Change of Use Permit / Certificate of Occupancy — Unincorporated Wayne County, Utah · Requirements sheet
Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source: https://waynecountyutah.gov/uploads/wayne-county-land-use-ordinances-resolutions-1_1_2011.pdf
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Change of Use Permit / Certificate of Occupancy in Unincorporated Wayne County, Utah
Unincorporated Wayne County does not publish a standalone 'change of use' application separate from its general Land Use Application / Permitted Use Application process, and does not publish a standalone Certificate of Occupancy (CO) application separate from the county's unified 'Application for Building Permit and/or Certificate of Occupancy' form (see this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries). Two distinct ordinance provisions govern this permit type: (1) Section 1632/1003 of the Wayne County Zoning/Subdivision Ordinance ('Certificate of Occupancy Required') makes it unlawful to occupy or use any building or structure requiring a building permit until the Building Official has issued a CO; and (2) Section 204 of the county's Administrative Manual ('Land Use Permit Required') states that 'no use, activity, or construction shall be established or commenced' without the necessary Land Use approvals -- meaning establishing a new or different use in an existing building (a change of use) requires a Permitted P-1 Use, Permitted P-2 Use, or Conditional Use Application (decided respectively by the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or BOCC, per the same Land Use Authority structure already documented in this file's sign-permit entry) before the new use may lawfully begin, in addition to any CO required for the underlying building.
Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source
When you need this permit
- A Certificate of Occupancy must be obtained from the Building Official before any building or structure requiring a building permit may be occupied or used (Zoning Ordinance Section 1632 / Subdivision Ordinance Section 1003); failure to obtain one is a violation and the county may cite and abate an occupied-without-CO structure as a public nuisance
- Establishing a new or different use in an existing building or on a property (a 'change of use') requires an approved Land Use Application -- a Permitted P-1 Use, Permitted P-2 Use, or Conditional Use Application depending on how the new use is classified in Appendix A, Table of Uses, for the applicable Zoning District -- before the use may lawfully be established (Administrative Manual Section 204; Zoning Ordinance Section 1107(7) for a nonconforming use changing to an allowed use)
- The new use must be an allowed use (Permitted or Conditional) for the Zoning District under Appendix A, Table of Uses; a use not listed in the Table of Uses is a Prohibited Use countywide
- A valid Wayne County business license is required for the new use if the use category requires one, per Section 1633 (Business License Required -- Continuing Obligations)
- Proof of ownership of property, or written tenant/owner authorization
Required documents
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Fee schedule
Review timeline
Inspection process
- 1
Building Final / Occupancy Inspection
Final inspection required before the Building Official issues the Certificate of Occupancy; occupancy of the structure is prohibited until after this inspection, per the same Building Final inspection documented in this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries.
See the full Unincorporated Wayne County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →
Tips
- There is no CO-only application in Wayne County -- occupancy authorization is requested on the same 'Application for Building Permit and/or Certificate of Occupancy' form used for construction permits.
- A change of use is NOT automatically covered by a Certificate of Occupancy alone: if the new use is different from what was previously approved for the property, Wayne County's Administrative Manual Section 204 requires a Land Use Application (Permitted P-1, Permitted P-2, or Conditional Use, depending on the use classification) before the new use may lawfully begin.
- Occupying or using a building without an issued Certificate of Occupancy is a violation of the Zoning Ordinance and can be cited and abated as a public nuisance (Section 1632(4)).
- A legal nonconforming use may only be changed to a use allowed in Appendix A, Table of Uses, by following the standard Land Use Application approval procedures for that new use (Zoning Ordinance Section 1107(7)).
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification
Key facts 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 Wayne County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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