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Basement Finish Permit in St. George, Utah

Required for finishing or remodeling an unfinished basement in St. George, including framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Framing walls in an unfinished basement
  • Adding a bedroom (requires egress window — 5.7 sq ft minimum opening, sill no higher than 44 inches above floor)
  • Adding a bathroom (requires separate plumbing permit)
  • Electrical wiring for new rooms
  • Any structural modifications

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building PermitAssessed on project valuation per St. George's published 1997 UBC building permit fee schedule (sgcityutah.gov Building Fee Sheet PDF, re-fetched and confirmed live 2026-07-01) — no separate basement-finish-specific flat fee is published; the valuation table itself is the grounded fee. Minimum $60.60; plan check 65%; D.O.C. 1%
Valuation-based per the 1997 Uniform Building Code fee scale (based on total value of finish work)
Minimum PermitSt. George Building Fee Sheet
$60.60
Reinspection FeeSt. George City Impact Fees document (effective 4/21/21)
$47.00 per hour (minimum one-half hour)

Review timeline

Plan reviewTypical estimate — confirm current times with the St. George building department
~7–14 business days

How long did your Basement Finish Permit permit actually take in St. George?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Framing

    Wall framing, fire blocking, egress window openings and window wells

  2. 2

    MEP Rough-In

    Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-ins before walls closed

  3. 3

    Insulation

    Insulation on exterior walls before drywall

  4. 4

    Final

    Drywall, fixtures, and all finishes complete; smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors (one per habitable level) installed per St. George's Final Inspection Checklist items 20–21

See the full St. George inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Every basement bedroom in St. George requires an egress window — 5.7 sq ft minimum opening, sill no higher than 44 inches above the floor, per IRC enforced in St. George.
  • Window wells deeper than 44 inches require a permanently attached ladder or steps per the adopted IRC.
  • The furnace/water heater room needs adequate combustion air — do not fully enclose it without proper air supply openings.
  • Smoke detectors are required in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level (item 20 of St. George Final Inspection Checklist); carbon monoxide detectors are required on every habitable level (item 21).

Frequently asked questions

Yes, for any room used as a bedroom. St. George follows IRC requirements for egress windows with a minimum 5.7 sq ft opening and a sill height no more than 44 inches above the floor. A window well is required if the window is below grade.

In St. George, the published Building Permit is: Valuation-based per the 1997 Uniform Building Code fee scale (based on total value of finish work). Additional published fees: Minimum Permit — $60.60; Reinspection Fee — $47.00 per hour (minimum one-half hour). These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Plan review for a basement finish permit in St. George typically runs 7–14 business days. This is an estimate, not a published figure — confirm current review times with St. George Building Department at (435) 627-4100.

You'll need: Permit Application (CityInspect); Floor Plan; Electrical Plan; Mechanical Plan. Depending on your project, St. George may also ask for: Plumbing Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

St. George requires 4 inspection(s) for a basement finish permit, in order: Framing, MEP Rough-In, Insulation, Final. Schedule each through St. George Building Department ((435) 627-4100).

Apply through St. George Building Department at 61 S Main St, St. George, UT 84770. Phone: (435) 627-4100, email: building@sgcity.org. Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Official information: https://sgcityutah.gov/departments/community_development/building_department.php.

St. George, Utah has adopted: 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (statute version headed 'Effective 7/1/2026 (Superseded 1/1/2027)', confirmed by direct fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 IBC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b); UNCHANGED by the 7/1/2026 code cycle — remains 2021 and continues in force (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16).; Appendix AQ of the 2021 International Residential Code — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(c) (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16).; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 IPC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 IMC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 IFGC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); UNCHANGED by the 7/1/2026 code cycle — remains 2023 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16).; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). ONE statewide edition — the statute does not split residential vs. commercial IECC editions. Supersedes the 2021 IECC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 IEBC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n); CURRENT as of 7/1/2026 (confirmed by direct statute fetch 2026-07-16). Supersedes the 2021 ISPSC, which governed through 6/30/2026.; NOTE (2026-07-16 corpus-staleness fix): This file previously stated the 2021 editions as current and only forecasted the 7/1/2026 flip; the effective date has now passed and the entries above have been corrected to state the 2024 editions (per §15A-2-103(1)(a)/(d)/(e)/(f)/(h)/(i)/(n)) as current, with the superseded 2021 editions preserved as historical context. IRC (2021) and NEC (2023) were NOT changed — verified unchanged directly against the live statute. The International Fire Code (IFC) is NOT adopted anywhere in Utah Code § 15A-2-103 — the statute has no IFC subsection; St. George's own building department page does not independently cite an IFC edition, so no IFC entry appears in this list.. Local amendments apply — see the St. George overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-23.

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

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Basement Finish Permit in other cities

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