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Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy in Unincorporated Sevier County, Utah

Sevier County does not publish a standalone Change-of-Use Permit or Certificate-of-Occupancy application/fee separate from the standard Building Permit. The county's Fee Schedule (Appendix C, land-use/zoning fees) lists Board of Adjustment Appeal ($200), Conditional Use Permit (tiered $35/$100/$175), Excavation Bond, PUD ($300), Subdivision, Temporary Use Permit ($75), Youth Home ($450), and Zoning Change ($300) — no 'change of use,' 'occupancy,' or 'certificate of occupancy' line item appears anywhere in it (re-confirmed 2026-07-22, matching the finding already documented in this file's commercial-building-permit entry). For new construction, a Certificate of Occupancy is issued as the outcome of the standard Final inspection under the general Building Permit, per the Certificate of Occupancy provisions of the adopted 2024 International Building Code (IBC), Chapter 1 Section 111 — the county's own Required Inspections page lists only a generic 'Final inspection' with no separate CO application step. For an existing building, Sevier County's Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 14.28, Nonconforming Uses) only requires a Board of Adjustment special permit to EXTEND or ENLARGE a legal nonconforming use (§ 14.28.010, citing § 14.20.040); it does not create a distinct fee or application for an ordinary conforming-to-conforming change of use, which is expected to be handled through the standard Building Permit process under the adopted IBC's own change-of-occupancy provisions.

Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • New construction: a Certificate of Occupancy is issued upon successful completion of the Final inspection under the standard Building Permit, per the Certificate of Occupancy provisions of the adopted 2024 IBC, Chapter 1 Section 111 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a)) — no distinct CO application or fee is separately published by the county
  • Change of use/occupancy classification for an existing building: reviewed under the adopted IBC's own change-of-occupancy provisions through the same general Building Permit process; no standalone change-of-use permit, application, or fee is published
  • EXTENSION or ENLARGEMENT (not a like-for-like or lesser-intensity change) of a legal nonconforming use requires a special permit from the Board of Adjustment, per Sevier County Zoning Ordinance § 14.28.010 (citing § 14.20.040)
  • Zoning approval, where applicable, obtained prior to any building-permit-linked change-of-use application

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Filing fee
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

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

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final / Certificate of Occupancy

    The standard Final inspection under the general Building Permit process; per the adopted 2024 IBC Chapter 1 Section 111, successful completion triggers Certificate of Occupancy issuance. Not a separately scheduled inspection from the Final inspection documented in this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries.

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

Tips

  • There is no dedicated Change of Use or Certificate of Occupancy fee line item in Sevier County's published Fee Schedule (Appendix C) — only zoning/land-use fees (Board of Adjustment Appeal, Conditional Use Permit, PUD, Subdivision, Temporary Use Permit, Zoning Change, etc.) appear, re-confirmed 2026-07-22.
  • A Certificate of Occupancy for new construction is not a separate application in Sevier County — it is the outcome of passing the standard Final inspection under the general Building Permit, per the adopted IBC's own Section 111 provisions.
  • Only an EXTENSION or ENLARGEMENT of a legal nonconforming use triggers a Board of Adjustment special-permit requirement under Zoning Ordinance § 14.28.010 — an ordinary conforming-to-conforming change of use does not require this filing.
  • Confirm with the Building Official, (435) 893-0420, before assuming no permit or review is needed for a specific change-of-use or occupancy-classification project.

Frequently asked questions

No standalone change-of-use permit or fee is published. An ordinary conforming-to-conforming change of use is expected to be reviewed under the adopted IBC's change-of-occupancy provisions through the standard Building Permit process. A Board of Adjustment special permit is required only if the change would EXTEND or ENLARGE a legal nonconforming use, per Zoning Ordinance § 14.28.010.

Unincorporated Sevier County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Sevier County Building, Planning and Zoning Department at (435) 893-0420 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (CityInspect online portal). Depending on your project, Unincorporated Sevier County may also ask for: Board of Adjustment Special Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Sevier County requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Final / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Sevier County Building, Planning and Zoning Department ((435) 893-0420).

Apply through Sevier County Building, Planning and Zoning Department at 250 North Main Street, Suite 131, P.O. Box 517, Richfield, UT 84701. Phone: (435) 893-0420. Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (lunch 12:00–1:00 PM, per the county's official 'Applying for a Building Permit' cheat sheet). Official information: https://www.sevier.utah.gov/departments/county_departments/building___planning___zoning/obtaining_a_building_permit.php.

Unincorporated Sevier County, Utah has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); the statewide 2024-cycle code update took effect July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IBC previously in force.; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b); the IRC remains the 2021 edition, unchanged by the July 1, 2026 statewide update cycle.; 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 Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); effective since July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IEBC.; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with Utah amendments — 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.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — current statewide electrical code, unchanged in the July 1, 2026 statewide update.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f), effective since July 1, 2026. Not separately listed on Sevier County's own Building/Planning/Zoning webpages as of the sources checked (2026-07-08 and re-checked 2026-07-16) — added here because the statute adopts it statewide regardless of the county page's omission.; 2024 residential provisions of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n), effective since July 1, 2026. Not separately listed on Sevier County's own Building/Planning/Zoning webpages as of the sources checked (2026-07-08 and re-checked 2026-07-16) — added here because the statute adopts it statewide regardless of the county page's omission.; Sevier County Code Chapter 150 (Buildings and Construction), §§ 150.01–150.47 — local building-permit administration ordinance; the county's official code-hosting site (codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/seviercountyut) is a fully JavaScript-rendered platform that returns only the section-title table of contents (confirmed section numbers 150.01–150.08, 150.20–150.22, 150.35–150.47) to automated fetch tools, not the underlying section body text, so specific ordinance language beyond section titles/numbers could not be independently rendered. Section 150.20 (Building Permit Required for All Buildings) and its penalty language ('investigation fee...same as the permit fee...double fee') are independently confirmed via the county's own official 'Obtaining a Building Permit' webpage, which quotes this requirement directly.; NOTE (added 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 by this transition. Live-checked the Sevier County 'Obtaining a Building Permit' page today — it cites no code edition years at all, so no page-lag discrepancy to flag there. 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.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Sevier County overview page for the full list.

Not as a distinct application or fee. A Certificate of Occupancy for new construction is issued as the outcome of the standard Final inspection under the general Building Permit, per the adopted 2024 IBC's Section 111 provisions. The county's Required Inspections page lists only a generic 'Final inspection' step, with no separate CO application.

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