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Change of Use Permit (Zoning Verification / Commercial Business License) in Payson, Utah

Payson does not publish a single, distinctly-named 'Change of Use Permit' or 'Certificate of Occupancy Permit' product. Instead, change-of-use/new-occupancy review is folded into three existing mechanisms, all independently confirmed via direct fetch of Payson's own currently-effective Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), Business Licenses page, and Building Permit Application (Form BP, Revised 9-2023): (1) any new business or new occupant establishing itself in Payson -- including a new tenant occupying a different existing building or space -- must obtain a Commercial Business License, billed at the base Commercial Businesses fee ($100.00) plus a New Application Commercial License fee ($25.00, listed under the Fee Schedule's 'Fees in Addition to Base Fees'), per Fee Schedule p.1; (2) a standalone Zoning Verification ($50.00) is available on request from Development Services -- Planning and Zoning to confirm a property's zoning district and use compliance, per Fee Schedule p.2, functioning as Payson's equivalent of a zoning confirmation letter; and (3) a Certificate of Occupancy is issued as part of the standard building-permit final-inspection process rather than as a separate permit product -- the Building Permit Application (Form BP) itself states, verbatim: 'I agree to comply with all city, county, and state building and zoning laws and agree that a certificate of occupancy will not be issued until the final inspection is passed.' Where the new use requires construction or interior buildout to accommodate it, the separate Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit fee structures documented elsewhere in this file apply in addition to the business-license fees; those valuation-based fees are not duplicated here. No Payson ordinance section number for a 'change of use' or 'change of occupancy' zoning trigger was located in the portions of the recodified Municipal Code and Title 19 Zoning Ordinance that were accessible during this research (as of 2026-07-22); the Fee Schedule and Business Licenses page were treated as the governing sources instead, consistent with grounded-data policy of reporting the mechanisms the city's own published fee and process documents actually describe rather than inventing an ordinance citation.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Any new business, new occupant, or relocated business establishing occupancy at a location in Payson must obtain a Commercial Business License; per paysonutah.gov/333/Business-Licenses: 'A business license is required for any business activity... "Business" means and includes every craft, trade, occupation, profession, or activity pursued for gain or profit.'
  • Commercial Business License base fee of $100.00 plus a New Application Commercial License fee of $25.00, per Payson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.1
  • A standalone Zoning Verification ($50.00) may be requested from Development Services -- Planning and Zoning for written confirmation of a property's zoning district and use compliance, per Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.2
  • A Certificate of Occupancy will not be issued until the final inspection on the associated building permit is passed, per the Building Permit Application (Form BP, Revised 9-2023) applicant-signature declaration
  • If the new use requires construction or interior buildout, a separate Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit is also required -- see the corresponding entries in this file
  • New business license applicants should plan for an average processing time of 30 days, per paysonutah.gov/333/Business-Licenses: 'the processing time for a new business license averages 30 days. Please plan accordingly.'

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Commercial Business License FeePayson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.1, Business Licensing section: 'Commercial Businesses.......... $100.00.' Base fee required of any new or relocated commercial business establishing occupancy in Payson.
$100.00
New Application Commercial License FeePayson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.1, 'Fees in Addition to Base Fees' section: 'New Application Commercial License.......... $25.00.' Charged in addition to the base Commercial Businesses fee for a new business license application.
$25.00
Zoning VerificationPayson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.2, Planning and Zoning - Development Services section: 'Zoning Verification.......... $50.00.' No distinct 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' line item is published; this is the governing fee for a standalone written zoning/use confirmation.
$50.00
Temporary OccupancyPayson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.3, 'Other Inspections' section: 'Temporary Occupancy.......... $500.00.' Applies if occupancy is requested before the final Certificate of Occupancy is issued; not a distinct change-of-use fee.
$500.00

Review timeline

Plan reviewPayson’s published plan-review target
30–30 business days

How long did your Change of Use Permit (Zoning Verification / Commercial Business License) permit actually take in Payson?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Zoning Sign-Off (Development Services)

    Confirms the proposed use complies with the zoning district for the property, as part of Commercial Business License issuance or a standalone Zoning Verification request.

  2. 2

    Final Building Inspection

    Required before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued, per the Building Permit Application (Form BP) declaration: 'a certificate of occupancy will not be issued until the final inspection is passed.' Only applicable where the change of use involves an active building permit.

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

Tips

  • Payson has no separately named 'Change of Use Permit' -- moving a business into an existing space with no construction is handled through the standard Commercial Business License process ($100.00 + $25.00 New Application fee), not a distinct zoning permit.
  • If you only need written confirmation that a property's zoning allows your intended use -- for a lease negotiation or purchase, for example -- request a standalone $50.00 Zoning Verification from Development Services rather than waiting on the business license process.
  • Budget 30 days for new business license processing, per the city's own published guidance -- plan lease start dates and grand-opening timelines accordingly.
  • A Certificate of Occupancy is not a separately issued permit in Payson; it is released once the final inspection on an active building permit passes. If early occupancy is needed before that final inspection, ask about the $500.00 Temporary Occupancy fee.
  • If the new use requires any construction or interior buildout to accommodate it, you will also need a Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit (see those entries in this file) -- the business license alone does not cover construction work.

