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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy (Business License Application) in Orem, Utah

Orem does not publish a standalone Change of Use or Change of Occupancy permit or fee. Per the city's own Business Licensing FAQ, a business license exists in part 'to make sure that zoning and building codes are enforced,' and any change of use — a new business occupying an existing building or tenant space, or an existing licensed business relocating to a new address within Orem — is processed through a Commercial (or Home Occupation) Business License Application, or, for an already-licensed business, a Business Name Change / Location Change form, either of which 'may require a new building and/or fire inspection.' Where construction is required to accommodate the new use, that work is permitted and billed separately under this file's commercial-building-permit or commercial-tenant-improvement-permit entries — this entry covers only the use/occupancy-change and business-license review itself, not any associated construction.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A new business occupying an existing building or tenant space in Orem must complete a Commercial Business License Online Application (or Home Occupation License Online Application if home-based)
  • An existing Orem-licensed business relocating to a new address within the city must complete a Business Name Change / Location Change form, which 'may require a new building and/or fire inspection,' per Orem's Business Licensing FAQ
  • Business name registered with the State of Utah (corporations.utah.gov) prior to applying
  • Utah County Health Department clearance for food-service, pool/spa, tattoo/piercing, tanning, or underground-fuel-storage businesses, completed before applying for the city license
  • Photocopy of the owner's driver's license or other current photo ID
  • Fire inspection by the Orem Fire Prevention Division, required for commercial businesses and applicable home occupations at initial licensing

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Commercial Business License — Base Fee, New BusinessesCity of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, FINANCE — BUSINESS LICENSE FEES section), p. 210: 'Commercial Business License – Base Fee – New Businesses — $218.40.' Verified 2026-07-22 by downloading the live PDF (orem.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Adopted-Budget-FY-2025-2026.pdf) and rendering the physical page as an image to read the fee table directly, avoiding text-extraction column misalignment. This is the governing fee when a change of use involves establishing a new business license rather than relocating an existing one; disproportionate fees apply to specific business categories listed separately in the same section (e.g., Restaurants $504.40, Retail Sales 1–10,000 sf $83.20).
$218.40
Change of Business Location — Non-renewalCity of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, BUSINESS LICENSE FEES section), p. 210: 'Change of Business Location – Non-renewal — $52.00.' Applies when an already-licensed Orem business relocates to a new address within the city, per the Business Name Change / Location Change form process described on orem.gov/businesslicensing/.
$52.00
Commercial InspectionCity of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, BUSINESS LICENSE FEES section), p. 210: 'Commercial Inspection — $109.20.'
$109.20
Home Occupation Inspection (if required)City of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, BUSINESS LICENSE FEES section), p. 210: 'Home Occupation Inspection (if required) — $109.20.'
$109.20
Commercial Business License — Annual Renewal FeeCity of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, BUSINESS LICENSE FEES section), p. 210: 'Commercial Business License – Renewal Fee — $88.40.'
$88.40
Annual Commercial Inspection Fee (Orem Fire Prevention Division) — Commercial BusinessesCity of Orem FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget (Exhibit B Fee Schedule, FIRE — ANNUAL COMMERCIAL INSPECTION FEES section), p. 213: 'Commercial Businesses (2 hours Fire Inspector II entry level) — $112.32.' The same table also lists 'Home Business Non-Impact — $0.00' and 'Impact Home Based Businesses (1 hour Fire Inspector II entry level) — $56.16' for home-occupation change-of-use cases. This is the recurring fire-inspection fee tied to commercial business licensing, distinct from the Business License Fees section's one-time 'Commercial Inspection' line item above.
$112.32

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy (Business License Application) permit actually take in Orem?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Department On-Site Inspection

    Confirms zoning and building-code enforcement for the business location, per Orem's Business Licensing FAQ, which states a business license exists in part 'to make sure that zoning and building codes are enforced.'

  2. 2

    Fire Inspection (Orem Fire Prevention Division)

    Required for commercial businesses and applicable home occupations at initial licensing and annually thereafter, per Orem's Fire Inspection Requirements/Survey and the FIRE section's Annual Commercial Inspection Fees.

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

Tips

  • Orem has no standalone Change of Use or Change of Occupancy permit — an occupancy/use change for an existing building is checked through the standard business-license process (a new Commercial Business License Application, or a Business Name Change / Location Change form for an already-licensed business) rather than a distinct fee-bearing permit.
  • Moving your business to a new address within Orem still triggers a Location Change form and 'may require a new building and/or fire inspection,' per the city's own FAQ — budget for the $52.00 Change of Business Location fee in addition to any new construction or tenant-improvement permit fees required for the new space.
  • A City of Orem business license is valid for one year from the month of application and must be renewed annually; a renewal notice is sent 45 days before expiration.
  • The Orem Fire Prevention Division — which also serves as the contracted fire-prevention authority for Lindon and Vineyard — performs the fire-inspection component of both initial business licensing and the annual commercial inspection.

Frequently asked questions

Orem requires a change of use / change of occupancy (business license application) permit for: A new business occupying an existing building or tenant space in Orem must complete a Commercial Business License Online Application (or Home Occupation License Online Application if home-based); An existing Orem-licensed business relocating to a new address within the city must complete a Business Name Change / Location Change form, which 'may require a new building and/or fire inspection,' per Orem's Business Licensing FAQ; Business name registered with the State of Utah (corporations.utah.gov) prior to applying; Utah County Health Department clearance for food-service, pool/spa, tattoo/piercing, tanning, or underground-fuel-storage businesses, completed before applying for the city license; Photocopy of the owner's driver's license or other current photo ID; Fire inspection by the Orem Fire Prevention Division, required for commercial businesses and applicable home occupations at initial licensing. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Building Safety Division at (801) 229-7198 before starting work.

Orem's FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget prices 'Change of Business Location – Non-renewal' at $52.00, separate from the $218.40 Commercial Business License Base Fee charged to brand-new businesses and the $109.20 Commercial Inspection fee.

Orem does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Building Safety Division at (801) 229-7198 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Commercial Business License Application. Depending on your project, Orem may also ask for: Home Occupation License Application; Business Name Change / Location Change Form; Fire Inspection Survey. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Orem requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy (business license application) permit, in order: Building Department On-Site Inspection, Fire Inspection (Orem Fire Prevention Division). Schedule each through Building Safety Division ((801) 229-7198).

Apply through Building Safety Division at 56 North State St., 2nd Floor, Orem, UT 84057. Phone: (801) 229-7198, email: help@orem.gov. Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. Official information: https://orem.gov/buildingpermits/.

Orem, Utah has adopted: 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — currently in effect; unchanged by the July 1, 2026 statewide code-edition update (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b)); 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IBC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a)); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IMC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e)); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IPC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d)); 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — effective July 1, 2025 (not adopted under Utah Code § 15A-2-103, which does not list an IFC edition; edition unconfirmed for the current period); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — currently in effect; unchanged by the July 1, 2026 statewide code-edition update (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g)); 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IFGC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f)); 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 IECC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h)); Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — currently in effect as of July 1, 2026, superseding the 2021 ISPSC that was in effect July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n)); 2006 Uniform Wildlife Conservation Code (UWUIC); 2009 ANSI A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Local amendments apply — see the Orem overview page for the full list.

No. Orem does not publish a standalone Change of Use or Change of Occupancy permit or fee. Per the city's own Business Licensing FAQ, an occupancy/use change is processed through a Commercial Business License Application (new business) or a Business Name Change / Location Change form (existing business relocating within Orem), either of which 'may require a new building and/or fire inspection.'

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

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