Santa Clara building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Santa Clara, Utah.
Last verified 2026-07-08 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 2603 Santa Clara Drive, Santa Clara, UT 84765
- Phone
- (435) 656-4690
- Office hours
- Mon–Thurs 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Fri 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Santa Clara's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Santa Clara — 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.
- GOVERNING LAW: Utah Code § 15A-2-103 (le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter2/15A-2-S103.html), version effective 7/1/2026 (amended by Ch. 47, 2026 General Session), sets the statewide-mandatory construction code suite — Utah Code § 15A-1-204 binds 'the state and each political subdivision.' Santa Clara's own municipal code (Title 15, Chapter 15.04) does not separately enumerate code editions by number, and the city's own site does not publish a distinct codes-adopted page listing specific editions — re-checked live 2026-07-16 (santaclarautah.gov/departments/building/ document library contains no edition-labeled code list, only an undated 'International Fuel Gas Code' document title). Santa Clara therefore has no locally-published edition list to lag behind; the statewide baseline below is current law, not merely consistent with an assumed 2021 cycle as this file previously stated.
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC) with Utah state amendments — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a), effective 7/1/2026 (statewide baseline; no Santa Clara-specific edition ordinance found distinct from it, per live re-check 2026-07-16).
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) with Utah state amendments, plus Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b)/(c); did NOT change in the 7/1/2026 flip. Matches Santa Clara's official ADU Conditional Use Application (August 2025 rev.): 'Compliance with the International Residential Code, IRC and state amendments is required.'
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) with Utah state amendments — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d), effective 7/1/2026 (statewide baseline; no Santa Clara-specific edition found).
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) with Utah state amendments — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e), effective 7/1/2026 (statewide baseline; no Santa Clara-specific edition found).
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) with Utah state amendments — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f), effective 7/1/2026. Santa Clara's Building Department document library separately publishes an undated 'International Fuel Gas Code' document title (no edition number given, per live re-check 2026-07-16); statewide baseline edition applies.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); did NOT change in the 7/1/2026 flip. No Santa Clara-specific NEC edition is published on the city's site as of live re-check 2026-07-16; statewide baseline applies. (This file previously omitted an NEC codesAdopted entry entirely — added here, not previously stale.)
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), one statewide edition (no residential/commercial split) — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h), effective 7/1/2026 (statewide baseline; no Santa Clara-specific edition found).
- 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i), effective 7/1/2026. Not mentioned on Santa Clara's site as of live re-check 2026-07-16; added as a statute-sourced omission, not fabricated.
- Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n), effective 7/1/2026. Not mentioned on Santa Clara's site as of live re-check 2026-07-16; added as a statute-sourced omission.
- Modular Building Institute (MBI) Standards 1200 and 1205 — per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(o), statewide-mandated for modular units. Not mentioned on Santa Clara's site as of live re-check 2026-07-16; added as a statute-sourced omission.
- No International Fire Code (IFC) entry: § 15A-2-103 does not adopt the IFC — it is separately governed under Title 15A Chapter 5, outside the scope of this section. Santa Clara's site does not list an IFC edition either, so there is no mis-citation to correct here.
- Utah state amendments to the above codes apply per Utah Code § 15A-1-204, which sets a single statewide adopted edition that local jurisdictions may amend but not substitute.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit
Required for new single-family residential construction and any work regulated by the statewide-adopted 2021 IRC and 2024 IBC with Utah amendments (Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 7/1/2026 for IBC; IRC unchanged). Santa Clara's Building Fee is valuation-based (current ICC rates) plus a 10% Plan Review Fee and 1% Utah State Surcharge, and the city's own municipal code sets a 10-day plan-review return requirement.
Solar PV Permit
Required for residential rooftop, pole-mount, or ground-mount solar photovoltaic (PV) installations up to 12 kW AC that interconnect with Santa Clara City's municipal electric utility. Santa Clara City is its own power provider (not Rocky Mountain Power), so this permit bundles the building permit, a dedicated Solar Permit Application, and a required Renewable Net Metering & Interconnection Agreement into one process administered jointly by the Building Department and City Power Department. Commercial solar systems are not covered under this residential net metering policy and require a separate review/system impact study.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Conditional Use Permit
Required for construction of an Accessory Dwelling Unit in Santa Clara, in addition to the standard building permit. Governed by Zoning Ordinance #2022-04; reviewed by a weekly Technical Review Committee (TRC) as an Administrative Conditional Use.
Commercial Building Permit
Required for new commercial construction in Santa Clara, regulated by the 2024 IBC (current statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 7/1/2026). Santa Clara City's own 'Building Permit Fees' schedule (effective January 2026) sets Building Fees as valuation-based per current ICC rates, with a 10% Plan Review Fee and a 1% Utah State Surcharge — the schedule does not publish a separate residential/commercial split or a dedicated commercial valuation table distinct from these generic rates.
Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit
Required for tenant improvement and tenant finish work in existing commercial buildings in Santa Clara. No dedicated tenant-improvement checklist, application category, or fee line distinct from new commercial construction was found published on santaclarautah.gov as of 2026-07-19 — the same generic 'Building Permit Fees' schedule (effective January 2026) that governs the Commercial Building Permit entry in this file is the only identified fee mechanism.
Fire Sprinkler System Permit
Required for new fire sprinkler system installations and for remodel/tenant-finish sprinkler work in Santa Clara. Plan review and inspection are handled not by the Building Department but by Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Rescue (SCIFRU) — the joint fire agency serving both Santa Clara and Ivins — under Santa Clara City Code § 2.28.140 and the fee schedule adopted by Santa Clara City Council Resolution No. 2024-01R (effective January 10, 2024).
Fire Alarm System Permit
Required for new fire alarm system installations, remodels, and additional-floor expansions in Santa Clara. Like the Fire Sprinkler System Permit, this is reviewed by Santa Clara-Ivins Fire Rescue (SCIFRU) under Santa Clara City Code § 2.28.140, with fees set by Resolution No. 2024-01R (effective January 10, 2024) — a fully distinct fee category from sprinkler plan review in the resolution's own table structure, though the published hourly rates happen to match.
Sign Permit
Required for monument, wall, free-standing, and temporary signs in Santa Clara City, per the city's Sign Permit Application and City Code Chapter 17.44 (Signs). Unlike most other permit types in this file, signs carry a distinct, directly published per-square-foot fee rather than a valuation-based building fee. Signs may not be installed until the permit is issued, and Planning & Zoning approval may be required before the application can be processed.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
Santa Clara City's Building Permit Fees schedule (effective January 2026) has no standalone "Electrical Permit," "EV Charger," or "EVSE" line item. Building Fees are assessed purely on construction valuation ("Based on Valuation," using current ICC rates), with a Plan Review Fee of 10% of the Building Fee — meaning EV charger/EVSE installation is billed through the same valuation-based Building Fee as any other permitted work, with no distinct electrical or EV carve-out. (The schedule's "Electrical Connect" and "Electrical Impact" entries are utility meter-size connection/impact fees for new water/power service, unrelated to permitting a charger installation.)
Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use Permit
Required before any land is used or occupied, or before a structurally altered or newly erected building is changed in use, per Santa Clara City Code § 17.04.070 'Occupancy Permit Required.' A certificate of occupancy must also be issued whenever the character or use of any building or land is proposed to change from one use to another, even where no new construction is involved. Santa Clara does not publish a standalone Change of Use or Certificate of Occupancy application, fee line, or review-timeline figure distinct from the general Building Permit Application/final-inspection process — this was checked directly against the city's Forms and Applications page, the Building Department page, and the January 2026 Building Permit Fees schedule on 2026-07-22, none of which list a dedicated product for this permit type.
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)
- 14units
14 buildings · $5.2M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 112units
12 of 12 months reported · #48 in Utah coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 56units
31 buildings · $21.8M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 70units
45 buildings · $33M valuation
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
- Santa Clara City is an independent municipality with its own Building Official (Cody Mitchell), Building Department, and Power utility — it is not contracted to Washington County or St. George for building permitting, per the city's own Building Department page and municipal code (Title 15).
- Santa Clara City Code § 15.04.030 sets a 10-day plan review return requirement (approved/disapproved) — one of the few Utah jurisdictions in this dataset with an explicit, locally codified plan-review turnaround rather than relying solely on the statewide Utah Code § 10-20-909 statutory floor.
- Building Department office hours are shortened on Fridays: Mon–Thurs 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, but Fri 8:00 AM–1:00 PM only.
- Santa Clara's Building Fee is valuation-based using 'current ICC rates' without the city publishing its own square-foot construction cost table (unlike Murray, which publishes the specific ICC Building Valuation Data table) — applicants should confirm current valuation rates directly with the Building Department.
- In addition to the base Building Fee (10% Plan Review Fee + 1% Utah State Surcharge), Santa Clara charges substantial separate utility connection and impact fees (water, sewer, electrical, streets, parks & trails, public safety, storm water) that are not folded into the base building permit fee — for a typical single-family home this can add well over $10,000 beyond the building fee itself.
- Accessory Dwelling Units require a separate $100 Conditional Use Application reviewed by a weekly Technical Review Committee, in addition to the standard building permit — and must share utility meters with the primary residence and cannot be used as short-term rentals.
- Permits are submitted and inspections scheduled through the city's online permit portal at utah.cityinspect.com.
- Permits expire after 180 days of no work commenced, or 180 days of suspension/abandonment; resuming within 1 year costs half the original fee (if plans are unchanged), but a full year's lapse requires paying the complete fee again, per City Code § 17.04.060.