Unincorporated Duchesne County building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Unincorporated Duchesne County, Utah.
Last verified 2026-07-08 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 734 North Center Street, P.O. Box 317, Duchesne, UT 84021-0317
- Phone
- (435) 738-1150
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (closed state and federal holidays); Planning & Zoning zoning-clearance line (435) 738-1135 or 1152
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Unincorporated Duchesne County — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Utah adopts construction codes statewide under Utah Code Title 15A (State Construction and Fire Codes Act), enforced by every jurisdiction. Chapter 4 of Title 15A codifies Legislature-enacted amendments for specific named jurisdictions (e.g., Park City, Salt Lake City, Sandy City) as part of the state construction code. Through June 30, 2026, the editions in force under Utah Code § 15A-2-103 are the 2021 IBC (with Appendices C and J), 2021 IRC, 2021 IPC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 IEBC, and 2021 ISPSC (residential provisions), together with the 2023 NEC. Effective July 1, 2026, § 15A-2-103 adopts the 2024 editions of the IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, and ISPSC; the IRC remains the 2021 edition and the NEC remains the 2023 edition. Note: residential energy requirements are modified by statewide amendments, and several Utah jurisdictions document their residential energy provisions at the 2015 IECC level rather than the adopted IECC year — confirm the applicable residential energy code with your local jurisdiction. Always confirm the edition in force with your local jurisdiction.
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026)
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), plus Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b)/(c); unchanged by the July 1, 2026 revision — still the current edition
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition, including Utah amendment P2602.3 (individual water supply), governed through June 30, 2026 — confirm the amendment still applies against the 2024 base edition)
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026)
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026)
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); statute has no residential/commercial split — one edition applies to both
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026)
- 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), residential provisions — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n). ADDED 2026-07-16: this code is not listed on Duchesne County's own permit materials, but it is adopted statewide by statute, so it applies here regardless of the county page's omission.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); statewide in force, unchanged by the July 1, 2026 revision
- Utah State Amendment to IBC Section 1807 (Empirical Concrete Foundation Design, Table 1807.1.6.4) — Duchesne County Permit Packet, dated July 1, 2023
- Utah Wildland Urban Interface Code — adopted under Utah Code § 15A-2-103; a Pre-site/WUI evaluation is a required inspection for new construction in Duchesne County
- NOTE (verified 2026-07-16 against the live Utah Code § 15A-2-103 text, version headed 'Effective 7/1/2026 / Superseded 1/1/2027'): the 2024 editions of IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, and IEBC listed above took effect July 1, 2026, replacing the 2021 editions; IRC (2021) and NEC (2023) did not change. The 1/1/2027 version of the statute carries identical editions, so no further flip is expected then. This file previously forecast this change but still led with the 2021 editions as current — corrected on this date.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit
Required for new single-family dwelling construction, additions, and structural alterations in unincorporated Duchesne County. The Duchesne County Department of Building Safety also reviews and issues building permits for the Town of Altamont and the Town of Tabiona under a full contract arrangement — those towns do not run their own building departments. Duchesne City, Roosevelt, and Myton run independent city building departments and are excluded.
Commercial Building Permit
Required for new commercial construction in unincorporated Duchesne County (plus the Towns of Altamont and Tabiona, which fully contract building-permit review to the county). The Duchesne County Permit Packet does not itemize a distinct commercial fee table or a commercial-specific plan-review percentage separate from residential — re-verified 2026-07-19 by direct full-text extraction of the county's own 14-page Permit Packet, in which the word 'commercial' appears only in the codesAdopted context (IECC commercial provisions) and an unrelated owner-builder certification clause, never in the fee or plan-review sections. The same valuation-based fee methodology, 35%-65% plan review range, and 1% state surcharge documented for the Residential Building Permit apply to commercial projects.
Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit
Required for interior tenant-improvement and tenant-finish work within existing commercial space in unincorporated Duchesne County. The county's Permit Packet does not publish a distinct tenant-improvement fee category or submittal checklist — the same valuation-based fee, 35%-65% plan review range, and 1% state surcharge documented for the Commercial Building Permit apply, scoped to the actual work performed.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Duchesne County publishes no distinct EV charger / EVSE permit or fee, and no minor-work flat fee at all. The Department of Building Safety's Permit Packet (July 2023) prices every building permit purely by estimated construction cost valuation, with no published minimum fee or standalone electrical-only category — an EV charger installation would need to go through the same valuation-based Building Permit process as any other electrical work, with no smaller flat-fee alternative documented.
Solar PV / Solar Energy System Permit
Duchesne County publishes no distinct solar or solar-PV permit, application, or fee line item. The county's own guidance document, 'What Buildings Require a Building Permit?' (revised August 26, 2016), directly addresses solar: 'Other permits may be required for Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC equipment that are to be installed in or on the building. This includes electrical solar systems, wind generators and other alternative systems.' A rooftop or ground-mounted solar PV installation is therefore processed as an electrical-permit component of the standard Building Permit process, priced under the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee, Plan Review Fee, and 1% State Surcharge documented for the Residential and Commercial Building Permits in this file — confirmed independently against the July 2023 Permit Packet (no 'solar' mention anywhere in its 14 pages) and the County Land Use Fee Schedule (Ordinance #25-416, February 2025), which covers only zoning/subdivision/conditional-use fees and likewise contains no solar line item.
