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Commercial Building Permit in Unincorporated Washington County, Utah

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.

Reviewed 2026-07-19 · Source

When you need this permit

  • New commercial construction on unincorporated county land, regulated by the 2024 IBC (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a))
  • Application submitted electronically through the county's dedicated commercial building-permit intake (outpost.washco.utah.gov/apps/community-development/building-permit/commercial.php) — paper applications are not accepted, per the county's electronic-only submission policy
  • Project valuation stated on the application, used to calculate the Building Permit fee under the county's 1997 UBC valuation table
  • Special inspections as required for the scope of work

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit — valuation-based (1997 UBC scale)Washington County Community Development Fees page (washco.utah.gov/departments/community-development/fees/), verified 2026-07-19 — the same table used for the Residential Building Permit entry in this file. The fees page does not distinguish residential from commercial fees, and no plan-check percentage is published (unlike neighboring St. George's 65% or Ivins' 10% plan-check rates) — omitted here rather than assumed to match either.
$1.00–$500.00: $23.50. $501.00–$2,000.00: $23.50 for the first $500.00 plus $3.05 per additional $100.00 or fraction, to and including $2,000.00. $2,001.00–$25,000.00: $69.25 for the first $2,000.00 plus $14.00 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction. $25,001.00–$50,000.00: $391.75 for the first $25,000.00 plus $10.10 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction. $50,001.00–$100,000.00: $643.75 for the first $50,000.00 plus $7.00 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction. $100,001.00–$500,000.00: $993.75 for the first $100,000.00 plus $5.60 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction. $500,001.00–$1,000,000.00: $3,233.75 for the first $500,000.00 plus $4.75 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction. $1,000,001.00 and up: $5,608.75 for the first $1,000,000.00 plus $3.65 per additional $1,000.00 or fraction.
State SurchargeWashington County Community Development Fees page: 'State Surcharge — 1% of Building Permit.'
1% of the Building Permit fee
Special Inspections (outside normal business hours)Washington County Community Development Fees page, verified 2026-07-19.
$100.00 per hour (minimum two hours)
Re-Inspection FeeWashington County Community Development Fees page — 'Re-inspection fees assessed under provisions of section 305.8: $100.00 per hour', verified 2026-07-19.
$100.00 per hour (minimum one hour)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Commercial Building 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

    Foundation / Footing

    Standard IBC inspection sequence before concrete pour.

  2. 2

    Structural / Framing

    Framing and structural elements verified against submitted plans before close-in.

  3. 3

    MEP Rough-In

    Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing rough-in verified against submitted plans.

  4. 4

    Final

    All work complete before occupancy.

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

Tips

  • Washington County maintains a separate application intake URL for commercial permits (outpost.washco.utah.gov/apps/community-development/building-permit/commercial.php) distinct from the residential portal, even though the published fee schedule itself does not distinguish commercial from residential valuation.
  • Unlike St. George (Plan Check 65%) or Ivins (Plan Check 10%), Washington County's Community Development Fees page does not publish any plan-check percentage at all — confirm plan-review costs directly with the department, (435) 301-7250, rather than assuming either neighboring rate applies.
  • Most of the county's published Building Permit Documents (Homeowner/Builder Certification, Geotechnical Report, Culvert Letter, Floodplain Development Permit, etc.) are explicitly scoped to single-family dwellings and accessory dwellings per the department's own page text — commercial applicants should confirm which of these still apply to their project directly with Community Development. Owner-builder
  • Signs are NOT covered by a distinct fee line item: Washington County's Community Development Fees page (washco.utah.gov/departments/community-development/fees/, live-checked 2026-07-20) publishes no separate sign-permit fee anywhere in its valuation-based building-permit table or its flat-fee lines (pool $300, manufactured home $400, special inspections $100/hr) — the word 'sign' does not appear on the fee schedule at all. Washington County Code does maintain a dedicated sign ordinance (Title 10, Chapter 19, referenced in secondary planning documents for zone-specific sign standards such as the Pine Valley Overlay Zone), but no distinct sign PERMIT fee is published separately from the standard valuation-based building-permit fee documented in this jurisdiction's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries — confirm with Community Development, (435) 301-7250, which fee tier applies to a specific sign project.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Washington County requires a commercial building permit for: New commercial construction on unincorporated county land, regulated by the 2024 IBC (Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a)); Application submitted electronically through the county's dedicated commercial building-permit intake (outpost.washco.utah.gov/apps/community-development/building-permit/commercial.php) — paper applications are not accepted, per the county's electronic-only submission policy; Project valuation stated on the application, used to calculate the Building Permit fee under the county's 1997 UBC valuation table; Special inspections as required for the scope of work. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Washington County Community Development Department (Building Division) at (435) 301-7250 before starting work.

No plan-check percentage of any kind is published on the county's Community Development Fees page, for either residential or commercial permits — unlike St. George's 65% or Ivins' 10% plan-check rates. Confirm plan-review costs directly with Community Development at (435) 301-7250.

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: Commercial Building Permit Application (CivicReview); Construction Plans and Engineering. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Washington County requires 4 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit, in order: Foundation / Footing, Structural / Framing, MEP Rough-In, Final. 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..

Yes. The county maintains a dedicated commercial building-permit intake page (outpost.washco.utah.gov/apps/community-development/building-permit/commercial.php), distinct from its residential permitting portal, even though the published Community Development Fees schedule uses the same generic 1997 UBC valuation table for both.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-19.

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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