Box Elder County’s Building Permits / Inspections office in the Brigham City courthouse (435-734-2634) issues building permits for unincorporated Box Elder County and for several small towns that send applicants to it. Applications go in through Civic Review, and the County processes a complete permit in 7–10 business days. A house needs a $1,700 deposit; the permit fee follows the state ICC fee structure, with plan review at 50% of that fee and a 1% state fee.
What requires a building permit in Box Elder County?
The County’s fee schedule and checklists cover the work it permits:
County building permit
- New houses (site-built)
- Mobile or manufactured home placement (mobile inspection)
- Commercial buildings
- Residential accessory structures, with prescriptive details for buildings under 600 sq ft
- Residential solar systems
- Generators and battery systems
- Pumps
- Gas and electric meter upgrades
Agricultural exemption
- A qualifying agricultural building can use the County’s Agricultural Exemptions Form instead of a building permit
- The form needs a site plan showing where the building sits and how many feet it is from each property line
Zoning and land use approvals in the unincorporated county come from Community Development: a permitted use review ($150), a floodplain development permit ($175), site plan review ($750 plus engineering review) or a conditional use permit ($750), depending on the use.
Who issues building permits in Box Elder County?
The County office handles unincorporated land and acts as the building department for a group of towns. Several of those towns still check their own zoning or collect the fee themselves. The cities and towns divide up like this:
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Town | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Corinne, Fielding, Honeyville, Willard | Box Elder County: each town’s site sends applicants to the County’s Civic Review application |
| Mantua | Fill in the Town of Mantua building packet, then submit it with the house plans to Box Elder County; town Zoning Administrator 435-279-7445 |
| Portage | Apply to the County, which forwards the file to the Town for its lot size, setback and height check, then reviews it; fees are paid to the Portage Town Clerk |
| Deweyville | Apply online with Box Elder County, whose fees apply; the Town’s Planning & Zoning Commission reviews the permit, and the Town adds a $100 building application fee and its own water and road impact fees (Resolution 2026-06-1); Town Hall (435) 239-7312 |
| Snowville | Box Elder County, under Interlocal Agreement #23-41 for building permits and plan review; Snowville Town Hall 435-872-8501 (Mondays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) |
| Bear River City | A city permit for sheds under 200 sq ft with no utilities; larger buildings, or any with electricity, plumbing or gas, need a building permit through the County and the City, and the City site’s Building Permits link opens a Civic Review application; City office 435-279-9047 |
| Brigham City | Its own building department |
| Tremonton | Its own Building Department at City Hall |
| Perry | Perry City issues permits; since September 2025 Brigham City has been its main building inspector under an interlocal agreement |
| Garland | Garland City, through Beacon Code Consultants, which takes building and excavation permit applications in its portal and does the inspections (City office 435-257-3118) |
| Elwood | Elwood Town’s own building department; Building Official Stuart Murry, 801-940-6478 |
| Plymouth | Plymouth Town issues permits under its own fee schedule, Resolution 2026-03 (in effect from July 1, 2026) |
| Howell | Building permit questions go to the Howell Town Clerk, 435-241-6935 |
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Building Permits / Inspections, 1 S Main Street, Room 19, Brigham City, UT 84302 |
| Phone | 435-734-2634 (toll-free 877-390-2326); fax 435-734-2728 |
| Chief Building Official | Codey Illum, 435-734-3303 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Apply | Civic Review building permit application |
| Septic | Bear River Health Department, Environmental Health |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →How the Box Elder County application works
All applications go through the County’s Civic Review building permit application, with a valid email address and phone number so staff can ask for anything missing. The application must be complete when submitted: list the general contractor and the electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors with their licence numbers, and fill in the valuation and signature section.
Forms and handouts on the County page:
- Required Documents for New Homes, the checklist the contractor signs and submits with the plans.
- Residential and Commercial Building Permit Submittal Required Documents.
- Owner Builder Form, for owners building their own home.
- Residential Accessory Structures Less Than 600 Sq Ft, prescriptive framing and foundation details for small garages and sheds.
- Residential Solar System Plan Checklist.
- Typical Wall Section, Stair Detail or Portal Frame Detail sheets.
- Gas Clearance Form, the natural gas meter clearance report.
- Agricultural Exemptions Form (Civic Review) and the state agricultural permit sheet.
Box Elder County building permit fees (2026)
The County’s 2026 Fee Schedule for Buildings & Grounds sets the building permit fee by the state ICC fee structure, calculated from the valuation on the application. Plan review, the state fee and flat inspection fees are set out below, and a deposit is due with house and commercial applications.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit | State ICC fee structure (by valuation) |
| Plan review, dwellings | 50% of the building permit fee |
| Plan review, commercial | 65% of the building permit fee |
| Plan review, miscellaneous | 50% of the building permit fee |
| State fee | 1% of the building permit fee |
| Deposit, dwelling | $1,700 |
| Deposit, commercial | $2,500 |
| Mobile home inspection | $500 |
| Solar inspection | $500 |
| Generator or battery | $350 |
| Pump | $100 |
| Gas or electric meter upgrade | $100 |
| Inspections beyond a 50-mile radius | $100 per hour |
| Plan review beyond 1 hour of travel time | $100 per hour |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Some towns add their own charges: Portage and Deweyville collect the permit fee at the town office, and Plymouth’s FY 2026–27 schedule sets a home’s building fee at 1% of a valuation figured at $115 per sq ft of main floor, $30 per sq ft of basement and $48 per sq ft of garage, plus a $1,200 building inspection fee, a $2,500 development fee, a $16,000 impact fee and a $3,500 water hookup. Deweyville’s Resolution 2026-06-1 charges a $100 town building application fee on top of the County’s permit fees, with water impact fees of $5,792 for a 3/4-inch meter and a $759 roads impact fee.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic in Box Elder County
Trade work is part of the County building permit: the new-home checklist asks for floor plans showing the plumbing, mechanical and electrical work and the gas line with its venting diagram, and the County inspects each trade at the sub-rough, rough 4-way and final stages. When a job involves only one or two trades, each gets its own rough inspection.
