Tooele County, Utah Building Permit Guide

Building permits in unincorporated Tooele County are issued by Community Development (Building Services) at 47 South Main Street in Tooele (435-843-3160), and applications are filed on the county’s iWorQ portal. Fees follow Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code applied to Building Valuation Data, plus a 1% state surcharge, and a new house also pays county impact fees that start at $3,188 for parks, public safety and transportation.

Unincorporated Tooele County, including Stansbury Park. Tooele City, Grantsville, Erda, Lake Point, Wendover and the three towns each have their own route, set out town by town below.

What requires a permit in Tooele County?

Tooele County Community Development (Building Services) issues building permits for the unincorporated county, including Stansbury Park. The department is at 47 South Main Street, Tooele, UT 84074 (435-843-3160, building@tooeleco.org), and applications go through the county’s iWorQ permit portal. The county does not issue permits in Lake Point or Erda, which are now incorporated cities, or in Tooele City, Grantsville and Wendover; the table below gives the answer for every city and town.

The permit trigger is stated broadly and the county attributes it to both levels of government: state and county laws require that anyone who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the use of any building or structure must first get a permit, and that includes work on electrical, plumbing, gas or mechanical systems. There are exceptions, and the county invites you to call the inspectors (435-843-3160) to check whether a job needs a permit.

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

Tooele County building department: who handles permitting

The county publishes a building permit application with general instructions and asks applicants to read the fire protection criteria at the end before applying. Outside the North Tooele Fire District those criteria require a fire apparatus access road reaching within 150 feet of every part of the building’s exterior, at least 20 feet wide, with 13 feet 6 inches of clearance and able to carry a 75,000-pound engine; driveways over 150 feet need an approved turnaround. The site needs an approved water supply for fire flow, and the fire code official can require on-site hydrants where any part of a building is more than 400 feet from one (600 feet for houses, Group U buildings and sprinklered buildings).

A house must be sprinklered if it sits in a wildland-urban interface area without meeting the state’s wildland standards, has no public water system with hydrants, is served only by an access road steeper than 10% for more than 500 feet, or exceeds 10,000 square feet (or double the average size of unsprinklered homes in its subdivision). A single-family house outside the interface, in a one-lot subdivision, with 50 feet of defensible space on every side is exempt.

The submittal expectations are set out plainly. Alongside the completed application and site plan, the county wants proof of ownership or permission to build on the property, and construction documents described as a complete set of plans with enough information to show the structural and physical elements of the project. Any commercial project will need to be prepared by a licensed architect, and some elements of residential construction may need to be engineered — the county says the inspectors can help identify which.

Impact fees changed in 2024. Ordinance 2024-07, adopted on September 3, 2024, created the current impact fees from December 2, 2024. On a new dwelling or a commercial project they are a material budget line separate from the permit fee; the amounts are in the cost section.

Tooele County is not Tooele City. The county offices are at 47 South Main Street in Tooele, but a lot inside Tooele City limits goes to the city’s Building Safety Division. Check the parcel against city and town limits before you apply.

In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Tooele County authorized 74 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Tooele County permits: record types and what each covers

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 Tooele County

Solar permits in Tooele County

Solar in unincorporated Tooele County is permitted and inspected by the county under Utah's statewide adopted editions. 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. On a rural parcel the site plan requirements bite here too: the county wants existing buildings, wells and septic located with distances, and a ground-mounted array is a structure whose position interacts with all of them.

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

Roofing permits in Tooele County

A roof covering replacement is permitted work — the county's trigger language captures repair and alteration explicitly, not just new construction. Tooele Valley carries real winter weather, so roofing is designed against snow load and freeze-thaw. For houses the county’s design criteria are a 35 psf ground snow load, a roof snow load of 30 psf or more depending on elevation, 115 mph wind and a frost depth of at least 30 inches, with seismic design category D or D-1 depending on location.

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.

