Building permits for unincorporated Morgan County come from the County’s Planning & Development office at 48 W Young Street in Morgan (801-845-4015), and every application is filed in Civic Review. A house starts with a non-refundable $500 plan review deposit; the rest of the fee is set by the valuation of the building, plus a 1% state fee and any impact fees. Morgan City, the only incorporated city, issues its own building permits.
What requires a building permit in Morgan County?
The County’s deposit list and inspection checklists show the work it permits in the unincorporated area:
Building permit
- New houses and other dwellings
- Additions
- Basement finishes and remodels
- Accessory buildings, detached garages and storage buildings
- Swimming pools
- Solar panels
- Commercial buildings
- Engineered retaining walls over 4 feet high, including rock-faced slopes
Agricultural exemption
- A farm building used only for agriculture and not for human occupancy can be exempted from the building permit with the County’s Agricultural Use Exemption application
- The exemption needs a site plan, a floor plan and a $50 land use fee, and expires after 6 months if construction has not started
- Zoning setbacks and height limits still apply
Other County approvals are filed separately in Civic Review: a Land Use Permit, a geologic scoping application, a floodplain permit and a change of address form (all checked during pre-review), plus conditional use, temporary use, site plan, sign, subdivision and right-of-way or excavation permits.
Who issues building permits in Morgan County?
Morgan County Planning & Development handles zoning and building for the unincorporated county. Its building staff review plans, issue permits and inspect, and the County Building Official must approve a structure before any utility may serve it.
Morgan City (population 4,580) is the county’s only incorporated city, and it runs its own permitting: Morgan City takes electronic building permit applications through its own Civic Review link for new homes, accessory dwelling units, sheds, shops and barns, remodels, pools, roofing, utility projects and commercial signs, and asks developers to book a Development Review Meeting first. Its office is at 90 W Young Street (801-829-3461). Everything outside the city limits, including Mountain Green, Peterson, Croydon and the other unincorporated communities, goes to the County.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Planning & Development, 48 W Young Street, Morgan, UT 84050 |
| Phone | 801-845-4015 (questions and inspections) |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; inspections booked 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Payments by phone | 801-845-4030 |
| Apply | Civic Review (online only; no paper plans kept) |
| Septic and wells | Weber-Morgan Health Department, Environmental Health, 801-399-7160 |
| Morgan City permits | 90 W Young Street, 801-829-3461 |
How the Morgan County application works
Submitting the Civic Review permit application starts a pre-review: staff check that the deposit is paid and the documents are complete, and decide which of the supplementary applications (Land Use Permit, geologic scoping, floodplain permit, change of address) the lot needs. Review does not start until payment is made and every requested item is in.
Everything is digital. Plans must be PDF files with every page and the engineer’s stamp where one applies, and the paperwork that goes with them (Memo of Understanding, affidavit, REScheck, Land Use Permit) must be PDF too. Forms that need a signature and notary stamp are printed, signed, notarized and scanned. The County does not keep paper copies.
County forms used with a building permit:
- Memorandum of Understanding, initialed by the owner and contractor, covering inspection requests, right-of-way storage, re-inspection fees, the gas piping diagram and occupancy rules.
- Owner/Builder Certification, for owners building without a contractor.
- Hold Harmless Agreement.
- Public Improvement Agreement, used only when the Building Official agrees to a final occupancy before damaged public improvements are repaired; it is good for 180 days.
- Wildland-Urban Interface site plan and development review guide, for lots in fire-hazard areas.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Morgan County building permit fees
A non-refundable plan review deposit is paid in Civic Review when you apply, or by phone (801-845-4030) or at 48 W Young Street. The deposit is not the permit fee: once review is complete the County bills the rest of the plan review fee and the permit fee, which is calculated from the valuation of the building space, plus a 1% state fee and any impact fees that apply.
| Project | Deposit |
|---|---|
| New dwelling | $500 |
| Solar panels | $100 |
| Accessory building, detached garage or storage building | $50 |
| Swimming pool | $50 |
| Addition or finished basement | $50 |
| Agricultural use exemption (land use fee, no building permit) | $50 |
County code points to the County’s Government Fee Schedule for the permit fees themselves, and adopts transportation and parks impact fee schedules for new development, charged per dwelling unit for homes and per 1,000 sq ft for commercial space at the rates in the adopted fee schedule. A re-inspection fee can be charged when the work is not ready or the site is not accessible, and no further inspections are made until it is paid at the County offices.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Morgan County
The County building permit covers the electrical, plumbing, heating and gas work in the project, and the same inspectors check it at the under-slab, rough 4-way, gas pipe and power-to-panel stages. Morgan County provides no utilities: water and sewer connections are made with the utility company serving the area.
