Santaquin’s Building and Safety Division, part of Community Development at City Hall, reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction inside the city, with applications filed in the Citizenserve portal. The plan review fee is 65% of the valuation-based permit fee, and the city allows up to 2 weeks for approval once every document is uploaded and the review fee is paid.
What requires a building permit in Santaquin?
Santaquin’s “Do You Need a Permit?” sheet answers the common questions:
Permit needed
- Building, enlarging, altering, moving, demolishing or changing a building
- Installing or altering electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, including a new furnace or air conditioner
- Accessory buildings over 200 sq ft, or of any size with power, plumbing or a second story
- Re-roofing where the old roofing is torn off (and any roof that already has 3 layers)
- Retaining walls over 4 feet, which also need engineering
- Decks over 200 sq ft, more than 30 inches above grade, or attached to the house
- Basement finishes and signs covered by the sign ordinance
No permit needed
- One-story detached accessory buildings under 200 sq ft with no power or plumbing
- Fences that meet city standards
- A new layer of roofing over old roofing (up to 3 layers in total)
- Retaining walls under 4 feet
- Sidewalks, driveways, concrete patios and RV pads (curb cuts need city approval)
- Small detached decks under 200 sq ft and no more than 30 inches high
- Painting, flooring, tiling, cabinets and countertops
Accessory buildings without a permit still have to sit at least 10 feet from side and rear lines, or 3 feet from the side and 2 feet from the rear with a one-hour fire-rated wall, and 12 feet from other buildings. Digging or building in a city street needs a separate right-of-way permit.
Who issues building permits in Santaquin?
The Santaquin City Building and Safety Division reviews residential, commercial and infrastructure plans, issues permits and inspects for property inside the city. That includes the small part of Santaquin that lies in Juab County. Unincorporated land outside the city is permitted by Utah County, or by Juab County Planning and Zoning south of the county line.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Community Development, 110 South Center Street, 2nd Floor, Santaquin, UT 84655 |
| Phone (permits and inspections) | 801-754-1011 |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Friday, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. |
| Apply | Citizenserve online application portal |
| Payment | Cash or check only, payable to Santaquin City |
Applying through Citizenserve
Create a Citizenserve account, choose Permitting and Apply for a Permit, fill in the application (including the project valuation, or the finished square footage for a basement) and upload the documents for your project type. Documents can also be added later under My Account, View My Requests. The Building Department checks the application first and emails you if anything is missing; nothing more happens until you supply it. Staff then review the plans, send a redline memo if changes are needed, and calculate the fees. After you pay, the permit is issued.
The city publishes item lists for new single-family and multi-family homes, accessory buildings (sheds, detached garages, outbuildings), basement finishes, decks and signs. Other forms that may be needed: the state Owner/Builder certification, the Practices Affecting Irrigation Ditches agreement, and the water and wastewater connection applications.
Permit costs and fees in Santaquin
The newest adopted fees are in the city fee schedule approved by the City Council with Resolution 06-04-2026 on June 16, 2026. The building permit fee itself is set by the structure; the Building Division’s fee sheet (updated April 2, 2026) bases it on the valuation from the current Building Valuation Data. Permit fees are paid by cash or check only.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit and inspections | By structure, from the valuation |
| Plan check fee | 65% of the building permit fee |
| Second and later plan checks | 50% of the first plan check fee |
| Plan review deposit (new construction) | $500, paid up front and applied to the plan check fee |
| Permit tracking fee | $70 |
| State building fee | 1% of the building permit fee |
| Re-inspection | $75 for the second re-inspection; $150 for the third and later |
| Demolition permit | $35 |
| Lot identification sign (new construction) | $10 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The Building Division’s sheet adds that a basement finish in a home built after April 2002 pays no permit fee, only the $70 tracking fee, while older homes and accessory buildings are charged by valuation.
Impact and connection fees for a new house
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water impact fee (3/4- or 1-inch meter) | $1,180 |
| Sewer impact fee | $5,096.30 per dwelling |
| Parks and recreation impact fee | $5,491.58 |
| Transportation impact fee | $768.60 per unit |
| Public safety impact fee | $784.24 (EMS and fire) plus $35.72 (police) per unit |
| Storm drain impact fee | $770 |
| Pressurized irrigation impact fee | $4,123 |
| Culinary water meter (3/4-inch) | $200 |
| Pressurized irrigation meter (1-inch) | $310 |
| Meter installation (3/4- or 1-inch, culinary or irrigation) | $250 |
| Meter radio (MXU) | $215 single, $305 dual |
| Temporary construction water | $50 |
| Utility account set-up | $25 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The water, sewer, parks, transportation and public safety impact fees on a single-family home add up to $13,356.44, before the storm drain and pressurized irrigation fees. The Building Division’s April 2026 sheet still shows $724.84 for EMS and fire and prices the irrigation fee at 31 cents per sq ft of irrigable lot area, and the Building Permits web page quotes a $65 re-inspection fee; the council’s June 2026 schedule is the newer adopted document.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
Installing or altering electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems needs a permit from the Building and Safety Division, and so does a new furnace or air-conditioning unit. On a new house the trades are inspected under the building permit: under-slab plumbing and heating, temporary power, the underground power trench, permanent power, gas piping, and the 4-way inspection covering rough plumbing, rough electrical, rough heating and framing.