Sign Permit
Duchesne County publishes no distinct sign permit application or fee. County Code § 8-9-14 ('Signs, On Premises And Off Premises Advertising') sets sign STANDARDS — not a permit process or fee schedule. Per County Code § 8-1-4 ('Building Permits Required; Exceptions'): 'No construction shall occur except pursuant to a validly issued, unexpired and unrevoked building permit' — and a sign attached to real property falls under that definition. A sign in unincorporated Duchesne County is therefore reviewed and permitted under whichever Building Permit type already applies to the property (Commercial Building Permit, Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit, or Change of Use Building Permit), not as a standalone sign permit.
Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm Permit
Duchesne County does not publish a standalone fire-sprinkler or fire-alarm permit, application, or fee schedule. Per the county's own Business License Application guidance ('Applying For A Business License – Building & Fire Codes'), plan review for fire-protection systems is conducted jointly by the Department of Building Safety and the county's own Fire & Emergency Management Department (referred to elsewhere in county materials as the Fire Marshal's Office or Fire Warden) as part of the underlying Commercial Building Permit or Change of Use Building Permit — not as a separate fire-permit type. Utah Code § 53-7-104(2) provides that 'the fire officers of any city or county shall enforce the state fire code and rules of the state fire marshal in their respective areas,' and Duchesne County's Fire & Emergency Management Department is that local fire officer for the county, so the statewide Utah State Fire Marshal's Office submittal/fee process ($0.022/sq ft, $75 minimum, per its own Automatic Fire Sprinkler and Fire Alarm submittal forms) is not confirmed to be the applicable path here — the county appears to review fire-protection systems itself rather than deferring to the state office. This gap in a published standalone fee schedule, combined with the unconfirmed state-vs-county review question, keeps this entry at partial confidence.
Change of Use Building Permit
Required when a building's proposed occupancy or use classification differs from its prior use in unincorporated Duchesne County. Per the county's own Business License Application guidance: 'If the building you plan on using for the business has been used for any other purpose than what you are proposing to use it for, you may need to change the Occupancy use classification of the building or reclassify it in a different class of the same Occupancy group... To do this, you will need to obtain a change of use building permit from the Duchesne County Department of Building Safety.' Unlike the sign and fire-sprinkler/alarm gaps documented elsewhere in this file, this is a genuinely distinct, named permit type in the county's own materials, though it shares the same application and joint Building Department / Fire Marshal's Office review process as other permit types rather than having its own dedicated form.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- 10units
10 buildings · $3.2M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 111units
12 of 12 months reported · #49 in Utah coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 40units
40 buildings · $13M valuation
- Full year 2025
- 127units
124 buildings · $39.1M valuation
County-wide figures: BPS reports county-wide totals; jurisdiction is the unincorporated remainder plus the Towns of Altamont and Tabiona, which fully contract their building permit review and issuance to the Duchesne County Department of Building Safety (confirmed on the county's own Permit Packet, July 2023: 'Town & City Offices – Duchesne County Reviews & Issues Building Permits for: Town of Altamont, Town of Tabiona'). Duchesne City, Roosevelt, and Myton each run their own independent city building departments/inspectors and are NOT covered by this file.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Utah building activity
Tips & gotchas
- The Duchesne County Department of Building Safety issues and inspects building permits for unincorporated county land AND the Towns of Altamont and Tabiona, which fully contract building permit services to the county rather than running their own departments. Duchesne City, Roosevelt, and Myton each run independent city building departments — confirm which office applies before starting an application.
- Building permit applications can be started online via the county's CivicReview portal (app.civicreview.com), or submitted in person/by mail to 734 North Center St., Duchesne, UT.
- Inspection scheduling requires 24 hours notice for afternoon inspections and 48 hours notice for morning inspections due to the size of the county's coverage area — call (435) 738-1150 and leave a message; a callback is required to confirm the appointment.
- A Zoning Clearance from Planning & Zoning ((435) 738-1135 or 1152) is required before a building permit can be issued, and a Road Approach Permit from the County Road Department ((435) 738-2468) or UDOT is required if access is from a county- or state-maintained road.
- Wells for culinary water supply require an inorganic water test through the Tri-County Health Department that can take 4-6 weeks — plan ahead, since a Certificate of Occupancy requires an approved water source.
- Building permit fees are valuation-based using the county-adopted ICC Building Safety Journal cost-per-square-foot table, not a flat fee schedule; applicants who disagree with the resulting valuation may submit a contractor's bid plus a county assessor appraisal instead.
- Duchesne County has not published its own building-permit plan-review turnaround time; the statutory ceiling under Utah Code § 17-36-55(3)(a) is 14 business days for one- and two-family dwellings and townhomes.
- Building or placing a structure without a required permit carries a minimum penalty equal to the permit fee that would have applied, per Duchesne County Code § 7-1E-4 / Resolution 15-18, Exhibit B — even if a permit could not have been issued for the project.