Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy — Unincorporated San Juan County, Utah · Requirements sheet
Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source: https://sanjuancountyut.gov/building
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy in Unincorporated San Juan County, Utah
San Juan County does not publish a standalone 'change of use' permit or a separately priced Certificate of Occupancy (CO). Per the county's Zoning Ordinance (Amended Sept. 2011) §§ 1-6, 1-9, and 1-11, any change in the use of land or a building is folded into the county's general permitting authority — no officer may issue any permit or license for a use that would violate the Ordinance, and the Zoning Administrator 'shall not issue any permit unless the plans of the proposed erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration and use fully conform to all zoning regulations then in effect.' Where the new use is not an outright-Permitted use in the applicable zoning district's Use Regulations table (Zoning Ordinance Chapter 11, § 11-2), the applicant must instead obtain a Conditional Use Permit (Chapter 6) — which carries a real, published, project-value-tiered fee — before the use or any associated building permit is approved. A Certificate of Occupancy itself carries no distinct fee: the county's Building Permit Checklist confirms it is issued by the Building Department as the final step of the standard Final Inspection under the Residential or Commercial Building Permit already documented in this file: 'The completed building should not be occupied until a written "CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY" is issued by the Building Department.'
Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source
When you need this permit
- A change in the use of land, a building, or a structure in unincorporated San Juan County
- If the new use is a Permitted use in the applicable zoning district (Zoning Ordinance Chapter 11, § 11-2, Use Regulations), no separate change-of-use permit or fee applies — proceed to the standard Residential or Commercial Building Permit for any associated construction/alteration, with a Certificate of Occupancy issued at Final Inspection
- If the new use is listed only as a Conditional use in the applicable zoning district (or is not addressed as a use permitted by right), a Conditional Use Permit (Zoning Ordinance Chapter 6) must be obtained from the Planning Commission/Zoning Administrator before the use may commence or a related building permit will be approved
- "The Zoning Administrator shall not issue any permit unless the plans of the proposed erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration and use fully conform to all zoning regulations then in effect." — quoted verbatim from Zoning Ordinance § 1-11
- A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Building Department at Final Inspection under the applicable Residential or Commercial Building Permit already documented in this file — no separate CO application or fee is published
Required documents
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Fee schedule
Review timeline
Inspection process
- 1
Final Inspection
The same Final Inspection documented under this file's Residential and Commercial Building Permit entries; the Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Building Department upon its completion. No separate change-of-use inspection is published.
See the full Unincorporated San Juan County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- San Juan County has no standalone 'change of use' permit — whether a new use requires anything beyond the standard Building Permit depends entirely on whether that use is listed as Permitted or Conditional for the parcel's zoning district in Zoning Ordinance Chapter 11, § 11-2.
- A Conditional Use Permit, when triggered, is priced by project cost/value tier (Small under $25,000, Medium $25,001–$250,000, Large over $250,001) rather than a flat fee — confirm which tier applies with the Planning & Building Department before budgeting.
- The county's Planning & Zoning Fee Schedule separately lists a 'Plan Review' line item at 10% of the estimated building permit fee. It is not clear from published sources whether this Planning-level fee applies in addition to, or instead of, the Building Department's own combined 1.75x-per-square-foot Plan Review & Building Permit fee documented under this file's Residential and Commercial Building Permit entries — confirm which fee(s) actually apply for a given project directly with the department.
- No separate Certificate of Occupancy fee is published — a CO is issued at no additional charge as the final step of the standard Building Permit's Final Inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification
Key facts 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 San Juan County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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