The Syracuse City Building Department, part of Community and Economic Development at City Hall, 1979 West 1900 South, issues building permits inside the city from plans submitted through its online application portal. Under the fee schedule approved June 9, 2026, a house pays a valuation-based permit fee plus 40% for plan check, with a $500 plan submittal fee paid up front; the City puts total new-home permit costs at roughly $13,000 to $25,000.
What requires a building permit in Syracuse?
Syracuse applies the International Residential Code rule that building, altering, repairing, moving or demolishing a structure, or installing or changing electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, needs a permit first. In practice that covers basement finishes, additions, hot tubs, decks, pools, air conditioners, water heaters, furnaces and any new wiring, plumbing or heating. The City’s permit guide adds detail:
Permit needed
- Attached porch and patio covers and awnings
- Decks more than 30 inches above grade
- Sheds over 200 sq ft (over 120 sq ft on commercial or four-plus-unit multi-family sites); engineering over 400 sq ft
- Masonry or concrete fences
- Garages, additions and patio enclosures
- Solar panels, siding and re-roofing, with no more than two layers
- Retaining walls 4 feet or taller from the bottom of the footing
- Boilers, gas logs and lines, and fireplaces
No building permit
- Landscaping and private concrete sidewalks
- Unroofed patios less than 30 inches above grade
- Free-standing wood decks under 30 inches with no roof
- Other work exempted by Section R105.2 of the IRC
Driveway curb cuts, excavation in City streets and storm water permits are separate permits from Public Works.
Who issues Syracuse building permits?
The Building Department in Syracuse’s Community and Economic Development Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction inside the city. Brian Lemmons is the Building Official, and the department has its own plans examiner, inspectors and permit technicians. Public Works handles curb cut, excavation and storm water permits.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Syracuse permits only property inside the city boundary; land outside belongs to the neighboring city or, if unincorporated, to Davis County’s Community and Economic Development office.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Syracuse City Hall, 1979 West 1900 South, Syracuse, UT 84075 |
| Inspection scheduling | 801-825-1477, option 4 |
| Permit technicians | 801-614-9670 and 801-614-9627 |
| Building Official | Brian Lemmons, 801-614-9676 |
| Apply | Online building permit application portal |
Applying online
All residential and commercial building permit applications and their plans are submitted digitally through the online form linked from the Building page; review the portal checklist first. For small jobs such as a water heater, air conditioner, above-ground pool, power meter upgrade or replacement, gas line upgrade or re-siding, pick the matching project type. If you are not sure which applies, choose “Other” and staff will move the application to the right category and adjust the fee.
The City’s acknowledgement letter for over-the-counter permits, such as a re-roof or a heating and air conditioning change, gives the permit cost as $120, covering all inspections. When a contractor pulls one, the City asks the homeowner to sign an acknowledgement and suggests not paying the full contract price until the contractor shows a final inspection marked “PASSED, OK TO CLOSE PERMIT.”
The Building page also posts the updated residential and commercial plan submittal lists, a commercial tenant improvement list, a gas clearance form, inspection checklists for new houses, basements, detached garages and pools, and the deed restriction form for accessory dwelling units.
Syracuse permit fees
Fees are set in the Consolidated Fee Schedule approved by the City Council on June 9, 2026 and in effect from July 1, 2026. The building permit fee is based on valuation:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Building value | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1–$1,000 | $100 |
| $1,001–$2,000 | $100 plus $2.70 per additional $100 |
| $2,001–$25,000 | $127 plus $16.80 per additional $1,000 |
| $25,001–$50,000 | $513 plus $12.11 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001–$100,000 | $816 plus $8.40 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,001–$500,000 | $1,236 plus $6.72 per additional $1,000 |
| $500,001–$1,000,000 | $3,924 plus $5.70 per additional $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $6,774 plus $4.65 per additional $1,000 |
For a house valued at $300,000, that is $1,236 plus 200 × $6.72, or $2,580, and residential plan check at 40% adds $1,032.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Plan check | 40% of the permit fee residential; 65% commercial |
| Plan submittal fee, new house | $500 up front, deducted from the permit total |
| Performance bond | $100 per permit |
| State fee | 1% of the permit fee |
| Over-the-counter permit (City acknowledgement letter) | $120, inspections included |
| Residential solar | $120 plan review plus $300 inspections |
| Re-inspection | $100 |
| Additional plan review after revisions | $100 an hour, half-hour minimum |
| Fire sprinkler or safety plans | $75 an hour |
| Final off-site inspection | $350 per lot |
| Building without a required permit | $100 per incident; contractors $500, then $1,000 for each further incident |
Credit card payments (Visa or Mastercard only) carry a 3% fee.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
The Building Department issues trade permits as well. Water heaters, air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, gas line upgrades, power meter upgrades and replacements and new wiring or plumbing are applied for online under their own project types, and many are handled as over-the-counter permits. On a new house the gas line diagram, with pipe lengths and diameters and each appliance’s BTU demand, is due at the four-way inspection, and the duct design must follow ACCA Manuals D, J and S. Electrical work follows the 2023 NEC and plumbing and mechanical work the 2024 IPC and IMC, as listed on the Building page.
