Washington Terrace building permits

Building department

Address

5249 South 400 East, Washington Terrace, UT 84405

Phone

(801) 395-8288

Email

Tylers@washingtonterracecity.org

Office hours

Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Closed Holidays)

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Washington Terrace's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Washington Terrace — 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.

• International Building Code (IBC), most current edition — adopted by reference per Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 15.04.010(1)(a), automatically updated whenever the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission adopts a new edition (§ 15.04.060); currently the 2024 IBC per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective statewide July 1, 2026.
• International Residential Code (IRC), most current edition — incorporated via IBC reference per § 15.04.010(1)(a); currently the 2021 IRC per Utah Code § 15A-2-103 (unchanged in the July 1, 2026 statewide update).
• International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), most current edition — incorporated via IBC reference per § 15.04.010(1)(a); currently the 2024 IECC per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective statewide July 1, 2026 (statewide residential energy provisions effectively follow 2015 IECC residential per § 15A-2-104).
• National Electrical Code (NEC), most current edition, as promulgated by NFPA — adopted per § 15.04.010(1)(b), amended per Utah Admin. Code R156-56-705; currently the 2023 NEC.
• International Plumbing Code (IPC), most current edition — adopted per § 15.04.010(1)(c), amended per Utah Admin. Code R156-56-706; currently the 2024 IPC per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective statewide July 1, 2026.
• International Mechanical Code (IMC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), most current editions — adopted per § 15.04.010(1)(d), amended per Utah Admin. Code R156-56-704; currently the 2024 IMC/IFGC per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective statewide July 1, 2026.
• International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — adopted per Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 15.06.010.
• Uniform Housing Code, Uniform Code for Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, and Uniform Code for Building Conservation — adopted per §§ 15.06.020–15.06.040.
• All codes are automatically updated per § 15.04.060 whenever the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) or Uniform Building Code Commission adopts a new edition, per Utah Code § 58-56-4(3) — Washington Terrace does not maintain a separately-dated local code adoption; it tracks the statewide edition in force.

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit

  Required for new single-family and two-family residential construction and any work regulated by the adopted IBC/IRC in Washington Terrace. The city does not publish its own dollar-figure valuation table; Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 15.02.020 expressly ties the fee to the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' table (published in 'Building Standards') applied against the 'Building Permit Fee Schedule' in the most current adopted code edition, with a 25% residential plan-review surcharge per the City's FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule (Resolution 26-08, adopted 6/26; unchanged from the prior FY 2025-26 edition, Resolution 25-12).

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• Commercial Building Permit

  Required for new commercial construction and any commercial work regulated by the adopted IBC in Washington Terrace. As with residential permits, the city does not publish its own dollar-figure valuation table; Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 15.02.020 ties the Building Permit fee to the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' table and 'Building Permit Fee Schedule.' The City's FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule (Resolution 26-08) sets a 65% commercial plan-review surcharge.

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• EV Charger / EVSE Permit

  Washington Terrace has not published a distinct EV-charger permit or fee category. The city's FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule lists 'Electrical' as one of its 'Building Permits - Over-the-Counter' categories (alongside HVAC, Plumbing, Gas line, Roofing, Siding, and Window & Door), with the fee set by reference to the current ICC Building Permit Fee Schedule per note 3.2 — the same valuation mechanism used for all other building permits. EV charger/EVSE installation is electrical work filed under this over-the-counter Electrical permit category.

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• Sign Permit

  Required in Washington Terrace before erecting most signs, per Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 17.56.260 (Chapter 17.56, Signs, Construction Standards): 'The owner and/or persons having charge or control of any sign as described and authorized by city zoning ordinances shall pay the city a fee for such sign based upon the valuation tables as set forth in the uniform building code.' Like the city's general building permit, Washington Terrace does not publish its own independent dollar-figure sign fee table — the sign permit fee is tied directly to the same ICC/Uniform Building Code valuation mechanism used for other building permits in this file. Temporary signs use a separate, no-cost permit track under § 17.56.175.

