West Haven building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for West Haven, Utah.
Last verified 2026-07-07 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 4150 S 3900 W, West Haven, UT 84401
- Phone
- 385-389-2690
- Office hours
- Monday–Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Friday), per the city's official Building Department page. Building permit submittal and inspection requests are handled online via the CityInspect portal (registration required) or by email to the Building Department.
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at West Haven's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in West Haven — 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.
- 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a), in force since July 1, 2026 (superseded the 2021 IBC). NOTE: West Haven City's own official Building Department page has NOT been updated for this flip — re-checked live 2026-07-16, it still reads '2021 International Building Code (IBC) (Effective July 1, 2026, the 2024 codes will be required)', future-tense language that is now stale since that date has passed. The statewide-adopted 2024 edition governs regardless of the city's unrevised page.
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b), unchanged by the July 1, 2026 code cycle flip; matches West Haven City's official Building Department page as re-checked live 2026-07-16.
- 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e), in force since July 1, 2026 (superseded the 2021 IMC). NOTE: West Haven's official Building Department page still reads '2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) (Effective July 1, 2026, the 2024 codes will be required)' as re-checked live 2026-07-16 — stale future-tense language; the statewide-adopted 2024 edition governs.
- 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d), in force since July 1, 2026 (superseded the 2021 IPC). NOTE: West Haven's official Building Department page uses the same stale future-tense '2021 ... (Effective July 1, 2026, the 2024 codes will be required)' phrasing, re-confirmed live 2026-07-16; the statewide-adopted 2024 edition governs.
- 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f), in force since July 1, 2026 (superseded the 2021 IFGC). NOTE: West Haven's official Building Department page uses the same stale future-tense phrasing, re-confirmed live 2026-07-16. The city's Residential Basement Finish guide separately cites IFGC 406.4 (concealed gas piping air test) as an active code reference, unaffected by the edition-number update.
- 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h), in force since July 1, 2026 (superseded the 2021 IECC; one edition applies statewide, no separate residential/commercial split). NOTE: West Haven's official Building Department page uses the same stale future-tense phrasing, re-confirmed live 2026-07-16.
- 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — current statewide code per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g), unchanged by the July 1, 2026 code cycle flip. NOTE: this is a SEPARATE, pre-existing error on West Haven's official Building Department page (unrelated to the July 1, 2026 code-cycle flip) — the page states '2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) remains in effect,' re-confirmed live 2026-07-16. The 2023 NEC has been the statewide-adopted edition since before this file's prior verification (2026-07-07); the city's page has not been corrected.
- Utah Code Title 15A, Chapter 3 (State Amendments to the adopted construction codes) — referenced directly by the city's Building Department page via a 'Utah State Amendments' link to the Utah Legislature's own code text.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Additions / Remodels)
Required for new single-family residential construction, additions, and remodeling of existing residential buildings and structures in West Haven, per the city's official Building Department page. The Building Permit Fee itself is governed by WHCC § 151.15 (as amended) rather than published as a flat or valuation-based table in the Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule; Plan Review Fees are published as a percentage of that Building Permit Fee.
Residential Basement Finish Permit
A building permit is required to finish all single-family basements in West Haven, per the city's official 'Residential Basement Finish' guide. The permit may also cover electrical, plumbing, and heating system modifications to existing or roughed-in systems. This is the same Building Permit Fee/Plan Review Fee structure as new construction — the city does not publish a separate flat fee for basement finishes.
Shed / Detached Garage (Accessory Structure) Permit
Governs sheds and detached garages accessory to a single-family dwelling in West Haven, per the city's official 'Shed & Detached Garage Guide.' Structures under 200 square feet do not require a building permit UNLESS electrical, mechanical, or plumbing is added; structures over 200 square feet always require a building permit.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
West Haven City has not published a distinct EV-charger fee category. The city's Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule (Resolution, adopted September 17, 2025) publishes only a single 'Building Permit Fee ... Established in WHCC § 151.15, as amended' with no separate electrical-permit line item at all; the city's own Shed & Detached Garage Guide confirms that adding electrical work of any kind triggers this same general Building Permit requirement. EV charger/EVSE installation is billed the same way as any other electrical work under this general Building Permit Fee.
Excavation Permit
Required for excavation and street-cut work in West Haven, governed by West Haven City Excavation Ordinance 5-92 (adopted February 5, 1992) and the Amendment to West Haven City's Street Cut Policy, Ordinance 19-98 (adopted July 1998), per the city's official Excavation Permit Application form.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) or Short-Term Rental Permit
Listed as a distinct line item in West Haven City's Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule (Community Development section) covering Accessory Dwelling Unit or Short-Term Rental permitting, published with a $0.00 fee. No standalone application form, adopted ADU ordinance text, or standards document beyond the fee-schedule line item was located on westhavenut.gov as of 2026-07-07.
Commercial Building Permit
Required for new commercial construction in West Haven, per the city's official Building Department page. The Building Permit Fee is governed by WHCC § 151.15 (as amended), the same reference used for residential permits; the Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule (adopted September 17, 2025) sets a distinct Commercial Plan Review Fee of 65% of the building permit fee, compared to 20% for residential.