The city also publishes a list of third-party inspectors and firms that can be used for inspections in Santaquin.
Application documents and plan review
New home
- Site plan with north arrow, property lines, setbacks, easements, utilities, curb and gutter, irrigation ditches, and driveways at least 30 feet from a corner
- Building plans signed and stamped by an engineer, with truss details, elevations, floor, foundation and framing plans, electrical and gas piping plans
- Engineer-stamped structural calculations
- Copy of the deed
- RES check energy compliance report
- Soils engineer’s on-site analysis (needed at the footing inspection)
- $500 plan review deposit
Other cases
- Modular home: the ANSI number
- No city sewer: septic system approval from the Utah County Health Department (Environmental Health, 801-851-7525), or from the Central Utah Public Health Department for the Juab County part
- Irrigation ditch on the lot: the signed irrigation ditch agreement
- Owner acting as builder: the state Owner/Builder certification
- Accessory building: site plan, elevations with roof height, and floor plan
- Basement: floor plan labeling every room, sub-panels, mechanical room and doors
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Permits are reviewed in the order complete applications arrive. A new single-family, multi-family or commercial application goes to the Building Official only once every document is uploaded and the deposit is paid; the city allows up to 2 weeks for approval after that. Homeowners association rules are enforced by the HOA, not by the city.
How to apply: 6-step Santaquin process
Use the city’s permit table and setback rules, and get HOA approval if your subdivision has one.
Follow the item list for a home, accessory building, basement, deck or sign.
Create an account, apply for a permit and upload every document.
New construction pays the $500 deposit, by cash or check, before review starts.
Fix any items staff flag, then pay the permit, impact and connection fees.
Book each inspection by phone at least 24 hours ahead through the final and certificate of occupancy.
Santaquin building inspections
Call 801-754-1011 during office hours with the permit number and address, at least 24 hours ahead; for a Monday inspection, call by 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Most inspections can be done the next business day. Timed inspections are offered only for footings, foundations and work inside an occupied home such as a basement finish. Sites must be ready by 8:00 a.m.
Each inspection type gets a first visit and one follow-up. A third visit, or a visit where the work is not ready, costs a re-inspection fee that must be paid at the City Office by cash or check before more inspections are scheduled; cancelling before the inspector arrives does not count against you.
The required inspection checklist for a new home: footings and setbacks, foundation, under-slab plumbing and heating, water and sewer laterals, temporary power, underground power trench, permanent power, bond beam, shear panels and tie-downs, the 4-way, gas piping, masonry veneer and moisture barrier, stucco and lath, drywall, insulation (with the insulation certificate), water meter, final, and site grading, curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveway and street work.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Local Santaquin details that matter
Irrigation ditches: bridges, pipes, crossings, grates or any cut through a ditch of the Summit Creek Irrigation and Canal Company need the company’s permission, and the signed agreement goes in with the building permit.
Streets and utilities: excavation in the city right-of-way needs a right-of-way permit through Citizenserve, with drawings showing exactly where the work will be. Call Blue Stakes of Utah (811) before digging.
Permit activity: Community Development posts building permit reports for calendar year 2026 and fiscal year 2026-27.
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 Santaquin permitting resources
Santaquin City pages and documents for building permits:
- Santaquin building permits and inspection rules
- Santaquin Building and Safety Division
- Santaquin Community Development contact and hours
- Santaquin Building Division fee sheet (April 2, 2026)
- Santaquin City Council meeting of June 16, 2026: packet with Resolution 06-04-2026 fee schedule, and minutes
- Santaquin: Do You Need a Permit?
- Santaquin new home permit items to submit
- Santaquin required building inspection checklist
- Santaquin Citizenserve online application portal
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Santaquin permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Santaquin?
The city’s Building and Safety Division in Community Development, 110 South Center Street, 2nd Floor (801-754-1011).
How much is a building permit in Santaquin?
The permit fee is based on valuation. Add a plan review fee of 65% of it, a $70 tracking fee and the 1% state fee; new construction pays a $500 deposit toward the plan review fee.
Do I need a permit to finish my basement?
Yes. In a home built after April 2002 there is no permit fee, only the $70 tracking fee; older homes are charged by valuation.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?
Not for a one-story detached shed under 200 sq ft without power or plumbing, or for a fence that meets city standards, but setbacks and height limits still apply.
How long does approval take?
Up to 2 weeks after all documents are uploaded and any plan review fee is paid.
How do I book an inspection?
By phone at 801-754-1011, at least 24 hours ahead, and by 1:00 p.m. Friday for a Monday inspection.
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More Utah permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Santaquin permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.