What West Jordan Regulates: A Complete Ordinance Overview

West Jordan is a mid-sized city in Salt Lake County, Utah, with about 117000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 120 ordinances across 40 categories that affect daily life in West Jordan.

Parking Rules

Snow Removal Parking Rules: West Jordan City Code section 7-3-11 bars parking any vehicle or semitrailer on the street during a snow event and bars parking anywhere it would obstruct a plow or emergency vehicle. A car left snowbound more than 48 consecutive hours after a plow works around it is deemed abandoned and subject to removal and impoundment..

Also covered: Overnight Parking (moderate), Abandoned Vehicles (moderate), EV Charging (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for West Jordan for details.

Curfew Laws

Park Curfew: West Jordan city parks open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: West Jordan adopts the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, letting the city order the repair, vacation, or demolition of any structure that endangers life, health, safety, or welfare because of its condition. The abatement code layers on top of the adopted International Building Code and lets the city recover demolition or repair costs by attaching them to the property's tax bill..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate), Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for West Jordan for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Anyone who wants to work in or use a West Jordan public right-of-way, from digging a trench to placing a structure, must get an encroachment permit from the city engineer first under City Code section 8-8-3. Encroaching without one costs double the normal permit fee and can bring criminal and civil penalties up to $5,000 per day..

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (restrictive), Sidewalk Repair (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for West Jordan for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: West Jordan makes it unlawful to camp or lodge in any city park, recreational facility, plaza, open space, or other city property under City Code section 8-13-6(F). The ban applies citywide to all city-owned land, not just designated parks, and the only exception is a special event permit that expressly authorizes overnight lodging for that specific event..

Animal Ordinances

Exotic Pets: West Jordan bans owning, selling, or keeping any wild animal within city limits under Code section 6-3D-12, defining a wild animal as any species that is wild in its natural state and exempting only the city animal shelter, zoos, veterinary hospitals, humane society shelters, public labs, circuses, and education or science facilities with escape-proof enclosures..

Also covered: Breed Restrictions (restrictive), Pet Limits (moderate), Mandatory Spay/Neuter (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for West Jordan for details.

Public Conduct

Public Alcohol Use: West Jordan makes it unlawful to consume or even possess beer or any alcoholic beverage inside a city park or recreational facility under City Code section 8-13-6(B). The only exception is a special event operating under a single event permit issued for that specific gathering.

Also covered: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for West Jordan for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: West Jordan declares barbed wire, razor wire, and concertina wire fencing a nuisance in residential zones along or adjacent to streets and between neighboring residential lots, under City Code 13-14-5, with a narrow exception for rural residential security fencing around a public utility site..

Also covered: Retaining Walls (moderate), Height Limits (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for West Jordan for details.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: West Jordan bans dumping anything but stormwater into its municipal storm drain system and applies the rule to every parcel inside the incorporated city. Chapter 11 exempts specific discharges like sprinkler runoff and permitted UPDES flows, requires Best Management Practices to control pollutants, and makes violations a Class C misdemeanor with each day counted as a separate offense..

Also covered: Erosion Control (moderate), Flood Zones (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for West Jordan for details.

Noise Ordinances

Vehicle Noise: West Jordan City Code section 7-4-1(D) lets the city post signs along designated truck routes banning dynamic engine braking devices, the compression-release Jake brakes that produce a loud staccato bark when a semi slows down. Using an engine brake in a posted zone can be prosecuted under the truck routes chapter..

Also covered: Barking Dogs (moderate), Aircraft Noise (moderate), Construction Hours (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for West Jordan for details.

Trash & Recycling

Bulk Item Disposal: West Jordan's regular curbside service will not take large appliances or furniture: City Code section 5-5-3(B)(1)(a) bans collection of "bulky waste," meaning stoves, refrigerators, water tanks, washing machines, furniture, and similar items too heavy or bulky for the standard solid waste container. Placing them in the City-issued container is unlawful..

Also covered: Collection Schedule (moderate), Yard Waste Collection (moderate), Dumpster Rules (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for West Jordan for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Vending Zones: West Jordan limits mobile food truck vending in the public right-of-way to specific zoning districts under City Code section 4-2V-3: PC, BR-P, C-G, C-M, SC-1 through SC-3, M-P, M-1, M-2, P-F, CC-C, CC-F, VLSFR, LSFR, MFR, HFR and MU. Operating outside these zones, or without a City business license, is not permitted under the mobile food business article..

Also covered: Food Truck Permits (moderate), Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for West Jordan for details.

