Cedar City, Utah Building Permit Guide

Inside Cedar City limits, building permits come from the City’s Building & Zoning Department at 10 N. Main Street (435-865-4519), and applications, plan corrections and inspection requests all go through the City’s online CityInspect portal. The permit fee follows a valuation table, with plan review charged at 30% of the permit fee and a 1% state fee on top, and inspections must be requested by 5 p.m. the business day before.

What needs a building permit in Cedar City?

The City’s Building & Zoning FAQ says a permit is generally needed whenever structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical changes are made, or walls or floors are changed. Its list covers:

A fence over 6 ft needs a consultation with Building & Zoning first. In the front yard a fence must sit 1 ft off the sidewalk and be no more than 30 inches high. Whether a smaller shed or barn needs a permit depends on its zone under Chapter 26, Article 3 of the City Code, so the City asks owners to call 435-865-4519 before building one.

Who issues building permits in Cedar City?

The Building & Zoning Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction for property inside city limits. Lester Ross is named as Building Official on the City’s 2026 Departmental Sign-off Sheet. Land outside the city limits is permitted by Iron County’s Building and Zoning office, not by the City.

Permit types and online filing

All building permits have been applied for online since January 1, 2019. The City’s portal has 16 permit types.

• Account. Register with your email address as the user name; the system emails a temporary password.
• Application. Four pages: property details (permit type, address, subdivision, zone, lot size, parcel number, scope of work), company information for every contractor and design professional, building information, and file attachments.
• Contractors. Every permit needs DOPL-licensed contractor information before it is issued, except a residential permit with a notarized Owner/Builder form, which can cover all or part of the work.
• Other forms. The Building Permit Forms & Guides page posts the Owner Builder Certification, Gas Clearance Form, Geo-Technical Data Sheet, Prairie Dog Clearance Request, Duct Test/Blower Door Form, Demo Permit Signature Page, Departmental Sign-off sheets, Estimate of Fees request and the Project Review application and checklist.

Cedar City building permit fees

Fees come from the Citywide Consolidated Fee Schedule, last updated September 22, 2026. The building permit fee is read from a valuation table, then plan review and the state fee are added as percentages of it.

Valuation is set by the City, not by the contract price: new construction uses the ICC Building Valuation Data table of August 2011, while remodels, basement finishes and tenant improvements are valued at $50 per sq ft. Solar and retaining walls are valued at the contractor’s estimate.

For example, a 1,000 sq ft basement finish is valued at $50,000. The permit fee is $487 plus 10 × $9, or $577; plan review adds $173.10 and the state fee $5.77, for $755.87 before any inspection or utility charges.

New homes also pay impact fees. For a single-family home the schedule lists $393 for drainage, $603 for fire/EMS, $2,700 for parks and recreation, $89 for police and $1,169 for transportation, plus water and sewer impact fees by meter size ($3,892 and $4,596 for a 1-inch meter). Lots in the Northwest Water Reimbursement Area pay $1,500 per ERU under the building fees; the same schedule’s engineering section lists that reimbursement at $1,000 per ERU, so ask the City which applies. The City’s Estimate of Fees form can be emailed to get an estimate for a specific project.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Trade work is permitted by Building & Zoning through the same portal. A new house carries its electrical, plumbing and mechanical work on the building permit; stand-alone jobs such as a service upgrade, a new meter base, a furnace, a gas line or a water heater have a $50 permit each.

Gas. Apply for a gas meter or mechanical permit when a new gas line serves an appliance and the work is not covered by another permit. Pressure-test the piping, complete the Cedar City Gas Clearance Form, upload it to the permit and book a gas clearance inspection, which can be done with the 4-way rough inspection. Once it passes, the clearance number from Dominion is saved to the permit for checking meter status.

Power. Electric meter permits exist for work not covered by another permit. Rocky Mountain Power (888-221-7070) issues work order numbers: one per meter base for temporary power and a separate set for permanent power, which are not interchangeable. The number must be entered in the inspection notes, or the inspection will not be scheduled.

What to upload with the application

Plan review starts only once the submittal is complete. All files go into the portal as PDFs, in the category each one belongs to.

The FAA can take up to 45 days to answer a Form 7460 filing, so airport-area projects should file early.

How to get a Cedar City building permit

Cedar City inspections

Inspections are requested in the portal against an active permit, by 5 p.m. the business day before the inspection. AM and PM time blocks can be requested but are not guaranteed, and the department does not offer same-day inspections. Put work order numbers, a request for a call when the inspector is on the way, or concrete pour times in the “Notes for Inspector”, and allow at least a 2-hour window between the ready time and the pour.

The City’s Building Inspection Reference Guide lists what each stage checks, from footings and underground plumbing to framing, insulation and lath. If the portal will not offer the day you want, call 435-865-4519.

Before the final building inspection, the water meter inspection must be signed off, and the Departmental Sign-off Sheet must be completed and uploaded. It collects sign-offs from Planning and Zoning, Engineering, the Water, Wastewater, Sewer Collection and Street divisions, the Fire Department, Public Works, Utility Billing, and where relevant UDOT and the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

Local Cedar City requirements

Project Review Meeting: held at 8:30 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays. The Project Review application, checklist (as a separate page) and a digital site plan are due by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before. The meeting checks the site against the zoning ordinance and the utility companies’ requirements.

Public improvement bonds: under City Ordinance 26-IV-5, a new building that needs sidewalk or other public improvements requires a cash bond, letter of credit or surety bond before construction. After the work is accepted, a warranty bond of 10% or $400, whichever is greater, covers a 12-month warranty period, with an inspection at 11 months.

Design values: wind 90 mph with 115 mph gusts, seismic zone D1, exposure B and a 30-inch frost depth; ground snow load comes from the state snow-load site and roof snow load from the design professional. Lots in a 100-year floodplain need a flood elevation certificate.

Water: a home that limits turf to under 1,000 sq ft can sign the City’s Residential Conservation Agreement, which qualifies it for a reduced water right assessment and bills it at the Residential Conservation Rate.

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 Cedar City permitting resources

• Cedar City Building & Zoning
• Cedar City CityInspect permit portal
• Cedar City Building & Zoning FAQs
• Cedar City building permit forms and guides
• Cedar City Consolidated Fee Schedule (updated September 22, 2026)
• Cedar City Building Permit Application Guide
• Cedar City Permit Document List
• Cedar City Building Inspection Reference Guide
• Cedar City Departmental Sign-off Sheet (2026)
• Cedar City Project Review meetings
• Cedar City current adopted codes
• Cedar City building design standards
• Cedar City gas and electric service requirements
• Cedar City Building & Zoning staff directory

Cedar City building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Cedar City?

The City’s Building & Zoning Department, 10 N. Main Street, 435-865-4519, for property inside city limits. Iron County issues permits outside them.

How much does a building permit cost in Cedar City?

The fee comes from a valuation table, for example $487 for the first $40,000 of valuation plus $9 per additional $1,000, with 30% plan review and a 1% state fee added. A 1,000 sq ft basement finish comes to $755.87.

Do I need a permit to finish my basement?

Yes. Basement finishes and remodels need a permit, applied for in CityInspect.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Accessory buildings over 200 sq ft, over one story or with footings or utilities need a permit, and smaller ones depend on the zone. Fences up to 6 ft need no permit.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, for residential permits, by uploading a notarized Owner/Builder form in place of contractor information.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Through CityInspect by 5 p.m. the business day before. Same-day inspections are not offered.

What is required before the final inspection?

A signed-off water meter inspection and the completed Departmental Sign-off Sheet uploaded to the permit.

Simplify Cedar City 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 Cedar City permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.