Frequently asked questions

Payson requires a change of use permit (zoning verification / commercial business license) for: Any new business, new occupant, or relocated business establishing occupancy at a location in Payson must obtain a Commercial Business License; per paysonutah.gov/333/Business-Licenses: 'A business license is required for any business activity... "Business" means and includes every craft, trade, occupation, profession, or activity pursued for gain or profit.'; Commercial Business License base fee of $100.00 plus a New Application Commercial License fee of $25.00, per Payson City Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.1; A standalone Zoning Verification ($50.00) may be requested from Development Services -- Planning and Zoning for written confirmation of a property's zoning district and use compliance, per Fee Schedule (6/30/2025), p.2; A Certificate of Occupancy will not be issued until the final inspection on the associated building permit is passed, per the Building Permit Application (Form BP, Revised 9-2023) applicant-signature declaration; If the new use requires construction or interior buildout, a separate Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit is also required -- see the corresponding entries in this file; New business license applicants should plan for an average processing time of 30 days, per paysonutah.gov/333/Business-Licenses: 'the processing time for a new business license averages 30 days. Please plan accordingly.'. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Payson City Building Department (Development Services) at 801-465-5200 before starting work.

A new Commercial Business License costs $100.00 plus a $25.00 New Application fee ($125.00 total), per the Fee Schedule (6/30/2025). If you separately want written confirmation of zoning/use compliance, a standalone Zoning Verification costs $50.00. If construction is required to fit out the space for the new use, add the applicable Commercial Building Permit or Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit fee documented elsewhere in this file.

Payson's published plan-review target for a change of use permit (zoning verification / commercial business license) is 30–30 business days.

You'll need: Commercial Business License Application. Depending on your project, Payson may also ask for: Zoning Verification Request; Building Permit Application (Form BP, Revised 9-2023). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Payson requires 2 inspection(s) for a change of use permit (zoning verification / commercial business license), in order: Zoning Sign-Off (Development Services), Final Building Inspection. Schedule each through Payson City Building Department (Development Services) (801-465-5200).

Apply through Payson City Building Department (Development Services) at 439 W. Utah Ave, Payson, UT 84651. Phone: 801-465-5200. Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM, per paysonutah.gov/334/Building-Permits-Inspections and the Residential Building Permit Minimum Submittal Requirements document (paysonutah.gov/DocumentCenter/View/453/Residential-Building-Permit-Submittal-Requirements), both fetched 2026-07-03. No department email address is published on the Building Permits & Inspections page.. Official information: https://www.paysonutah.gov/334/Building-Permits-Inspections.

Payson, Utah has adopted: Payson City Code (PCC) Title 10, Chapter 10.04 ('Technical Construction Codes Adoption', PCC 10.04.040) adopts 'the technical construction codes' by reference for building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical construction, without restating specific IBC/IRC/IMC/IPC/IECC/NEC edition years in the ordinance text itself — per the recodified Payson City Municipal Code (s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/municipalcodeonline.com-new/payson/ordinances/documents/1653339554_05-18-2022-D%20Recodified%20Municipal%20Code.pdf, Title 10.04, fetched 2026-07-03). This is consistent with Utah's Title 15A State Construction and Fire Codes Act model, under which every incorporated Utah city is automatically a compliance agency enforcing the state-adopted code suite; Payson's own ordinance text references 'the State Construction Code' and 'technical construction codes' generically rather than citing specific edition years.; International Fire Code (IFC), 2009 edition, is explicitly named with its year in Payson's own code: PCC 9.04.010 'Adoption Of International Fire Code' states the adopted code is 'marked and designated as the International Fire Code, including Appendix Chapters B, C, D, II, I & J (see International Fire Code 101.2.1, 2009 edition)' — per the same recodified Municipal Code document, Title 9.04, fetched 2026-07-03. NOTE: this 2009 IFC citation is the only explicit code-edition year found anywhere in Payson's own currently-published municipal code text; it substantially predates the 2021 IBC/IRC/2023 NEC statewide baseline described in Utah Code Title 15A and may reflect a stale, un-updated ordinance section rather than the code editions actually enforced today. Reported as-published rather than corrected, per grounded-data policy of not inventing a fact the city's own source does not state.; International Residential Code (IRC) — referenced generically ('in accordance with the requirements of the International Residential Code, as adopted') in PCC Title 10 without a stated edition year, per the same recodified Municipal Code document, fetched 2026-07-03.; International Building Code (IBC) — referenced generically ('the International Building Code as adopted by the State of Utah') in PCC Title 10 without a stated edition year, per the same recodified Municipal Code document, fetched 2026-07-03.; International Plumbing Code (IPC) — referenced generically ('The International Plumbing Code as adopted and amended by the State of Utah') in PCC Title 10 without a stated edition year, per the same recodified Municipal Code document, fetched 2026-07-03.; National Electrical Code (NEC) — referenced generically ('National Electrical Code, and all fittings and materials used in such installations') in PCC Title 10 without a stated edition year, per the same recodified Municipal Code document, fetched 2026-07-03.. Local amendments apply — see the Payson overview page for the full list.

No. Payson folds change-of-use review into its existing Commercial Business License process ($100.00 base fee plus $25.00 New Application fee), a standalone $50.00 Zoning Verification available on request from Development Services, and the standard building-permit final-inspection process, which is what actually triggers Certificate of Occupancy issuance ('a certificate of occupancy will not be issued until the final inspection is passed,' per the Building Permit Application). There is no separate 'Change of Use Permit' fee or application form.

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