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• Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit

  Required for tenant improvement, remodel, or interior finish work in existing commercial space in Washington Terrace. The FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule does not publish a separate TI-specific fee line — its '65% Plan review fee on commercial permits' note applies to all commercial permit types, including TI/remodel work, per Resolution 26-08.

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• Solar PV (Photovoltaic) Installation Permit

  Washington Terrace has not published a distinct solar/solar-PV permit type, application, or fee category. The city's Building, Planning & Inspection Department page, its Building/Excavation Permit application portal, and the FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule (Resolution 26-08, adopted 6/26) were each re-checked directly on 2026-07-21 and none lists a solar, photovoltaic, or renewable-energy line item — the Consolidated Fee Schedule's 'Building Permits - Over-the-Counter' table enumerates only HVAC, Plumbing (inside), Plumbing (outside), Electrical, Gas line, Roofing, Siding, and Window & Door. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation is filed as a standard Building/Excavation Permit (typically under the 'Electrical' over-the-counter category, since PV work is regulated by the adopted National Electrical Code, Article 690), with the fee governed by the same ICC 'Building Valuation Data'/'Building Permit Fee Schedule' valuation mechanism used for all other building permits in this file, per Washington Terrace Municipal Code § 15.02.020.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit

  Washington Terrace has no standalone fire-sprinkler or fire-alarm permit type or fee line. The city's own Fire/Rescue department (Washington Terrace Fire/Rescue, 4601 South 300 West; Business Fire Inspections 801-393-6349) is an independent city department, not a joint fire district — but neither the FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule (Resolution 26-08, checked page-by-page 2026-07-22) nor the Fire/Rescue department page (washingtonterrace.gov/fire) publishes a distinct sprinkler or alarm fee; this work is filed and priced through the same general Building/Excavation Permit process as other trade work (Municipal Code § 15.02.020), which the city's own Municipal Code Chapter 15.08 (International Fire Code) also separately adopts by reference (§ 15.08.010: 'The International Fire Code ... in its most current edition as adopted by the state ... is adopted ... and incorporated in this code'). Independent of the city process, Utah's State Fire Code Act (Utah Code §§ 15A-5-101 to -103) adopts the 2024 International Fire Code statewide, and IFC § 106.1 as amended by Utah Code § 15A-5-202(1)(c) requires that 'Fire sprinkler system layout shall be prepared and submitted by a person certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) at level III or IV in Water-Based System Layout,' and fire alarm system layout by a NICET level III/IV Fire Alarm Systems-certified person. As a result, sprinkler and alarm plans in Washington Terrace are also independently reviewable by the Utah State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) using the SFMO's own statewide submittal forms and fee (square footage x $0.022, $75 minimum), separate from whatever the city's Building Department or Washington Terrace Fire/Rescue charges through the general building permit.

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• Change of Use / Occupancy Permit

  Washington Terrace has no standalone change-of-use permit, certificate-of-occupancy application, or associated fee line distinct from its general Building Permit. Municipal Code § 15.02.010 (Ordinance 2009-02) expressly lists 'occupancy' as its own independent permit trigger, alongside construction, alteration, repair, removal, and modification: 'A building permit or comprehensive construction permit is required for the construction, alteration, repair, removal, modification, or occupancy of any structure within the city limits.' A pure use/occupancy change with no construction scope is therefore filed and processed as the same Building/Excavation Permit used for new construction, nominally valued under the ICC 'Building Valuation Data' mechanism in § 15.02.020 — a mechanism that is inherently tied to construction cost and does not itemize a fee for an occupancy change involving little or no construction value, which is a genuine gap in the city's published fee structure rather than a $0 fee. Separately, Municipal Code § 15.14.130(7) confirms the city does formally issue a 'permanent certif[icate] of occupancy' following final inspection (referenced there only as a security-forfeiture trigger for excavation permits), and § 15.16.010 bars utility companies from connecting service to a structure 'until approval is granted by the building official' — both confirming occupancy approval is a real, distinct step in the city's process even though it is not sold as its own permit product. Most occupants of commercial space undergoing a use change will also separately need a City of Washington Terrace business license (base fee $102.00 plus a category-specific 'disproportionate' fee, per the FY 2026-27 Consolidated Fee Schedule's Business Licenses table).

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