Tooele County permit cost

Tooele County Code 14-2-4 ties building permit fees to Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code. The building official values each job with the first Building Valuation Data publication issued that calendar year (County Code 14-2-4 names the International Conference of Building Officials as its publisher), adjusted by its regional modifier for Utah and the grade of construction, and reads the fee from Table 1-A; factory-built housing, including manufactured and modular homes, is valued at 45% of the published figure. The county adds a surcharge of 1% of the building permit fee under state law. A plan review fee based on the project value is collected when you apply and the rest at issuance. The current schedule is the county fee schedule effective May 19, 2026.

Parks, public safety and transportation alone come to $3,188 for a new house, before the fire fee for its district and any Stansbury Park charge. The county’s January 2025 permit instructions still print a non-residential public safety fee of $1,188; the May 2026 schedule lists $1,688 per 1,000 square feet. On a lot without public water or sewer, the Tooele County Health Department charges $400 for an onsite wastewater permit (review and inspections), $150 for a replacement system, $150 for an individual well permit and $350 for a full chemical test of a new well.

Tooele County trade permits

The trades are permitted and inspected by the county under Utah's statewide adopted editions, and the county states explicitly that electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical work is captured by the permit requirement.

There is no separate trade application: the county’s building permit application names the electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors with their licence numbers and expiry dates, and the county checks those licences. New service or added load needs a utility connection approval form signed by each provider (electric, gas, water, sewer, roads, fire, zoning and health), and the utility may connect only after the county releases it by inspection.

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

Tooele County building permit submittal checklist

The county’s application and general instructions (January 2025) list what must be in hand when you file; incomplete applications are not accepted.

• The completed application: owner, site address and parcel number, every contractor with licence number and expiry, the estimated cost of labor and materials, and the owner’s or agent’s signature
• Proof of ownership, or the owner’s permission to build
• One dimensioned site plan, approved first by the Tooele County Fire Department, showing north, lot lines, adjacent streets and rights-of-way, all existing structures, wells and septic tanks, the proposed work and the driveway
• One complete set of construction plans (elevations, floor plans, sections, component schedules and details), with a gas pipe sizing diagram, stucco specifications and energy code compliance
• Utility approval forms where service is new or load is added, and the Stansbury Service Agency form or receipt in Stansbury Park
• A Tooele County Health Department certificate of approval for water and septic on a lot not served by community systems
• Architectural control committee approval where the subdivision has one, and the owner/builder form if the owner is building

A permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and a progress inspection must be made within 180 days of issue.

Tooele County permit application: how to apply step by step

Inspections in Tooele County

The person doing the work requests each inspection by calling the Building Department at 435-843-3160 at least 24 hours ahead with the permit number, the site address and the type of inspection; it is then scheduled at the first available time. The county’s list runs footing, foundation, underground plumbing or under-slab, sewer and water laterals (tested before backfill), four-way framing, insulation, weather barrier before exterior veneer, and final. An inspection not cancelled at least four hours ahead costs a $47 re-inspection fee, and no further inspection is made until it is paid; the county uses certified contract inspectors alongside its own staff at busy times.

Close-out follows the ordinary sequence to occupancy once every required inspection has passed. On a rural parcel expect the septic approval and any fire protection conditions to be part of getting there rather than separate errands.

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

Tooele County permit search and official resources

• Tooele County building permits
• Tooele County development applications
• Utah Code Title 15A, State Construction and Fire Codes Act
• Utah Code Section 15A-2-103, adopted code editions
• Utah DOPL contracting
• Utah Division of Water Rights
• Utah State Construction Registry
• Tooele County building permit application and general instructions (January 2025)
• Tooele County fee schedule, effective May 19, 2026
• Tooele County Code, September 2026 (Title 14, building regulations)
• Tooele County iWorQ permit portal
• Tooele County Community Development contacts
• Tooele County Health Department septic permits
• Tooele City Building Safety Division
• Grantsville City Building Department
• Erda City building permits
• Lake Point City Community Development
• Wendover City building permits
• Stockton Town Planning and Zoning Commission
• Rush Valley land management codes
• Vernon Planning and Zoning Commission meeting notices and agendas

Frequently asked questions

When do I need a permit in Tooele County?

