Unincorporated Rich County building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Unincorporated Rich County, Utah.
Last verified 2026-07-08 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- Rich County Courthouse, 20 S. Main, Randolph, UT 84064 (Building Inspector Tyler D. Seaman: 564 S Norway Spruce Dr, Layton, UT 84041 — inspector operates from this mailing address but permits/payments are processed through the Rich County Courthouse)
- Phone
- 801-564-0897 (Building Inspector Tyler D. Seaman, cell); 435-793-5155 (payments — text or email preferred); 435-793-2415 (Rich County Courthouse general line)
- Office hours
- Rich County Courthouse: Monday–Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Building Inspector has no fixed office hours — contact by cell/text or email for the best response.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Unincorporated Rich County's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Unincorporated Rich 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) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IBC
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b); unchanged by the July 1, 2026 statewide update, remains in force
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IPC
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IMC
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IFGC
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IECC. The statute adopts a single IECC edition with no residential/commercial split.
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IEBC
- 2024 residential provisions of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 ISPSC
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); statewide in force, unchanged by the July 1, 2026 update
- NOTE: Rich County's own undated 'Building Permit Information' handout previously referenced the long-superseded 2018 IBC — that document was already stale before today's update. Attempted to re-fetch the handout live on 2026-07-16 to check its current text, but the PDF returned corrupted/unparseable binary content to the fetch tool, so its present wording could not be independently re-verified today; treat the handout as unreliable for edition currency either way. The statewide-adopted 2024 IBC (effective July 1, 2026) is the legally in-force edition per Utah Code § 15A-2-103 regardless of what the handout says.
- NOTE (updated 2026-07-16): The July 1, 2026 statewide code-edition transition (2024 IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/IEBC/ISPSC replacing 2021 editions) took effect 15 days ago per Utah Code § 15A-2-103 (version effective 7/1/2026, superseded 1/1/2027; next version's editions confirmed identical). 2021 IRC and 2023 NEC are unchanged. The International Fire Code is NOT adopted by § 15A-2-103 (it lives in Title 15A Chapter 5) and is not referenced elsewhere in this file.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit
Required for new residential construction, additions, alterations, and most structural work anywhere in unincorporated Rich County, and in the towns of Randolph, Woodruff, and Laketown (each requires a town zoning clearance first; the Rich County Building Department then reviews plans, issues the permit, and performs inspections). Garden City is NOT covered by this file — it operates its own independent building department and permitting process.
Commercial Building Permit
Required for new commercial construction anywhere in unincorporated Rich County, and in the towns of Randolph, Woodruff, and Laketown (each requires a town zoning clearance first; the Rich County Building Department then reviews plans, issues the permit, and performs inspections), regulated by the statewide-adopted 2024 IBC (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a), effective July 1, 2026). Garden City is NOT covered — it operates its own independent building department. Notably, Rich County's own 2025 Building Permit ordinance sets fees using the International Residential Code (IRC) fee table 'applicable at the time of application' without a documented separate commercial/IBC-based fee table — this is reported as-published rather than assumed to be an error.
Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit
Required for tenant improvement and tenant finish work in existing commercial buildings anywhere the Rich County Building Department has jurisdiction — unincorporated county land and the towns of Randolph, Woodruff, and Laketown. Rich County does not publish a distinct tenant-improvement permit type, application, or fee tier separate from its general Commercial Building Permit process; the same IRC-based fee table, refundable project-cost-tiered deposit, and mandatory architect/engineer stamp on commercial plans apply. Garden City is NOT covered by this file.
Sign Permit
Required for erecting, relocating, or enlarging most signs in unincorporated Rich County, under Rich County Development Code Chapter 11 (Sign Regulations). The Building Inspector approves the sign plan and issues the permit; the same Chapter 11 sets detailed dimensional, setback, and zone-based standards. Name plates, for-sale signs, and temporary signs in place under three months are exempt from the permit requirement.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Rich County does not publish a distinct EV charger, EVSE, or electric vehicle charging station permit or fee. The Rich County Building Permit Information handout explicitly confirms electrical work is bundled into the general Building Permit: "Electrical Inspection (bundled) — Included in the building permit fee when a building permit is issued; $50.00 if electrical work is inspected without an accompanying building permit." A new dedicated EV charger circuit is therefore covered under the same general, valuation-based Building Permit issued by the Rich County Building Department, with no separate EV-specific line item.
Solar / Solar PV Installation Permit
Rich County does not publish a distinct solar, solar PV, or renewable-energy installation permit or fee. A full-text review of the county's Building Permit Application Information packet, its 2025 Building Permits and Certificates of Occupancy ordinance, its Building Permit Information (design-parameters) handout, its Development Code (both the 2020 version and the July 2025 revision), and its full Code & Ordinances index turned up no solar-specific permit type, application, fee line, or zoning provision anywhere. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation is therefore processed as a standard Rich County Building Permit — the same valuation-based IRC fee table applies, and the electrical work (inverter, new circuit, interconnection wiring) is inspected as part of the bundled Building Permit electrical inspection, exactly as documented for this county's general Building Permit and EV Charger / EVSE Permit entries.
Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm Permit
Rich County does not publish its own fire-sprinkler or fire-alarm plan-review process, fee, or dedicated fire-code plan reviewer. The county's Fire Warden (Travis Hobbs) is a wildland-fire role tied to the Fire Hazard Severity Form used on building permit applications, not a structural fire-code Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Randolph, Woodruff, and Laketown each maintain their own local volunteer fire department/district, but none was found to publish a fire-sprinkler or fire-alarm plan-review process or fee. Under Utah Code Title 15A Chapter 5 (State Fire Code Act, adopting the 2021 International Fire Code) and Utah Admin. Code R710-9-8, the 'authority having jurisdiction' for fire and life-safety plan review is the State Fire Marshal (SFM), an authorized deputy, or the local fire enforcement authority — but R710-9-8's SFM-review provisions are written primarily around state-owned buildings, schools, and (as a backstop) publicly-owned/institutional buildings, not an explicit blanket mandate over all private commercial construction in every county. Absent any documented Rich County or town-level fire-code plan-review authority, the SFM's statewide submittal process (Automatic Fire Sprinkler Plan Submittal Form; Fire Alarm Plan Review Submittal Form) is the most concrete, verifiable path located, but its applicability to a specific private Rich County project is not independently confirmed and should be verified directly with the SFM's Plan Review section before relying on it. Installation of the physical system also still requires the standard Rich County Building Permit, per the county's Ordinance for Building Permits and Certificates of Occupancy (adopted 2025), Section 2.A, which requires a building permit for installation of any system 'regulated by this building codes.'
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit
Rich County does not publish a distinct change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy application separate from its general Building Permit process. Per the Rich County Ordinance for Building Permits and Certificates of Occupancy (Ordinance No. 025-3, adopted January 8, 2025), Section 2.A explicitly requires a building permit from the Building Inspector for anyone who intends to 'change the occupancy type of a building or structure' — the same building-permit application, IRC-based fee table, and refundable project-cost-tiered deposit documented on this file's Residential and Commercial Building Permit entries. A certificate of occupancy (CO) is issued as the outcome of the final inspection under that same permit (Ordinance Sections 3-4), not through a separate CO application or fee: the refundable building-permit deposit is returned only after (1) the final inspection is completed and (2) a certificate of occupancy has been issued, and it is forfeited if anyone begins occupying the building, residence, or renovated portion before the CO is issued.
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)
- 5units
5 buildings · $2.9M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 68units
12 of 12 months reported · #61 in Utah coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 31units
24 buildings · $15.9M valuation
- Full year 2025
- 82units
65 buildings · $41.7M valuation
County-wide figures: Rich County Building Department (Building Inspector Tyler D. Seaman) issues building permits and inspections for unincorporated Rich County land AND for the towns of Randolph, Woodruff, and Laketown — each of those three towns requires its own local zoning clearance first, then routes the actual building permit application to the county for issuance and inspection (confirmed directly from the county's own 'Building Permit Application Information' packet, which requires a 'ZONING CLEARANCE LETTER from the city or county planning and zoning committee' as a prerequisite document, plus Woodruff's and Laketown's own sites explicitly describing a town zoning-clearance step feeding into county permitting). Garden City is the exception: it operates its OWN independent building department (own online permit filing, own contracted building inspector Glen Gillies/enforcement@gardencityutah.gov, own municipal ordinance code at gardencityutah.gov) and does NOT route through Rich County. County file row: 'Rich County' (49/033).
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
- Rich County includes four incorporated towns — Randolph, Woodruff, Laketown, and Garden City — but only THREE of them (Randolph, Woodruff, Laketown) route their building permits through the Rich County Building Department. Garden City runs its own fully independent building department and is out of scope for this file.
- The prerequisite in all three county-served towns is the same two-step pattern: get a town zoning clearance first, then Rich County Building Department reviews plans and issues the actual permit.
- Rich County does not publish its own dollar-amount building permit fee schedule — fees are pegged to the standard International Residential Code (IRC) valuation fee table per the county's 2025 building permit ordinance. Contact the Building Inspector to get the exact fee for a specific project valuation.
- A refundable deposit ($500/$1,000/$2,000 tiered by project cost) is due at permit issuance, on top of the IRC-table permit fee, and is returned after final inspection and certificate of occupancy.
- This is a small, remote, one-inspector county office (Tyler D. Seaman, cell-phone based, no fixed hours) — allow extra lead time versus larger Wasatch Front counties, and expect phone/email/text as the primary contact channels rather than a walk-in counter.
- Snow loads and elevation vary significantly across the four towns/areas — do not assume a single county-wide snow load; Sweetwater Hill/Swan Creek Village run notably higher (60/86 lbs per sq ft) than Laketown/Randolph/Woodruff (40/57 lbs per sq ft).
- Electrical work is inspected as part of the standard building permit at no extra fee; a standalone electrical-only inspection (no building permit) is $50.
- No permit needed for structures 200 sq ft or smaller, county-wide.
- Utilities (specifically Rocky Mountain Power) are legally barred from connecting electrical service without a valid Rich County building permit on file — plan the permit and work-order-number steps early if you need power hookup.
- 2026-07-16 codesAdopted refresh: flipped IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC to their 2024 editions (effective July 1, 2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103); 2021 IRC and 2023 NEC unchanged. Added IEBC and ISPSC (2024), previously absent from this file, sourced directly to the statute. Attempted to re-fetch the county's own 2018-IBC-referencing handout today but it returned unparseable PDF binary content — could not confirm whether the handout itself has since been updated; flagged as unverified rather than assumed.