Sandy, Utah Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Sandy are issued by the city’s Building & Code Compliance Division, part of Community Development at 10000 South Centennial Parkway, Suite 210 (801-568-7250, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and every application, payment and inspection request goes through the Sandy Cityworks portal. Fees are flat amounts by valuation band in the FY 2027 adopted budget — $4,866 for a new house valued at $100,000 to $500,000 — plus plan review at 65% of the permit fee and a 1% state charge. Sandy sits on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley, bordered by cities that permit their own work and by White City, which is served by the Municipal Services District.

Work inside Sandy city limits. White City next door is served by the Municipal Services District.

What requires a permit in Sandy?

The Sandy City Building Division issues building permits for work inside Sandy city limits. Sandy sits on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley between Midvale, Draper, Cottonwood Heights and White City, the last of which is served by the Municipal Services District rather than a city department of its own.

Sandy is one of the jurisdictions the Legislature has singled out. Rather than leaving every city to write its own local amendments, the Legislature has codified amendments for specific named jurisdictions directly into the state construction code, in Title 15A, Chapter 4 of the Utah Code. Where that applies, a city’s construction amendments sit in the Utah Code rather than in its municipal ordinances — so the instinct to look only at the city ordinance can miss the governing text entirely. Sandy City has its own sections: Utah Code 15A-4-107 amends the building code and 15A-4-207 amends the residential code for Sandy. Park City and Salt Lake City also have building or residential code sections, and South Jordan has a plumbing code section (15A-4-303). Section 15A-4-107 requires an NFPA 13 sprinkler system in buildings of any occupancy where the fire flow exceeds 2,000 gallons per minute (one- and two-family homes and town homes excepted, subject to the state fire code), and adds an appendix requiring ignition-resistant construction in the city’s wildland-urban interface areas, using the 2006 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code to rate fire hazard severity. Section 15A-4-207 adds the same ignition-resistant requirement to the residential code as Section R324.

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

Sandy building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Code Compliance Division handles permit applications and inspections. Its permit page lists the city’s permit types, each with its own requirement sheet, and names the code editions in force: the 2021 IRC, the 2024 IBC, IFC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IEBC and IECC, the 2023 NEC and ICC A117.1-2009. Applications, document uploads, fee payments and inspection requests all go through Sandy Cityworks; once an application is received, staff review it and contact the applicant about any deficiencies and the payment due. Planning and zoning questions go to the Planning Division at 801-568-6058.

Sandy is also an inspection provider beyond its own boundary. It is one of three jurisdictions named in the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District's mutual aid agreement for building inspection services, alongside West Valley City and West Jordan. Under that arrangement Sandy inspectors may cover the district's service area when the district cannot fulfil an inspection request with three or more days' notice — arranged through the district's own inspectors first.

Geography shapes the eastern half of the city. Sandy runs from the valley floor up onto the bench and toward Little Cottonwood Canyon, so slope, seismic and geotechnical conditions vary across the city. The new-home requirements call for a geotechnical report where the lot slopes more than 15%, and lots in the Sensitive Area Overlay (areas of 30% slope) follow special grading-plan requirements.

Sandy borders a community that is not a city department. White City, immediately adjacent, is served by the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District rather than by its own building department, so an address a few streets away can go to an entirely different organisation. Draper, Midvale, Cottonwood Heights and South Jordan each permit their own work.

In 2025, building permits issued in Sandy authorized 25 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Sandy permits: record types and what each covers

The record catalog follows Sandy’s own permit-type list, and two of the governing amendments are published in the Utah Code rather than the city code.

Residential permit types

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permit types

Records you will actually see in Sandy

Solar permits in Sandy

Solar in Sandy is permitted and inspected by the city under Utah's statewide adopted editions. The FY 2027 schedule’s smaller residential solar category (printed “Solar <10,000 kW”) pays $372 for a system valued under $50,000. The Utah rule governing every trade here is the edition split: the building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas and energy codes moved to their 2024 editions in July 2026, while the residential code stayed on 2021 and the electrical code on 2023. Reading the building code year and inferring the electrical year gets rapid shutdown, labelling and conductor requirements wrong. On bench parcels the snow load and the seismic condition both bear on the attachment detail, and the seismic picture on the east side of the valley is not the valley-floor one.