The county states that state and county laws require a permit before constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing or changing the use of any building or structure, including work on electrical, plumbing, gas or mechanical systems. There are exceptions; the county’s inspectors answer questions about whether a job needs a permit.

What has to be on my site plan?

The size of the property, the location and distances of any existing buildings, wells and septic systems, and the location of the structure you intend to build. Zoning officers use it to verify setbacks from property lines, wells and septic systems, and the building department uses it to check required separation of buildings on the lot.

Do I need an architect?

On any commercial project, yes — the county states it must be prepared by a licensed architect. Some elements of residential construction may also need to be engineered, and the county says the inspectors can help identify which.

What are the fire protection criteria?

Requirements published at the end of the county's building permit application and general instructions document. The county asks specifically that you review them to ensure compliance prior to applying for a building permit — on rural parcels they turn on water supply and access.

Have impact fees changed?

Yes. Ordinance 2024-07 created the current impact fees from December 2, 2024. Under the May 2026 schedule a single-family home pays $2,305 for parks, $394 for public safety and $489 for transportation, plus $201 to Tooele County Fire or $583.93 inside the North Tooele Fire District, and $2,700 in Stansbury Park.

How much is a building permit in Tooele County?

The fee comes from Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code, applied to the job’s value under the year’s Building Valuation Data with the Utah modifier, plus a 1% state surcharge. A plan review fee based on that value is paid at application and the balance at issue; impact fees are on top for new buildings.

What else do I need to submit?

A completed permit application, the site plan, proof of ownership or permission to build on the property, and construction documents described as a complete set of plans with enough information to show the structural and physical elements of the project.

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.

Is Tooele County the same as Tooele City?

No. The county permits the unincorporated area, including Stansbury Park. Tooele City, Grantsville, Erda, Lake Point and Wendover issue their own permits, and Stockton, Rush Valley and Vernon work through their own commissions.

What if the county cannot inspect in time?

Utah law lets you use a third-party inspection firm when the city or county cannot inspect within three business days of your request. Pick a firm from the building department's approved list and tell the building department which firm you will use before you hire it.

How do I book an inspection?

Call the Building Department at 435-843-3160 at least 24 hours ahead with the permit number, site address and inspection type. Cancel at least four hours before the slot or a $47 re-inspection fee is charged.

Who issues septic permits in Tooele County?

The Tooele County Health Department’s Environmental Health office at 151 North Main Street (435-277-2440). It needs soil percolation results, a plot map with the house, tank and any well (with a 100-foot protection radius), a design by a certified septic designer and the fee; a new onsite wastewater permit is $400.

Do I need fire sprinklers in a new house?

Not under the state residential code alone, but the county’s fire criteria outside the North Tooele Fire District require them in some cases: a house in the wildland-urban interface that does not meet the state wildland standards, one with no public water system and hydrants, one reached only by a road steeper than 10% for over 500 feet, or one over 10,000 square feet.

Does my permit affect lien rights?

Yes. A city, town or county that issues a building permit for a private project must send the permit information to the State Construction Registry within 15 days, and the contractor must post a copy of the permit at the site.

Simplify Tooele County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Tooele County tells you exactly what it wants — a site plan with wells and septic on it, fire criteria read before you apply, an architect on commercial work — and most incomplete applications here ignore one of those. Alliance Permitting prepares, files and tracks Tooele County 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 Tooele County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:

• We draw the site plan with wells, septic and distances, because setbacks are measured from them.
• We read the fire protection criteria before design is fixed, as the county asks.
• We confirm the current impact fee schedule rather than working from a pre-2024 figure.
• We put a licensed architect on commercial work from the outset, since the county requires it.

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 Tooele County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.