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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Moab, Utah

Moab does not publish a standalone Change of Use, Change of Occupancy, or Certificate of Occupancy re-issuance permit or fee. Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020 defines 'building permit' to explicitly include work that would 'erect, construct, reconstruct, grade, excavate for a foundation, alter or change the use of a building or other structure or improvements of land' — folding a use/occupancy classification change into the standard Building Permit process rather than a distinct application. This is corroborated by the City's official Release for Certificate of Occupancy form, which requires an active Building Permit No. on its face and has no standalone change-of-use track, and by the Master Fee Schedule (current through Ordinance 25-01, Jan 28, 2025, as amended by Ordinance #2025-08), which has no 'change of use,' 'change of occupancy,' or 'existing building' fee line. Separately, and not to be conflated with a building-code occupancy change: Moab Municipal Code § 5.04.060 requires an existing licensed business that relocates to file a 'business change of address' before operating at the new location, billed at a distinct, governing $50.00 Administration Fee per the Master Fee Schedule § 3.50.050 (excluding home-occupation licenses, which are $0) — a real fee, but scoped to a business's street address, not an IBC occupancy-classification change to a building.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A change in use or occupancy classification for an existing building in Moab is evaluated through the standard Commercial Building Permit process, not a separate application, per Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020's definition of 'building permit'
  • If the use/occupancy change involves construction or tenant-improvement scope, it is processed and fee'd as a Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit (see those entries)
  • A Certificate of Occupancy is tied to an active Building Permit No.: the official Release for Certificate of Occupancy form requires one on its face and, for commercial occupancies, requires Moab Valley Fire Inspector and Southeast Utah Health Department sign-off in addition to Zoning, Engineering, Public Works, and Waste Water approval
  • An existing licensed business that changes its physical location (a distinct event from a building's occupancy classification changing) must file a business change of address per Moab Municipal Code § 5.04.060 prior to conducting business at the new location
  • Home-occupation business licenses are excluded from the $50.00 change-of-address administration fee per the Master Fee Schedule's own table

Required documents

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Fee schedule

No distinct Change of Use / Change of Occupancy building-permit fee exists
The Master Fee Schedule (Moab Municipal Code § 3.50.165, current through Ordinance 25-01 as amended by Ordinance #2025-08) has no 'change of use,' 'change of occupancy,' or 'certificate of occupancy' fee line item. Show full citationThe Master Fee Schedule (Moab Municipal Code § 3.50.165, current through Ordinance 25-01 as amended by Ordinance #2025-08) has no 'change of use,' 'change of occupancy,' or 'certificate of occupancy' fee line item. Where the change involves construction or tenant-improvement scope, the standard valuation-based Building Permit Fee applies — see the Commercial Building Permit and Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit entries.
Not applicable as a separate line item
Administration fee for business change of address application (excluding home occupation)
Moab Municipal Code § 3.50.050 Master Fee Schedule (current through Ordinance 25-01, passed January 28, 2025), 'Business licenses' table — per the current codified Chapter 3.50 PDF. Show full citationMoab Municipal Code § 3.50.050 Master Fee Schedule (current through Ordinance 25-01, passed January 28, 2025), 'Business licenses' table — per the current codified Chapter 3.50 PDF. This fee governs an existing licensed business relocating to a new address under § 5.04.060; it is a real, distinct, itemized fee, but it is not a building-code change-of-use/occupancy fee and should not be conflated with one.
$50.00 each request

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Moab?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Code Analysis / Occupancy Classification Review

    A change in use or occupancy classification is reviewed as part of the standard Building Permit plan review process, per Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020's definition of 'building permit.'

  2. 2

    Certificate of Occupancy Sign-off Chain

    Per the official Release for Certificate of Occupancy form: Zoning Director, City Engineer, Public Works Director, and Waste Water/Grand Water Sewer Services approval required for both residential and commercial; Moab Valley Fire Inspector and Southeast Utah Health Department approval additionally required for commercial, before the Building Inspector issues the Certificate of Occupancy.

See the full Moab inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Do not look for a standalone 'Change of Use Permit' or 'Change of Occupancy Permit' application on moabcity.gov — none exists. A use/occupancy change is captured within the standard Building Permit definition (Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020: a building permit covers work to 'alter or change the use of a building or other structure').
  • Do not confuse the $50.00 'business change of address' administration fee (Moab Municipal Code § 5.04.060 / Master Fee Schedule § 3.50.050) with a building-code change-of-use or change-of-occupancy review — the former applies only when an existing licensed business physically relocates; the latter (no distinct fee) applies when a building's occupancy classification changes and is processed through the standard Building Permit.
  • Moab Valley Fire Inspector and Southeast Utah Health Department sign-off are both required on every commercial Certificate of Occupancy, per the City's official Release for Certificate of Occupancy form — budget time for both in addition to Zoning, Engineering, Public Works, and Waste Water approval.
  • The § 17.06.020 and § 5.04.060 code text cited here is drawn from the official code pages at moab.municipal.codes.