Installing here? Alliance handles solar permit applications and the utility interconnection paperwork.

Roofing permits in Sandy

A residential re-roof is filed with the exterior finish, windows and doors permit type and costs $115 under the FY 2027 schedule; siding or stucco is also $115 and a window or door permit $70. Sandy runs from the valley floor onto the bench, so take the snow load for the actual site.

Solar and roofing work follow the statewide code, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. Utah rules

Roofing crews can hand this off: Alliance takes care of roofing permits through to the issued permit.

Sandy permit cost

Sandy prices residential and commercial permits as flat amounts for each permit type and valuation band, published in the fee schedule of the FY 2027 adopted budget. Plan review is added at 65% of the total permit fee, and a state charge of 1% of the total permit fee applies to all building fees.

Worked example. A new house valued at $450,000 falls in the $100,000–$500,000 band: $4,866 for the permit, $3,162.90 for plan review at 65%, and $48.66 for the 1% state charge, or $8,077.56 before impact and utility fees.

The city collects its own impact fees, and Sandy Public Utilities collects the water connection fee, its review fees and any meter-upgrade bond when it issues its final letter. Sewer service comes from one of four districts — Midvalley Improvement District, Sandy Suburban Improvement District, Cottonwood Sewer Improvement District or South Valley Sewer District — and the city publishes a sewer district map to find the right one.

Sandy trade permits

Sandy permits and inspects electrical, plumbing and mechanical work itself under the statewide editions, and stand-alone residential trade permits are flat $105 fees under the FY 2027 schedule.

Contractors are licensed by the state Division of Professional Licensing, and a business licence must name a qualifier. Utah rules

Sandy application documents

Each permit type on the city’s list has a requirement sheet, and every document listed as required must be uploaded before the permit is processed. For a new single-family home the sheet asks for:

• A combined plan set (architectural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and structural) stamped by a Utah-licensed engineer
• A site and grading plan and structural calculations, both stamped
• A Res-Check and Manual J, D and S heat loss calculations
• Square footage entered in the online application: finished space above grade, finished and unfinished basement, garage and deck or covered patio
• A full SWPPP and NOI, not needed to start review but required before excavation
• The owner-builder form if the owner is acting as contractor
• Deferred items: the Rocky Mountain Power work order number, a gas line schematic before the 4-way inspection and a blower door test before the final

Detached accessory buildings need combined plans and a scaled site plan, with plans stamped by a Utah engineer when the building exceeds 750 square feet or has walls over 10 feet. Other city forms include the special testing agreement, the floodplain development permit, the sensitive area overlay requirements, the utility release list for building in a public utility easement and the contractor information form. A lot without sewer service needs an onsite wastewater (septic) permit from the Salt Lake County Health Department before construction.

Sandy permit application: how to apply step by step

Here is how to get a building permit in Sandy, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.

Inspections in Sandy

Inspections are scheduled, and cancelled, in Sandy Cityworks against the issued permit, using the Choose Actions menu on the case; the same screen shows the case status. A re-inspection costs $70 under the FY 2027 schedule. Sandy’s inspectors also cover the Municipal Services District’s service area under the mutual aid agreement when the district cannot fulfil a request with three or more days’ notice.

New homes carry inspection milestones written into their requirement sheet: the gas line schematic is due before the 4-way inspection and a blower door test before the final. Townhomes and commercial buildings use the city’s certificate of occupancy sign-off forms, and a $500 power-to-panel bond applies to a single lot.

Close-out follows the ordinary sequence to the certificate of occupancy once every required inspection has passed. Projects that need special inspections sign the city’s special testing agreement.

Utah law lets you use a third-party inspection firm when the building department cannot inspect within three business days. Utah rules

Sandy permit search and official resources

These are the primary Sandy and Utah sources behind this guide. Two of the amendments that govern Sandy projects are in the Utah Code, listed below with the city’s pages.

• Sandy City building permits
• Utah Code Title 15A, State Construction and Fire Codes Act
• Utah Code Section 15A-2-103, adopted code editions
• Greater Salt Lake MSD building permits and inspections, with its mutual aid notice
• Utah DOPL contracting
• Utah DOPL licence lookup
• Utah State Construction Registry
• Sandy Cityworks permit portal
• Sandy paperless permits and plans: account setup and scheduling inspections
• Sandy requirements: residential single-family dwelling (new)
• Sandy requirements: residential accessory building
• Sandy Public Utilities requirements for residential projects
• Sandy FY 2027 adopted budget, with the fee schedule
• Utah Code 15A-4-107, IBC amendments for Sandy City
• Utah Code 15A-4-207, IRC amendments for Sandy City
• Salt Lake County Health Department septic and onsite wastewater permits

Frequently asked questions

Why would Sandy's amendments be in state law?

