Unincorporated Washington County building permits

Building department

Address

111 East Tabernacle St., St. George, UT 84770

Phone

(435) 301-7250

Email

Office hours

Mon–Fri, normal business hours (24-hour advance notice required for inspections)

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Unincorporated Washington County's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Unincorporated Washington County — 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.

• 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b); REMAINS CURRENT, UNCHANGED by the 7/1/2026 amendment
• Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(c); not itemized on any Washington County page found, added here per statute
• 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g); UNCHANGED by the 7/1/2026 amendment (NOTE: Washington County's own website has been observed referencing 2020 NEC on older pages; the legally in-force statewide edition is 2023 NEC — no county page is known to have been updated to reflect this)
• 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), single unsplit statewide edition — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n); supersedes the 2021 edition previously listed here
• MBI 1200 and MBI 1205 (manufactured/modular construction standards) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(o); not itemized on any Washington County page found, added here per statute
• NOTE (2026-07-16 re-verification): The Utah Code § 15A-2-103 version effective 7/1/2026 (superseded 1/1/2027) took effect 15 days before this re-verification. This entry previously described the 2024-cycle codes in future tense ('effective through June 30, 2026' / 'takes effect July 1, 2026'); that date has now passed, so IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/IEBC/residential ISPSC are now stated as CURRENT (2024 editions), while IRC (2021) and NEC (2023) remain unchanged as already correctly stated. No Washington County page listing IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/IECC editions specifically was found on live re-check of the Community Development FAQ and Building Permit Documents pages (2026-07-16), so there is no city-page lag to record for those codes beyond the pre-existing NEC observation above.

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit

  Required for new residential construction, additions, and structural alterations in unincorporated Washington County. Permit fees are valuation-based per the Washington County Community Development fee schedule. Applications are accepted electronically only through the county's online permitting portal. Building Official: Kurt Dampf.

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• Electrical Permit

  Required for electrical work in unincorporated Washington County including panel upgrades, new circuits, rewiring, service changes, and solar electrical connections. Governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted statewide under Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g). (NOTE: Washington County's own website still references 2020 NEC; the legally in-force statewide edition is 2023 NEC.) The county's published fee schedule assesses electrical permits on the same valuation-based building permit table as all other trade work (no separate flat electrical fee tier is published). EV charger/EVSE installation is electrical work and falls under this general Electrical Permit; the county's fee schedule does not publish an EV-specific line item (checked 2026-07-19).

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• EV Charger / EVSE Permit

  Washington County does not publish a distinct EV charger / EVSE permit type or fee line item. EV charger/EVSE installation is electrical work and falls under the county's general Electrical Permit — directly re-searched the complete Community Development Fees page (washco.utah.gov/departments/community-development/fees/) on 2026-07-20 and confirmed no line item mentions 'EV,' 'electric vehicle,' 'EVSE,' or 'charging station.' Electrical permits (including EV chargers) are assessed on the same valuation-based building permit fee table used for all other trade work, per this file's electrical-permit entry.

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• Plumbing Permit

  Required for plumbing installations, alterations, and repairs in unincorporated Washington County including water heaters, re-pipes, new fixtures, and sewer or gas line work. Governed by the 2024 IPC, CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d). The county's published fee schedule assesses plumbing permits on the same valuation-based building permit table as all other trade work (no separate flat plumbing fee tier is published).

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installations, replacements, and ductwork modifications in unincorporated Washington County. Governed by the 2024 IMC, CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e). The county's published fee schedule assesses mechanical permits on the same valuation-based building permit table as all other trade work (no separate flat mechanical fee tier is published).

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• Roofing Permit

  Required for roof replacement, re-roofing, and structural roof repairs in unincorporated Washington County. Permit fees are valuation-based per the Washington County building permit fee schedule.

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• Solar Panel Permit

  Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in unincorporated Washington County. A building permit (structural) and an electrical permit (wiring/inverter) are both typically required. Fees are valuation-based.

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• Swimming Pool Permit

  Required for in-ground and above-ground swimming pool installation, hot tubs, and associated barriers in unincorporated Washington County. The county publishes a flat pool permit fee of $300.

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• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)

  Required for construction of a secondary dwelling unit on a residential property in unincorporated Washington County, including basement apartments, detached cottages, and garage conversions. All ADUs require a 25-foot minimum setback on all sides per the Washington County FAQ page. Fees are valuation-based.

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• Manufactured Home Permit

  Required for installation of a manufactured home in unincorporated Washington County. Washington County publishes a flat manufactured home permit fee of $400, with valuation set at $40.00 per square foot.

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• Demolition Permit

  Required for partial or complete demolition of structures in unincorporated Washington County, including utility disconnection and hazardous material coordination. Fees are valuation-based.

