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the North Salt Lake building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.