Sign Permit
Required in West Haven for most commercial and institutional sign types, per West Haven City Code (WHCC) § 157.759 (Permitted Signs) and § 157.760 (Application Process). West Haven regulates signs through a detailed sign-type table specifying which types need a building permit — awning, billboard, canopy, institutional, monument, pole, wall, and (in some cases) window signs require one, while banner, community, directional, flag, nameplate, notice, political, public necessity, real estate, snipe, suspended, temporary, warning, and wind signs generally do not. There is no standalone 'sign permit' product or fee distinct from the general Building Permit Fee — sign review is folded into the same WHCC § 151.15 Building Permit Fee mechanism used for other construction.
Commercial Tenant Improvement / Tenant Finish Permit
Required for tenant improvement, remodel, or interior finish work in existing commercial space in West Haven. The Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule does not publish a separate TI-specific fee line — TI/remodel work is billed under the same WHCC § 151.15 Building Permit Fee and the same 65% Commercial Plan Review Fee as new commercial construction.
Solar / Solar PV Installation Permit
West Haven City has not published a distinct solar or solar-PV permit type, application, or fee category. The city's official Building Department page states plan review covers 'building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing codes' compliance generally, and the Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule (Resolution, adopted September 17, 2025) publishes only a single 'Building Permit Fee ... Established in WHCC § 151.15, as amended' with no separate solar, photovoltaic, or renewable-energy line item anywhere in the document. A residential or commercial solar-PV installation is submitted through this same general Building Permit / CityInspect process, the same mechanism used for other electrical work such as EV chargers.
Fire Sprinkler System Permit
Required for installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system in West Haven. West Haven City contracts with Weber Fire District (WFD) for fire protection, and WFD's Fire Prevention/Fire Marshal's Office handles fire sprinkler plan review and permitting separately from the City's own building permit process. When applying for a building permit involving fire suppression, a letter from Weber Fire District confirming the district impact fee has been paid is required before the City will issue the permit.
Fire Alarm System Permit
Required for installation of a fire alarm system in West Haven. As with fire sprinkler permits, fire alarm plan review and permitting is handled by Weber Fire District (WFD), which West Haven City contracts with for fire protection, separately from the City's own building permit process.
Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use
West Haven City Code (WHCC) § 157.691 (Certificate of Occupancy Required) provides that no land shall be used or occupied, and no building shall be used or changed in use (except for agricultural purposes), until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector confirming the building or proposed use complies with the zoning ordinance; the same requirement governs maintaining, renewing, changing, or extending a nonconforming use. Under WHCC § 157.690 (Building Permit Required), the underlying use, construction, alteration, or occupancy itself also requires a written building permit from the City Building Inspector. West Haven does not publish a standalone certificate-of-occupancy or change-of-use application form or fee — per § 157.691, the certificate of occupancy 'shall be applied for coincidentally with the application for a building permit,' and is billed under the same general WHCC § 151.15 Building Permit Fee mechanism used for all other building-permit-triggering work in the city.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- 6units
6 buildings · $3M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 159units
12 of 12 months reported · #36 in Utah coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 42units
42 buildings · $20.7M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 215units
215 buildings · $94M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Utah building activity
Tips & gotchas
- West Haven City Building Department is open Monday–Thursday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Fridays), per the official Building Department page. All permit submittals and inspection requests go through the CityInspect online portal or by direct email to the department.
- West Haven is one of the few Utah jurisdictions in this dataset to publish an explicit, verified plan-review turnaround: 7-14 working days for residential permits, 14-21 working days for commercial permits, stated verbatim on the city's official Building Department page.
- Unlike a flat or valuation-based fee table, West Haven's core Building Permit Fee is set by reference to WHCC § 151.15 (as amended) — the fee schedule does not itemize the underlying dollar amounts for that section; Plan Review Fees are calculated as a percentage (20% residential / 65% commercial) of that Building Permit Fee.
- Since July 1, 2026, West Haven (per statewide Utah adoption, Utah Code § 15A-2-103) is governed by the 2024 IBC/IMC/IPC/IFGC/IECC editions and the 2021 IRC (unchanged). West Haven's own official Building Department page has not been updated for this flip — re-checked live 2026-07-16, it still describes the 2024 editions in future tense ('will be required') under a '2021' heading, and separately states the 2020 NEC 'remains in effect,' which is a pre-existing, unrelated error: the statewide-adopted electrical code is the 2023 NEC.
- Sheds/detached garages under 200 sq. ft. need NO building permit UNLESS electrical, mechanical, or plumbing is added — a common point of confusion, since the city's own guide heading references a different '120 square feet' threshold in one subheading while the operative rule text says 200 square feet throughout; the 200 sq. ft. figure is used consistently in the body text of the official 'Shed & Detached Garage Guide' and is treated as authoritative here.
- The Consolidated Fees & Fines Schedule (adopted 9/17/2025) contains an internal inconsistency on the Emergency excavation fee ($500 per the dedicated Excavation Permit Application form vs. $125 in one row of the consolidated table) and on the general Reinspection Fee ($50 in the main BUILDING/ENGINEERING list vs. $100 under the separate 'Re-inspection Fees' subsection) — both published figures are retained rather than silently resolved, since no superseding clarification was found.
- The Accessory Dwelling Unit or Short-Term Rental Permit is published in the fee schedule at $0.00, but no standalone ADU/STR application form, ordinance, or standards document was locatable on westhavenut.gov as of 2026-07-07 — marked 'partial' confidence rather than omitted, since it is a real, named, fee-schedule-tracked permit category.