Because the Legislature codifies construction code amendments for a few named jurisdictions directly in the state construction code. Sandy has two: Utah Code 15A-4-107 amends the building code and 15A-4-207 the residential code. Park City has both kinds, Salt Lake City has building code amendments and South Jordan a plumbing code amendment.

How much is a building permit in Sandy?

Sandy charges flat amounts by permit type and valuation band. Under the FY 2027 adopted budget a new house valued at $100,000 to $500,000 pays $4,866, plus plan review at 65% of the permit fee and a 1% state charge; a deck or covered patio is $375, a re-roof $115 and a water heater or furnace replacement $105.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence in Sandy?

Not for a one-story shed or playhouse up to 200 square feet or a fence under 7 feet, but both still have to meet the Planning Division’s setbacks and rules, and larger accessory buildings need a building permit. Sandy’s permit list names fences 7 feet and over, its exemption list fences not over 7 feet, and the fee schedule prices “Fence (8 ft+)” at $160; ask the Building Division (801-568-7279) about a fence of exactly 7 feet.

Which codes apply?

Utah's statewide adopted editions under Title 15A. The building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy, existing building and pool codes moved to 2024 editions in July 2026; the residential code remains 2021 and the electrical code 2023.

Does Sandy inspect outside the city?

Yes, under a mutual aid arrangement. The Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District names Sandy City, West Valley City and West Jordan City in its agreement for building inspection services, triggered where the district cannot fulfil a request with three or more days' notice. Use must first be arranged with the district's inspectors.

Who permits White City?

The Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, not a city department of its own and not Sandy. It is one of several communities in the valley served that way, which is why an address a few streets from Sandy can go to a different organisation entirely.

Do bench parcels need extra engineering?

Often. Sandy runs from the valley floor onto the bench and toward Little Cottonwood Canyon, so slope, seismic and soils conditions vary substantially. A prototype that works on the valley floor may need geotechnical investigation and engineered foundations higher up.

How do I schedule or cancel an inspection in Sandy?

Open the case in Sandy Cityworks and use its Choose Actions menu, the same menu used to pay fees. A re-inspection is charged at $70.

Does a new house in Sandy need fire sprinklers?

Sandy’s building code amendment, Utah Code 15A-4-107, requires sprinklers where fire flow exceeds 2,000 gallons per minute but exempts one- and two-family homes and town homes except as the state fire code provides, and Public Utilities notes that fire sprinklers may be required on a new home depending on the fire flow at the site.

When can site work start on a new Sandy home?

Not on the building permit alone. Sandy Public Utilities has to approve the stormwater and grading items first, including a Common Plan SWPPP and the state NOI (allow up to five business days), before it issues its final letter and collects the water connection fees.

What happens if I build without a permit?

Sandy’s FY 2027 schedule adds a work-without-a-permit investigation fee equal to the permit fee, and the schedule also lists a $1,000 permit violation bond.

Is Sandy in Salt Lake County?

Yes, but the county does not permit it. Salt Lake County's unincorporated areas and several member communities are served by the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District; Sandy permits its own work through its Building Division.

Can an owner act as the contractor in Sandy?

Yes. Sandy’s new-home requirement sheet asks for the owner-builder form when the owner acts as the contractor. Otherwise the work is done by contractors licensed by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.

Simplify Sandy permitting with Alliance Permitting

Sandy’s sprinkler and wildland-urban interface amendments are written into state law, Utah Code 15A-4-107 and 15A-4-207, not the municipal code. Alliance Permitting prepares, files and tracks Sandy permits through issuance.

Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.

Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Sandy because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:

• We check the state construction code for city-specific amendments, not just the ordinance.
• We settle the geotechnical position early on bench and canyon-adjacent parcels.
• We separate Sandy from White City at the outset, since the latter is an MSD parcel.
• We keep the residential and electrical code split straight against the newer families.

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service in Utah. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.

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