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Change of Use Building Permit in Unincorporated Duchesne County, Utah

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.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A building's proposed use or occupancy classification differs from its previously approved use, or is reclassified within a different class of the same Occupancy group, in unincorporated Duchesne County
  • Floor plan and site plan (building and parking-area locations) submitted to the Department of Building Safety for joint plan review by the Building Department and the Fire Marshal's Office / Fire & Emergency Management Department
  • Any building alterations required to bring the space into compliance with the code requirements for the new use (e.g., door-size changes, ADA ramp, restroom remodel, fire alarm installation) completed under the issued change-of-use permit before occupancy
  • A Certificate of Occupancy issued by the county before the space may be occupied for the new use, consistent with the Certificate of Occupancy requirement documented for the Residential and Commercial Building Permits in this file

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of Use Permit Fee (Minimum, Like-for-Like Use)Duchesne County Business License Application, 'Applying For A Business License – Building & Fire Codes': 'if your proposed use is similar to the previous use you may only need to install a fire alarm or something simple like that. This would most likely require a minimum permit fee of $55.55.'
$55.55
Change of Use Permit Fee (Valuation-Based, Extensive Alterations)Duchesne County Business License Application: 'If you need to do more extensive alterations like increase door sizes, add an ADA ramp and remodel restrooms, then the permit fee will be based on an estimated construction valuation. For major projects, the permit and associated alterations can be fairly costly.' Same generic valuation methodology documented for the Commercial Building Permit; not confirmed whether the 35%-65% Plan Review Fee and 1% State Surcharge documented for other permit types are itemized separately for change-of-use scope, or already folded into this valuation-based figure.
Calculated from the county-adopted cost-per-square-foot valuation table published in the August issue of the ICC Building Safety Journal

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use Building Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Duchesne County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Life-Safety / Alteration Rough-In Inspection

    Confirms any required alteration work (e.g., fire alarm wiring, door/egress modifications, ADA ramp framing) prior to concealment or finish, scoped to what the joint plan review determined the new use requires.

  2. 2

    Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy

    Confirms the space complies with the code requirements determined for the new occupancy classification; a Certificate of Occupancy is required before the space may be occupied or used for the new use.

See the full Unincorporated Duchesne County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • The permit fee for a change of use scales enormously with scope — the county's own worked example is a $55.55 minimum fee for something as simple as adding a fire alarm to a like-for-like use, versus a full valuation-based fee for major alterations like ADA ramps, restroom remodels, or door-size changes.
  • Start with the Department of Building Safety, (435) 738-1150, with a floor plan and site plan in hand — the joint review with the Fire Marshal's Office / Fire & Emergency Management Department, (435) 738-1226, determines which code requirements apply to your specific new use before you know whether you're looking at the minimum fee or a valuation-based one.
  • A change of use is often triggered alongside a new Business License Application — the county's Business License Zoning Clearance Form specifically asks whether the activity is 'a new use of this location' and what the previous use was, and routes the application to Planning & Zoning, the Building Department, and the Fire Department for review.

Frequently asked questions

When you plan to use an existing building for a different purpose than its previous use, or to reclassify it into a different class within the same Occupancy group. Per the county's own guidance, you must obtain a change of use building permit from the Department of Building Safety before beginning the new use.

It depends entirely on scope. The county's own example: if your proposed use is similar to the prior use and you only need something simple like a fire alarm, the fee is a $55.55 minimum. If more extensive alterations are needed (larger doors, an ADA ramp, restroom remodels), the fee is based on an estimated construction valuation, the same as a full Commercial Building Permit.

Unincorporated Duchesne County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Duchesne County Department of Building Safety at (435) 738-1150 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Floor Plan; Site Plan. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Duchesne County may also ask for: Business License Zoning Clearance Form. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Duchesne County requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use building permit, in order: Life-Safety / Alteration Rough-In Inspection, Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Duchesne County Department of Building Safety ((435) 738-1150).

Apply through Duchesne County Department of Building Safety at 734 North Center Street, P.O. Box 317, Duchesne, UT 84021-0317. Phone: (435) 738-1150, email: Building@duchesne.utah.gov. 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. Official information: https://duchesne.utah.gov/gov/dept/building-inspector/.

Unincorporated Duchesne County, Utah has adopted: 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.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Duchesne County overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.

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 Unincorporated Duchesne County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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