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Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit in Unincorporated Garfield County, Utah

Unincorporated Garfield County has no standalone 'Change of Use Permit' application distinct from its Building Permit / Certificate of Occupancy (CO) process. Per Zoning Ordinance § 155.099, a Certificate of Occupancy 'shall be applied for coincidentally with the application for a building permit and shall be issued within ten days after the erection or structural alteration of such building or structure or part thereof...[has] been completed in conformity with the provisions of this chapter' — the CO is the mechanism the county uses to sign off on both new construction and any use change of an existing building. A narrower, explicit change-of-use rule also governs nonconforming uses: under § 155.152(B) ('Changes of Nonconforming Use'), 'a change of use of a nonconforming use of a structure or parcel of land shall not be made except to that of a conforming use,' and once changed, the property may not revert to the prior nonconforming use. Both provisions are current law under Ord. 2021-10 (passed 9-27-2021).

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building Permit Application filed for any accompanying construction, alteration, or occupancy change of a structure or part thereof (§ 155.098(B))
  • Certificate of Occupancy applied for 'coincidentally with' the Building Permit Application (§ 155.099)
  • For a legally nonconforming use converting to a conforming use: compliance with § 155.152(B) — once converted, the property may not revert to the prior nonconforming use
  • Evidence of an approved potable water supply and an approved method of waste disposal, per § 155.098(B), same as for any other building permit
  • A change of use with NO accompanying construction/structural alteration is not addressed by a distinct standalone application anywhere in the current Zoning Ordinance — confirm with the Garfield County Building Department whether a CO alone (without a building permit) is issued for such a case

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Certificate of OccupancyZoning Ordinance § 155.099 requires a CO but sets no separate CO fee, and the Building Department Fees schedule has no standalone CO line item. A change of use accompanied by construction is priced through the applicable Building Permit / Plan Review / Remodel fee lines documented under this jurisdiction's other commercial permit types.
No distinct fee published

Review timeline

Plan reviewUnincorporated Garfield County’s published plan-review target
0–10 business days

How long did your Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Garfield County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off

    Building Official verifies the completed building, structure, or use conforms to the Zoning Ordinance before issuing the Certificate of Occupancy (§ 155.099); for a nonconforming-to-conforming use conversion, verification also covers compliance with § 155.152(B).

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

Tips

  • Garfield County does not have a standalone 'change of use permit' — the Certificate of Occupancy is bundled with the Building Permit application (§ 155.099), and is the mechanism used to sign off on both new construction and a change in a building's use.
  • Once a legally nonconforming use is changed to a conforming use, § 155.152(B) prohibits changing it back to the prior nonconforming use — this conversion is one-way.
  • The 10-day Certificate of Occupancy issuance window in § 155.099 runs from completion of construction/alteration, not from application submittal — it is not a substitute for the pre-construction plan-review timeline documented under this jurisdiction's Building Permit types.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Garfield County requires a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit for: Building Permit Application filed for any accompanying construction, alteration, or occupancy change of a structure or part thereof (§ 155.098(B)); Certificate of Occupancy applied for 'coincidentally with' the Building Permit Application (§ 155.099); For a legally nonconforming use converting to a conforming use: compliance with § 155.152(B) — once converted, the property may not revert to the prior nonconforming use; Evidence of an approved potable water supply and an approved method of waste disposal, per § 155.098(B), same as for any other building permit; A change of use with NO accompanying construction/structural alteration is not addressed by a distinct standalone application anywhere in the current Zoning Ordinance — confirm with the Garfield County Building Department whether a CO alone (without a building permit) is issued for such a case. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Garfield County Building Department at (435) 676-1111 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Garfield County, the published Certificate of Occupancy is: No distinct fee published. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Per Zoning Ordinance § 155.099, a Certificate of Occupancy must be issued within ten days after the building or structural alteration has been completed in conformity with the Ordinance. This is a post-completion issuance window, distinct from the pre-construction plan-review timelines documented for this jurisdiction's Building Permit types.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Certificate of Occupancy Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Garfield County requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy Sign-Off. Schedule each through Garfield County Building Department ((435) 676-1111).

Apply through Garfield County Building Department at Garfield County Courthouse, 55 South Main St, PO Box 77, Panguitch, UT 84759. Phone: (435) 676-1111, email: jared.woolsey@garfield.utah.gov. Office hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00 PM–5:00 PM (closed noon–1pm and all holidays). Official information: https://www.garfield.utah.gov/Departments/Building.

Unincorporated Garfield 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 governed through June 30, 2026); 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 Garfield County's own building-department pages, 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 Wildland Urban Interface Code — adopted under Utah Code § 15A-2-103; Garfield County charges a WUI plan review fee (one per parcel); 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 Garfield County overview page for the full list.

No standalone application exists. Zoning Ordinance § 155.099 requires a Certificate of Occupancy, applied for coincidentally with the Building Permit Application and issued within ten days after construction/alteration is complete. A narrower rule at § 155.152(B) separately governs converting a legally nonconforming use to a conforming use.

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

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