Power: to book a temporary or permanent power inspection, have both your Morgan County permit number and your Rocky Mountain Power work order number. Power inspections booked after 3:00 p.m. are processed, if approved, and the clearance sent to Rocky Mountain Power the next County business day.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Gas: a complete fuel gas piping diagram must be on site for the gas pipe inspection, and the building department reviews it before the meter can be set. The piping must hold at least 1½ times its working pressure and not less than 3 psig.
Septic and wells: lots without sewer or public water need permits from the Weber-Morgan Health Department, which issues the Wastewater Site and Soil Evaluation, the Onsite Wastewater Treatment Permit and the Nonpublic Well/Spring Permit.
Morgan County design criteria and plan review times
The County’s design criteria sheet sets the local values plans must use: soil bearing of 1,500 psf and Site Class D unless a geotechnical report shows otherwise, Seismic Design Category D1, a 36-inch frost line, ice barrier underlayment, and a ground snow load that varies by site and is taken from Utah State University’s Utah snow load tool. Houses and townhouses show energy code compliance with REScheck, which must pass by at least 5 percent.
The general timeline for plan review is about 14 business days, and it only starts once pre-review is complete; the County warns that review of a complete application may take up to three weeks. In The Cottonwoods PUD the County will not accept an application until the Architectural Review Committee has approved and stamped the plans.
How to apply: 6-step Morgan County process
Lots inside Morgan City go to the City; the rest of the county applies to the County.
Start the Weber-Morgan Health Department soil evaluation early on lots without sewer, and contact the water and sewer provider on lots with service.
Upload the PDF plan set, Memo of Understanding, REScheck and any owner/builder or hold harmless forms.
Pay $500 for a house or $50–$100 for smaller work, then file any Land Use, geologic scoping, floodplain or address application staff ask for.
Answer review comments, then pay the balance of the plan review and permit fee, the 1% state fee and any impact fees.
Request each inspection at least 24 hours ahead and do not move in until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
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Get a free quote →Morgan County inspections
Request inspections online or by calling 801-845-4015 at least 24 hours in advance, with the permit number, site address and type of inspection; inspections can be booked between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Times are not guaranteed, so only call when the work is ready. The County-stamped plans must be on site for every inspection.
The Required Inspection Checklist runs from temporary power and the footing, setback and Ufer ground inspection (property lines must be marked) through foundation, under-slab plumbing, heating and electrical, sheathing, weather barrier and flashing, masonry and stucco lath, gas pipe test, rough 4-way, power to panel, insulation, drywall and the final. Separate checklists cover additions, basement finishes and remodels, commercial buildings, detached structures, pools and solar.
At the final, grading, drainage and retaining walls must be finished and existing curb, gutter and sidewalk must be in good repair before the Certificate of Occupancy is issued, which can take up to 48 hours. A temporary certificate, valid for up to 180 days, needs the Building Official’s approval, a cash bond and an administrative fee.
Local Morgan County details that matter
Geologic hazards and floodplain: pre-review decides whether a lot needs a geologic scoping application or a floodplain permit before the building permit can be issued; both are separate Civic Review applications.
Retaining walls: walls and rock-faced slopes over 4 feet high must be designed by a licensed engineer and the design reviewed before construction. Rock walls are inspected by the design engineer, whose report must reach the building department before the final.
Right-of-way: building materials, equipment, dumpsters and gravel may not be stored in the street or on the sidewalk.
Address: new buildings may need a County change of address application, one of the pre-review items.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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 Morgan County permit resources
County, city, health department and state sources:
- Utah Code 15A-2-103, adopted construction codes
- Morgan County Planning and Development
- Morgan County building permits and Civic Review
- Morgan County Planning and Development forms
- Morgan County Memorandum of Understanding
- Morgan County Required Inspection Checklist
- Morgan County design criteria
- Morgan County Agricultural Use Exemption application
- Morgan County Code 151.05, building and safety codes
- Morgan City building permit applications
- Weber-Morgan Health Department permits and applications
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Morgan County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Morgan County?
Morgan County Planning & Development (801-845-4015) for all unincorporated land. Morgan City issues its own permits inside city limits.
How much is a building permit in Morgan County?
You pay a non-refundable plan review deposit first ($500 for a house, $100 for solar, $50 for garages, sheds, pools, additions and basements). The final bill adds the rest of the plan review and permit fee based on the building’s valuation, a 1% state fee and any impact fees.
How long does plan review take?
About 14 business days once pre-review is complete; the County says a complete application can take up to three weeks.
Do farm buildings need a permit?
A building used only for agriculture and not for human occupancy can be exempted with the Agricultural Use Exemption application ($50, with a site plan and floor plan), but it must still meet zoning setbacks and height limits.
Who issues septic and well permits?
The Weber-Morgan Health Department’s Environmental Health division (801-399-7160), not the County building office.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Online or by phone at 801-845-4015 at least 24 hours ahead. For power inspections have your permit number and Rocky Mountain Power work order number ready.
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More Utah permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Morgan County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.