Carbon County, Utah Building Permit Guide

In Carbon County one office does the building permits for everyone: the Carbon County Building Department in Price (435-636-3260) reviews plans and inspects work in the unincorporated county and in all five cities and towns, which give zoning approval first. Applications go through the County’s CityInspect portal, new homes and solar systems need a $250 deposit credited toward the permit, and residential review can take up to 14 business days.

What needs a building permit in Carbon County?

The County requires a permit before anyone builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a building, or installs or changes an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Its own list:

Starting work before a permit is issued brings a penalty and a fine. Under the County Development Code, no building permit is issued until the Zoning Administrator approves it, and utilities may not be connected before a permit is issued.

Who issues building permits in Carbon County?

The County Building Department serves all incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. Inside a city or town, the applicant must also show that city’s zoning approval, which can take extra time and carry a city zoning fee. Outside the cities, zoning is handled by the County’s Planning, Zoning & Public Lands office in the same suite.

Permit packets and the online portal

Applications are made in the County’s CityInspect portal (register first, and press Submit at the end or the application is not received) or in person at the Building & Planning office. The County’s earlier permit system is view-only, and new applications sent to it are returned. The Building Info & Resources page has a packet for each common project:

• New Home or Cabin (2025 packet) and Accessory Structure packets
• Commercial & Industrial Structures (2026), whose plans are reviewed out of the office, which can add time
• Manufactured home on a private lot, and manufactured home in a park (2026)
• Residential PV system (2026)
• Demolition application, filed with the state Division of Air Quality demolition notification

The Agreements and Forms page adds the Owner Builder Certification Agreement for owners acting as their own contractor, the Early Power Agreement, the Gas Piping Certification, the Road Encroachment application, and a Building Permit Fee Exemption application for agricultural-use structures. The County also posts a 2026 list of local contractors with a state licence.

Carbon County permit fees

The County does not post a building permit fee table on its building pages or in its Development Code. What it publishes:

Before the County accepts a new-home application, the owner must show proof of fees paid to the water and sewer providers: the Price River Water Improvement District (435-637-6350) or a city water authority for water, with water shares turned over to the provider; the Price River district, a city or the Scofield Reservoir Special Service District for sewer; or, where there is no sewer, a septic permit from the Southeast Utah Health Department (Price office, 149 East 100 South, 435-637-3671). Lots without public water need spring or well approval from the State Engineer.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

The County Building Department permits trade work along with the building, and stand-alone work such as a new power or gas service or a change to an electrical, gas or plumbing system needs its own permit. New-home plans must include electrical, plumbing and HVAC plans with heat-loss and cooling calculations (Manual J and D) and gas pipe sizing.

Gas clearance: once the gas service is installed, test it at 5 psi for 10 minutes on a gauge with half-pound increments, post the completed Gas Piping Certification on the job and request the inspection before asking Dominion Energy to connect. Without the form on site, the inspection and the notice to Dominion do not happen.

Power clearance: new construction needs an Early Power Agreement; the inspector checks for a finished GFCI-protected receptacle and a closed, labelled panel, and then Rocky Mountain Power is asked to connect. Early power does not certify the building for occupancy.

What to submit for a new home or cabin

• Online application with every contractor’s name and licence number, or the signed and notarized Owner/Builder form
• Site plan to scale (PDF) with lot shape, street, setbacks, utilities and any septic system and drain field
• One PDF plan set at not less than 1/4 inch to 1 ft: footing and foundation, wall sections, floor and roof framing (truss sheets may be deferred), electrical, plumbing and HVAC plans, Manual J and D, and gas pipe sizing
• Proof of city zoning approval inside Price, Helper, Wellington, East Carbon or Scofield
• Road Encroachment Permit if the lot takes access from a County road
• Proof of water, sewer or septic fees paid

Engineered plans with a wet stamp are required for every structure in the Scofield area seismic zone D0, and may be required elsewhere for unusual shapes, foundation walls over 9 ft, walk-out basements or basement garages. Log homes that are not simple rectangles must be engineered. Cabins in the MR and WS zones need a natural buildable site of 20,000 sq ft with slopes under 30%.

Review starts when every document is in. The County’s pages give up to 14 business days for residential and 21 for commercial projects; its packets say 15 business days.

How to get a Carbon County building permit

Carbon County inspections

Inspections are scheduled online through the portal link on the County’s Building Permits page or by calling 435-636-3260 at least 24 hours ahead, or 48 hours ahead in the Scofield, Clear Creek and Beaver Creek areas. The sequence for a new home:

• Foundation: footings, walls and structural slabs, before concrete is poured
• Concrete slab or under-floor: electrical and plumbing before concrete
• Shear wall fasteners, before the sheathing is covered
• Lath and flashing, before stucco is covered
• 4-way: framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical
• Sheetrock, only where there is living space above a garage
• Utility connections: gas meter and power
• Final inspection for occupancy

Local Carbon County details

Design values: wind 115 mph, exposure C; seismic design category C, and D0 west of Helper; severe weathering; frost depth 24 inches, or 36 inches in Scofield. Ground snow loads come from the state snow-load map.

Agricultural buildings: structures used only for agriculture can be exempt from the building permit, and the County takes a fee exemption application for them. Its form notes that plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits may still be needed, and that small parcels inside towns or subdivisions may not qualify.

Contractor list: the County posts a 2026 list of local contractors holding a state licence.

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 Carbon County permitting resources

• Carbon County Building Department
• Carbon County Building Permits page
• Carbon County CityInspect permit portal
• Carbon County building information and permit packets
• Carbon County building agreements and forms
• Carbon County 2025 New Home or Cabin packet
• Carbon County Commercial & Industrial Structures packet (2026)
• Carbon County agricultural-use building permit fee exemption
• Carbon County road encroachment permits
• Carbon County Planning, Zoning & Public Lands
• Carbon County land use applications
• Price City Planning & Zoning
• Price City Planning and Zoning Permit Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026)
• Helper City application process for a building permit
• Wellington City Planning and Zoning
• East Carbon City building permit requirements
• Scofield Town Planning and Zoning agenda, September 12, 2026

Carbon County building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Price, Helper and Wellington?

The Carbon County Building Department, for every city and town in the county. Each city must approve the zoning first.

How much is a building permit in Carbon County?

The County does not publish its fee table. New construction and solar applications need a $250 non-refundable deposit that is credited toward the permit fee.

How long does plan review take?

Up to 14 business days for residential projects and 21 for commercial projects, counted from a complete submittal.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Not for a residential shed under 200 sq ft or a fence up to 7 ft high.

Who issues septic permits?

The Southeast Utah Health Department (435-637-3671), whose approval is needed before the County accepts a new-home application on a lot without sewer.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Online through the County portal or at 435-636-3260, at least 24 hours ahead (48 hours in the Scofield, Clear Creek and Beaver Creek areas).

Simplify Carbon County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Utah. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Carbon County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.