Residential plan submittal
Syracuse rejects house plans that lack any of these items:
- A complete building permit application, including the storm water permit number from Public Works
- Plans showing elevations, footing, foundation and framing, and the locations of plumbing, electrical and mechanical fixtures, including future ones
- Engineered plans with an original wet stamp and one wet-stamped set of structural calculations, designed for Seismic Design Category D2, 90 mph exposure C wind, a 30 psf ground snow load and a 30-inch frost depth
- A scaled site plan with the address, lot number, north arrow and setbacks
- One signed REScheck (version 4.1 or later) or plans showing prescriptive energy compliance
- The heating and cooling duct design and room-by-room BTU demand
- The $500 plan submittal fee
After approval the stamped plans are sent back to print and keep on site for every inspection. Commercial projects follow the updated commercial plan submittal and tenant improvement lists.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a Syracuse permit: 6 steps
Then check whether the work is on the City’s permit list.
New homes need the storm water permit number for the application; curb cuts and street excavation need their own permits.
Assemble the plans and documents on the residential or commercial submittal list.
Submit the application and plans through the online form and pay the $500 plan submittal fee for a new house.
Pay the permit balance and print the approved plans for the site.
Call 801-825-1477, option 4, at least 24 hours ahead for each stage, through the final.
Syracuse inspections
Inspections are scheduled with the Building Department by phone (801-825-1477, option 4) with at least 24 hours’ notice; the residential plan submittal sheet asks for 24 to 48 hours. Inspectors are usually booked one to two days out, and there are no same-day inspections.
A new house is inspected at the sewer, water and land drain laterals, footing, foundation, under-floor plumbing, perimeter drain, suspended slab, gas line, four-way, insulation, sheetrock for braced walls, the weather barriers for stucco, foam, brick or stone, power clearance, final, and the off-site and landscape inspection. Every permit needs a final inspection to close, and a new house, ADU, addition or basement must pass its final before belongings are moved in. Re-inspections cost $100, and inspections outside normal business hours $114.
Local Syracuse details
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Parks, trails and recreation | $2,750 |
| Transportation | $2,726 |
| Public safety | $954 |
| Culinary water impact (3/4-inch line) | $1,204 |
| Secondary water impact | By lot size: $1,011 for 4,000–7,000 sq ft, $1,949 for 9,001–10,000 sq ft |
| North Davis Sewer District impact | $3,454.03 |
| Storm water | $9,582 per acre |
| Culinary water meter connection (3/4-inch) | $519 |
| Sewer connections | North Davis Sewer District: $125 connection request review and $240 construction inspection (the district’s fee sheet; the City schedule lists the $240); City sewer connection $300 |
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Accessory dwelling units: an ADU pays half the single-family parks and transportation impact fees ($1,375 and $1,363) and needs a recorded deed restriction.
Utilities: power comes from Rocky Mountain Power and gas from Dominion Energy; the City supplies culinary and secondary water.
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 Syracuse permitting resources
- Syracuse Building Department: online application link, checklists and contacts
- Syracuse Consolidated Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2026)
- Syracuse: Do I Need a Building Permit?
- Syracuse residential plan submittal requirements
- Syracuse commercial plan submittal requirements
- Syracuse required inspection checklist
- Syracuse Public Works permits (curb cut, excavation, storm water)
- Utah State Construction Code editions
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Syracuse permit FAQs
How much does a new-home permit cost in Syracuse?
The City says single-family permits generally run about $13,000 to $25,000 with all fees, depending on lot and house size, basement finish and decks. The building permit fee for a $300,000 house is $2,580 plus $1,032 plan check.
Can I apply online?
Yes. Residential and commercial applications and plans are submitted digitally through the City’s online application portal.
How much is a re-roof or furnace permit?
The City’s letter for these over-the-counter permits gives the cost as $120, covering all the inspections.
Do I need a permit for a deck or shed?
A deck needs one when it is more than 30 inches above grade; a free-standing deck under 30 inches with no roof does not. A shed needs one over 200 sq ft, and engineering over 400 sq ft.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 801-825-1477 and choose option 4, at least 24 hours ahead. No same-day inspections are available.
Who issues driveway and excavation permits?
Syracuse Public Works, which also issues storm water permits.
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More Utah permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Syracuse permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.