Gas meters: the Gas Clearance Form certifies the fuel-line size, load and pressure (4 oz or 2 lb) and the pressure test. Only individuals pre-approved by the local authority can certify it, and the Building Official signs off the meter installation.
Septic: where sewer lines are not available, the Bear River Health Department issues the septic permit, and the County’s checklist asks for its letter with the building application. The health department charges $840 for a conventional system ($800 plus a $40 state DEQ fee), $1,040 for a commercial system, $350 for an alteration and nothing for a repair, and takes applications online.
Rather not deal with the Box Elder County building department?
Get a free quote →Box Elder County submittal checklist and design values
New home
- Plot plan with distances to property lines and existing buildings
- Elevations of all four sides
- Wall sections (the most common reason plans are returned)
- Floor plans of each level with plumbing, mechanical, electrical and the gas line venting diagram
- Proof of water from a private water company or special service district, with pressure and distance to the house
- Bear River Health Department septic letter
- Proof of a fire sprinkling system unless the house is within 500 feet of a hydrant; on well water a sprinkler system and holding tank may be required
- REScheck energy compliance
- Engineering packet with the same name and address as the plans
Commercial
- Site plan with zoning approval
- Code analysis: occupancy, construction type, design criteria, occupant loads
- Floor plan with egress distances, foundation, floor and roof framing, elevations, wall and stair sections
- Electrical plan and mechanical design with heat loss calculations
- COMcheck, gas line schematic, stamped structural pages
- Fire flow report if the Fire Marshal asks for it
- Accessible route, parking and restrooms where they apply
The County’s design criteria sheet uses a 43 psf base ground snow load, calculated with the Utah amendment’s regional snow load factors, wind exposure C, Seismic Design Category D in most cases, a 30-inch frost depth and 1,500 psf allowable soil pressure. All commercial projects and new subdivisions need a site-specific soils report no more than 2 years old.
How to apply: 6-step Box Elder County process
Use the town table above; inside Brigham City, Tremonton, Perry, Garland, Elwood or Plymouth, go to the city or town.
Get the town’s or County’s land use approval, and the Bear River Health Department septic letter where there is no sewer.
Get the water provider’s proof of service with pressure, and plan sprinklers if the house is over 500 feet from a hydrant.
Upload the full plan set and the signed new-home checklist, listing every contractor’s licence number and the valuation.
$1,700 for a house or $2,500 for commercial work; the balance of the permit, plan review and state fees follows review.
Call 435-734-2634 and do not cover any work until it passes.
Box Elder County inspections
Every inspection needs 24 hours’ notice: call 435-734-2634 or email the building office. Do not cover any part of the work until the inspection has been approved.
The County’s list for a house runs: footing (with the Ufer ground in place), foundation, foundation insulation, sub-rough plumbing, sub-rough mechanical (hydronic tubing under a 100 psi test), sub-rough electrical, rough 4-way, insulation, temporary power, power to panel and the final 4-way. At the final, the roofing, siding, decks, guardrails, stairs, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fixtures, finish grading and drainage must all be complete.
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Get a free quote →Sites more than 50 miles away are charged $100 an hour for the extra travel.
Local Box Elder County details that matter
Floodplain: development in a mapped floodplain in the unincorporated county needs the County’s $175 Floodplain Development Permit.
Town rules: where a town sends you to the County, the town still checks its own setbacks, lot size and height limits, and in Deweyville the County measures the setbacks on site.
Utah building code
Utah adopts one construction code for the whole state; cities and counties enforce it, and any local amendments are set by the Legislature. Utah rules
Official Box Elder County permitting resources
County, city, town and state sources:
- Utah Code 15A-2-103, adopted construction codes
- Box Elder County Required Documents for New Homes
- Box Elder County Building Permits / Inspections
- Box Elder County 2026 Fee Schedule for Buildings & Grounds
- Box Elder County 2026 Community Development fee schedule
- Box Elder County Required Inspections
- Box Elder County Design Criteria
- Box Elder County commercial submittal requirements
- Box Elder County Gas Clearance Form
- Bear River Health Department septic permits
- Garland City building permits (Beacon Code Consultants)
- Plymouth Town Resolution 2026-03, FY 2026–27 fee schedule
- Deweyville Town fee schedule, Resolution 2026-06-1
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Box Elder County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Box Elder County?
The County’s Building Permits / Inspections office for unincorporated land and for towns such as Corinne, Fielding, Honeyville, Willard, Mantua, Portage and Deweyville. Brigham City, Tremonton, Perry, Garland, Elwood and Plymouth issue their own.
How much is a building permit for a house?
The permit fee is set by the state ICC fee structure from the valuation, plus plan review at 50% of that fee and a 1% state fee. A $1,700 deposit is paid with a house application.
How long does a permit take?
The County’s standard processing time is 7–10 business days once it has every required document.
Do I need a permit for a farm building?
Qualifying agricultural buildings can be exempted with the County’s Agricultural Exemptions Form, which needs a site plan showing the distance to each property line.
Who issues septic permits?
The Bear River Health Department. A conventional septic permit costs $840, including the $40 state DEQ fee.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 435-734-2634 at least 24 hours ahead.
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More Utah permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Box Elder County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.