Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use Permit in Washington City, Utah

Washington City requires a certificate of occupancy / change of use permit for: A certificate of occupancy is required prior to occupancy of any building hereafter erected, enlarged, or structurally altered, per Washington City Code § 9-2-11(A); A certificate of occupancy is required when vacant land is proposed to be occupied or used, except for permitted agricultural uses, per § 9-2-11(A); A certificate of occupancy is required whenever the character or use of any building or land is proposed to be changed from one use to another use, per § 9-2-11(A) — this is the change-of-use trigger; For an existing lawful use (including nonconforming buildings and uses) already in place as of the code's effective date, a certificate of occupancy is issued upon written request from the owner, per § 9-2-11(B); For new construction, additions, or common area buildings, CO release additionally requires final inspection and sign-off from Building, Planning, Fire, Public Works, Power, and Parks Departments and St. George Treatment, plus four uploaded certifications (Soils Compliance, Insulation, Stucco, Termite) — see the Commercial Building Permit entry in this record. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Washington City Building Department at (435) 656-6326 before starting work.

None was found published. The city's Master Fee Schedule has no distinct Certificate of Occupancy or Change of Use line item on either its Building Permit Fee Table or its Planning/Zoning fee tab. Where the change of use accompanies construction, the CO is released through the same valuation-based Building Permit fee process; for a pure change of use with no construction, contact the Building Department at (435) 656-6326 to confirm current requirements.

Washington City does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Washington City Building Department at (435) 656-6326 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Written Request for Certificate of Occupancy (existing use). Depending on your project, Washington City may also ask for: Building Permit Application (new construction / change accompanied by construction). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through Washington City Building Department at 111 N 100 E, Washington, UT 84780. Phone: (435) 656-6326. Office hours: Mon–Thu 7:30am–5:30pm, Fri 8am–Noon. Official information: https://washingtonutah.gov/development/building.

Washington City, 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). Washington City Building Department's own 'Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria' notice was live-checked 2026-07-16 (raw HTML, not an AI summary) and STILL displays '2021 IBC' — the city page has NOT been updated to reflect the statewide 7/1/2026 transition; 2021 Utah State Residential Code (based on IRC) — REMAINS CURRENT; Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b) did not change this edition in the 7/1/2026 amendment. Washington City's own page correctly still shows '2021 UTAH STATE RESIDENTIAL CODE'; Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(c); not separately itemized on Washington City's own page, added here per statute; 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d). Washington City's own page was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL displays '2021 IPC' — the city page has NOT been updated; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e). Washington City's own page was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL displays '2021 IMC' — the city page has NOT been updated; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC, listed on city page as 'IFCI') — CURRENT statewide as of 7/1/2026 per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f). Washington City's own page was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL displays '2021 IFCI' — the city page has NOT been updated; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — current; Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g) did not change this edition in the 7/1/2026 amendment. The Washington City Building Department page states it directly: “MAY 7 2025 UPDATE OF ADOPTED CODES BY THE STATE OF UTAH: 2023 NEC code update,” superseding the 2020 NEC still shown struck through on that page. Most Washington County-area jurisdiction pages leave the electrical edition to be inferred from state law; this one states it on the page itself.; 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). Washington City's own page was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL displays '2021 IECC' — the city page has NOT been updated; 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). Washington City's own page was live-checked 2026-07-16 and STILL displays '2021 ISPSC', and the city's Swimming Pool permit instructions (ISPSC sections 305.3.3/305.3.4, 807, 809, 323) likewise still cite the 2021 edition — the city has NOT updated either page; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); NOT listed at all on Washington City's own Building Department page, added here per statute since the City's own materials omit it entirely; ICC A117.1-2009 or 2017 (Accessibility Standard) — listed on Washington City Building Department page; not part of Utah Code § 15A-2-103's construction-code list, left unchanged; 2018 IBC construction-type valuation table (ICC Building Valuation Data) — used directly in the city's own published 'Square Foot Construction Costs Table B' on its fee schedule; a fee-calculation reference table, not a code edition, left unchanged; Utah Code § 15A-2-103, in the version effective 7/1/2026 (superseded 1/1/2027), makes the 2024 editions of the IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC and residential ISPSC the statewide codes; the IRC (2021) and NEC (2023) did not change. Washington City's own Building Department page (its 'Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria' notice) still displays 2021 editions for the IBC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IECC and ISPSC — it has not been updated to reflect the statutory transition, unlike its NEC line, which was updated in May 2025. The governing codes are the statutory editions (2024/2021/2023 by subsection) under Utah's statewide-mandatory code regime (Utah Code § 15A-1-204); the City's own page text is preserved above as local-document context. Design to the statutory editions, and confirm with the Building Department before relying on the City page.. Local amendments apply — see the Washington City overview page for the full list.

Yes. Washington City Code § 9-2-11 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,' in addition to before occupying newly erected, enlarged, or structurally altered buildings and previously vacant land (except permitted agricultural uses).

Per Code § 9-2-11(B), upon written request from the owner, the city will issue a certificate of occupancy covering any lawful use of a building or premises already in existence, including nonconforming buildings and uses.