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• Commercial Building Permit

  Required for new commercial construction on unincorporated land in Washington County, regulated by the 2024 IBC (current statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 7/1/2026). Washington County Community Development administers a dedicated commercial application intake (outpost.washco.utah.gov/apps/community-development/building-permit/commercial.php, which routes to the county's CivicReview-hosted commercial application form), separate from its residential application portal, though the published fee schedule itself uses the same generic 1997 UBC valuation table for all building permits with no residential/commercial split.

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• Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit

  Required for tenant improvement and tenant finish work in existing commercial buildings on unincorporated land in Washington County. No dedicated tenant-improvement checklist, application category, or fee line distinct from new commercial construction was found published on washco.utah.gov as of 2026-07-19 — the same generic 1997 UBC valuation table and general commercial application intake used for the Commercial Building Permit entry in this file is the only identified framework.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit

  Unincorporated Washington County's Community Development Department (which issues the general residential and commercial building permits) does not itself operate a fire marshal's office and its own published fee schedule contains no fire sprinkler or fire alarm line item -- the county's existing residential-building-permit entry already notes that a 'Fire Special Service District Impact Fee Receipt' must be submitted before permit issuance, with the applicable district varying by location. Fire sprinkler and fire alarm system plan review, permitting, and inspection is instead run entirely by whichever independent fire protection district covers the property. Hurricane Valley Fire Special Service District (HVFSSD) -- which by its own description 'provides emergency medical and fire services to Eastern Washington County' across 'over 600 square miles,' including the unincorporated area adjoining Hurricane, La Verkin, Toquerville, Virgin, and Rockville -- publishes a detailed consolidated fee schedule covering commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems, independently verified for this entry. Rural western/northern parts of unincorporated Washington County (Dammeron Valley, Diamond Valley, Veyo, Central, Gunlock) are instead covered by small volunteer special service fire districts (Dammeron Valley Fire & Rescue, Diamond Valley Fire Department, Northwestern Special Service District). Re-chased 2026-07-20 with each district's correct current live domain (dvfirerescue.org and diamondvalleyfire.com; confirmed via web search, since the domains were not already known) and confirmed directly: neither site publishes any fee schedule, permit-fee page, or sprinkler/alarm-specific content anywhere in their public navigation -- both sites' full page lists were enumerated and each site's only permit-related content is wildfire burn-permit information. Northwestern Special Service District has no independent website at all; it is listed only in the Utah Association of Special Districts directory (uasd.org) with a phone contact, (435) 619-0269. This is treated as a confirmed absence, not an unexplored gap -- contact each district directly for its process and any applicable fee.

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• Sign Permit

  Signs in unincorporated Washington County are regulated by Washington County Code Title 10, Chapter 19 (Signs) -- confirmed live via an official county planning document (the Pine Valley Overlay Zone general plan, washco.utah.gov, fetched 2026-07-22), which states that signs 'are subject to Section 10-19 SIGNS' and cites real operative subsections (10-19-3(B) and (C); wall signs specifically at 10-19-3-B.8). The direct amlegal.com code-library pages for the individual sections of Chapter 19 could not be retrieved on 2026-07-22 (the vendor's anti-bot challenge blocked repeated direct section lookups after the chapter's specific section IDs could not be located through search indexing), so the itemized dimensional/type standards in Chapter 19 are NOT independently confirmed here beyond the citations above and are not restated as if verified. Separately confirmed 2026-07-22: no distinct sign-permit fee line item exists on the Washington County Community Development Fees page (consistent with this file's existing commercial-building-permit entry, which already found the word 'sign' does not appear anywhere in the fee schedule), and no dedicated sign-permit application, checklist, or form is listed on either the county's Planning Applications page or its Building Permit Documents page (both re-checked 2026-07-22). Signs are therefore presumed to route through the same general building-permit application and valuation-based fee mechanism used for other trade work in this file, pending direct confirmation with Community Development.

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• Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit

  Unincorporated Washington County requires a certificate of occupancy before any land or building is used or occupied, and before the character or use of any building or land is changed from one use to another -- directly confirmed by fetching the live text of two real, currently-operative county code sections on 2026-07-22: County Code Section 10-1-7 (OCCUPANCY PERMIT REQUIRED, Title 10 Zoning Regulations, Ord. 2001-815-O as amended by Ord. 2024-1251-O, 2-20-2024) and Section 9-1-9 (CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, Title 9 Building Code, Ord. 2007-929-O). For new construction, the certificate of occupancy is issued as part of the standard building permit process -- this file's residential-building-permit entry already documents that its Final inspection results in the certificate of occupancy being 'issued upon passing,' with no separate fee beyond the standard valuation-based building permit fee. For a standalone change-of-use application involving no construction (e.g., converting an existing commercial space to a new use), no dedicated application form, checklist, or fee schedule was found published on the county's Planning Applications, Building Permit Documents, or Fees pages (all re-checked 2026-07-22) -- this is a confirmed absence, not an unestimated gap; contact Community Development directly to determine the applicable process.

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