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Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit in Unincorporated Washington County, Utah

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.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No land may be used or occupied, and no building structurally altered or erected may be used or changed in use, until a certificate of occupancy is issued by the building inspector confirming compliance with Title 10 (Zoning Regulations) -- County Code Section 10-1-7(A), directly quoted from the live code text fetched 2026-07-22
  • A permit is also required 'whenever the character or use of any building or land is proposed to be changed from one use to another use' -- County Code Section 10-1-7(B), directly quoted from the live code text fetched 2026-07-22 (amd. Ord. 2024-1251-O, 2-20-2024)
  • No certificate of occupancy may be issued for any building constructed, altered, or repaired unless it complies with the building code, the zoning ordinance, the subdivision ordinance, the groundwater protection ordinance, and all other applicable ordinances -- County Code Section 9-1-9, directly quoted from the live code text fetched 2026-07-22 (Ord. 2007-929-O, 2-6-2007)
  • For projects involving construction or alteration, the certificate of occupancy is issued at the Final inspection of the associated building permit (see this file's residential-building-permit entry)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of Use / Certificate of OccupancyGrounded/confirmed absence: the Washington County Community Development Fees page (washco.utah.gov/departments/community-development/fees/), re-checked 2026-07-22, contains no line item for 'occupancy' or 'change of use.' This file's residential-building-permit entry already documents that the certificate of occupancy is issued at the Final inspection with no separate fee. This is a confirmed absence, not an unestimated gap -- confirm directly with Community Development, (435) 301-7250, for a standalone change-of-use scenario with no associated construction.
No distinct change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy fee is published. When tied to new construction or alteration, the certificate of occupancy is included in the valuation-based Building Permit fee already documented in this file (see residential/commercial building permit fees above) at no additional charge. No fee schedule was found for a standalone change-of-use application involving no construction.

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Washington County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final / Compliance Review

    Building inspector confirms the building or land use complies with Title 10 (zoning), the subdivision ordinance, the groundwater protection ordinance, and (for constructed/altered/repaired buildings) the building code, before issuing the certificate of occupancy -- per County Code Sections 10-1-7 and 9-1-9.

See the full Unincorporated Washington County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • A certificate of occupancy is required not only for new construction but any time the use of a building or land is proposed to change from one use to another -- County Code Section 10-1-7(B), directly quoted from the live code text.
  • For projects that also require a building permit (new construction, alteration, or repair), the certificate of occupancy is issued at the Final inspection with no separate fee -- see this file's residential-building-permit entry.
  • No standalone application, checklist, or fee schedule is published for a change-of-use request involving no construction -- confirmed absence, re-checked 2026-07-22. Contact Community Development at (435) 301-7250 before assuming no permit is needed; the statute (10-1-7(B)) applies regardless of whether construction is involved.
  • Section 10-1-7 was amended as recently as Ord. 2024-1251-O (2-20-2024), so it reflects the current, in-force text as of this entry's 2026-07-22 verification.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. County Code Section 10-1-7(B) requires a certificate of occupancy 'whenever the character or use of any building or land is proposed to be changed from one use to another use,' regardless of whether construction is involved. No standalone application fee or form is published for cases with no construction -- contact Community Development at (435) 301-7250 to confirm the process.

Not when tied to new construction or alteration -- the certificate of occupancy is issued at the Final inspection of the standard valuation-based building permit at no additional charge. No distinct fee schedule was found published for a standalone change-of-use request with no construction; confirm directly with Community Development.

Unincorporated Washington County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Washington County Community Development Department (Building Division) at (435) 301-7250 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Online Permit Application; Description of Proposed Use. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Washington County requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Final / Compliance Review. Schedule each through Washington County Community Development Department (Building Division) ((435) 301-7250).

Apply through Washington County Community Development Department (Building Division) at 111 East Tabernacle St., St. George, UT 84770. Phone: (435) 301-7250. Office hours: Mon–Fri, normal business hours (24-hour advance notice required for inspections). Official information: https://www.washco.utah.gov/departments/community-development/.

Unincorporated Washington County, Utah has adopted: 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..

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

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