Frequently asked questions

Moab requires a change of use / change of occupancy permit for: A change in use or occupancy classification for an existing building in Moab is evaluated through the standard Commercial Building Permit process, not a separate application, per Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020's definition of 'building permit'; If the use/occupancy change involves construction or tenant-improvement scope, it is processed and fee'd as a Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit (see those entries); A Certificate of Occupancy is tied to an active Building Permit No.: the official Release for Certificate of Occupancy form requires one on its face and, for commercial occupancies, requires Moab Valley Fire Inspector and Southeast Utah Health Department sign-off in addition to Zoning, Engineering, Public Works, and Waste Water approval; An existing licensed business that changes its physical location (a distinct event from a building's occupancy classification changing) must file a business change of address per Moab Municipal Code § 5.04.060 prior to conducting business at the new location; Home-occupation business licenses are excluded from the $50.00 change-of-address administration fee per the Master Fee Schedule's own table. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Moab City Building Safety / Building Inspection Division (Community Development Department) at (435) 259-5129 before starting work.

No. Moab Municipal Code § 5.04.060 requires an existing licensed business that relocates to a new address to file a business change of address, billed at a flat $50.00 administration fee (home-occupation licenses excluded). That fee applies to a business changing its street address, not to a change in a building's IBC occupancy classification, which is instead reviewed through the standard Building Permit process at no separate fee.

Moab does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Moab City Building Safety / Building Inspection Division (Community Development Department) at (435) 259-5129 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Release for Certificate of Occupancy. Depending on your project, Moab may also ask for: Building Permit Application (marked Commercial); Business Change of Address Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Moab requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Code Analysis / Occupancy Classification Review, Certificate of Occupancy Sign-off Chain. Schedule each through Moab City Building Safety / Building Inspection Division (Community Development Department) ((435) 259-5129).

Apply through Moab City Building Safety / Building Inspection Division (Community Development Department) at 217 East Center Street, Moab, UT 84532. Phone: (435) 259-5129, email: permitting@moabcity.gov. Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Fri 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Official information: https://www.moabcity.gov/500/Building-Inspection.

Moab, 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), superseding the 2021 IBC. Moab City's official Building Inspection page (moabcity.gov/500/Building-Inspection) embeds a hidden 'BUILDING CODE' tab whose content is the verbatim text of an old snapshot of Utah Code § 15A-2-103 — that embedded text lists only 'Appendix J' (not C and J) and links frozen statute-version pages from 2014-2019, indicating the city's page predates even the pre-7/1/2026 code cycle, let alone the current one. The statute controls regardless of the city page's lag.; 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. Matches the (otherwise stale) statute text embedded on Moab's page.; Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(c); Moab's embedded page text instead cites 'Appendix Q of the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code' (an older statute numbering) — reproduced verbatim as history; the current statute's Appendix AQ is added here as the operative citation.; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d), superseding the 2021 IPC. Moab's embedded page text still shows the 2021 IPC (a lagging citation). The statute controls.; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e), superseding the 2021 IMC. Moab's embedded page text still shows the 2021 IMC (a lagging citation). The statute controls.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f), superseding the 2021 IFGC. Moab's embedded page text still shows the 2021 IFGC (a lagging citation). The statute controls.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i), superseding the 2021 IEBC. Moab's embedded page text still shows the 2021 IEBC (a lagging citation). The statute controls.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — statewide-mandatory edition per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); UNCHANGED by the 7/1/2026 amendment (the 2023 NEC baseline predates this code cycle). Moab's embedded page text still shows the 2020 NEC — one edition behind the statewide-mandatory floor. Per Utah Code § 15A-1-204 (statewide-mandatory construction code), the 2023 NEC governs regardless of the city's own page.; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), single unsplit statewide edition — CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h) (no residential/commercial split under current law), superseding Moab's residential/commercial split. Moab's embedded page text still cites 'Residential provisions of the 2015 edition' and 'Commercial provisions of the 2021 edition' of the IECC — preserved as history — both are now collapsed into the single current 2024 IECC. The statute controls.; Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n); not present anywhere in the statute text Moab's own page embeds (that embedded text predates the ISPSC's addition to § 15A-2-103 and instead references now-superseded mobile/manufactured-home provisions), added here per the current statute.; Modular Building Institute (MBI) Standards 1200 and 1205 — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(o); not present in the statute text Moab's own page embeds, added here per the current statute.; All per Moab City's official Building Inspection Department page (moabcity.gov/500/Building-Inspection), consistent with Utah Code § 15A-2-103 statewide code adoption.; NOTE: Utah Code § 15A-2-103, version effective 7/1/2026 (superseded 1/1/2027), governs. IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/IEBC/residential ISPSC are now 2024 statewide; IRC (2021) and NEC (2023) did NOT change. Moab's Building Inspection page (moabcity.gov/500/Building-Inspection) embeds, in its 'BUILDING CODE' tab panel, the raw text of an old snapshot of § 15A-2-103 itself (with hyperlinks to frozen statute-version pages dated 2014-2019) rather than a city-authored summary — meaning Moab's page is not merely one cycle behind but reflects a substantially older statute snapshot (pre-dating even the introduction of the residential ISPSC provision). The current statewide statute, at le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter2/15A-2-S103.html, controls over this stale embedded text.. Local amendments apply — see the Moab overview page for the full list.

No. Moab does not publish a standalone Change of Use, Change of Occupancy, or Certificate of Occupancy re-issuance permit or fee. Moab Municipal Code § 17.06.020 defines a 'building permit' to already cover work to alter or change the use of a building, so a use/occupancy change is processed through the standard Commercial Building Permit (or Tenant Improvement Permit) process instead.

Property Access

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