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: West Jordan's nuisance ordinance bans noxious weeds on any property in the city. City Code section 5-3-1A9a folds the State Commissioner of Agriculture's noxious weed list, adopted under Utah Code Annotated section 4-17-103, directly into the local nuisance definition, so growing a listed species is a nuisance regardless of height..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: West Jordan requires anyone doing door-to-door residential solicitation or running an ice cream wagon to hold both a city business license and a separate residential solicitation license under City Code section 4-2F-1. The business license authority reviews a full application, including a BCI background check, before issuing a one-year license..

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for West Jordan for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Tattoo & Body Modification: West Jordan allows tattoo and body engraving establishments as a conditional use in only one commercial zone: SC-3, the regional shopping center zone. City Code section 13-5E-3 leaves the use out of the C-G, C-M, SC-1 and SC-2 commercial zones entirely, and even an SC-3 location still needs Planning Commission approval under the conditional-use procedures in chapter 7, article E and title 15..

Also covered: Massage Establishments (restrictive), Pawnbrokers (moderate), Secondhand Dealers (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for West Jordan for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: West Jordan's only codified garage sale frequency limit sits inside its secondhand dealer licensing law. City Code section 4-2N-6 caps anyone licensed under that article at two sales of personal property from a private residence per calendar year, with no single sale running longer than seven days..

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Permits: West Jordan requires a short-term rental license under City Code section 4-2R-4 before anyone rents a dwelling, or part of one, for stays under 30 consecutive days. The landlord must sign the application, pay the license fee on the consolidated fee schedule, display the license number in every online listing, and notify every property owner within 100 feet before the license is issued..

Also covered: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (moderate), Taxes & Fees (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for West Jordan for details.

Rental Inspections

Inspection Programs: Every rental unit in West Jordan needs a general business license plus a rental property, Good Landlord, or short-term rental license, and City Code section 4-2R-5 puts all licensed rental premises squarely under city inspection. Refusing a lawful inspection is its own ground for license denial, revocation, or suspension..

Also covered: Tenant Complaint Process (moderate). See the full rental inspections guide for West Jordan for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Lot Coverage Limits: West Jordan caps maximum building coverage by zoning district under City Code section 13-5B-3(A). Standard R-1 lots run 35% to 45% depending on minimum lot size, R-2 duplex/twin-home lots cap at 40%, and R-3 small-lot single-family caps at 50%.

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate), Setback Rules (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for West Jordan for details.

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Downtown Design Guide: West Jordan's City Center zone is governed not only by City Code article 13-5I but by the adopted West Jordan downtown revitalization design guidelines and land use element, prepared by LMN Architects. Section 13-5I-13(B) folds those documents into zoning review and says the more restrictive language controls whenever the guidelines and the code text disagree..

Also covered: Density Bonus Law (moderate). See the full zoning overlays & bonuses guide for West Jordan for details.

Building Safety

Building Permits: West Jordan requires compliance with the entire 2015 International Building Code, adopted wholesale by city ordinance and controlling for any construction, alteration, or occupancy change within city limits. The Building and Safety Division enforces the code, inspects work in progress, and can suspend permit action if an owner refuses entry for inspection..

Also covered: Plumbing Permits (moderate), Electrical Permits (moderate), Building Inspections (moderate). See the full building safety guide for West Jordan for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Billboard Lighting: West Jordan caps how bright a digital billboard can shine under City Code section 12-3-3(D)(13), limiting illuminance to three-tenths of a foot-candle above ambient light at a distance tied to the sign's face area. Every digital billboard must carry an automatic dimmer that tracks ambient light, and none may operate between 10:00 p.m.

Also covered: Dark Sky Rules (moderate), Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for West Jordan for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: West Jordan caps the total number of billboards, digital or not, at 14 citywide under City Code section 12-3-3(D)(5), split evenly at up to seven on each side of Bangerter Highway. Digital billboards carry extra separation rules on top of that cap: 1,250 feet from any other billboard and 300 to 500 feet from residential zoning, depending on whether the display faces a residential area..

Also covered: Window Signs (limited), Holiday Displays (moderate), Political Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for West Jordan for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: West Jordan requires any permanent swimming pool three feet deep or more, including above-ground pools, to sit back at least five feet from every property line and be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least six feet tall. Section 13-8-16 also caps fence openings at 36 square inches and mandates self-closing, self-latching gates..

Right to Farm

Agricultural Zoning Protection: West Jordan shields farmland through three Agricultural Zones, A-1, A-5 and A-20, instead of a standalone right-to-farm ordinance. City Code section 13-5A-1 states the zones exist to encourage crop growing and livestock raising and to stop "leap frog" urban encroachment onto working land until residential, commercial or industrial development becomes necessary and desirable..

Also covered: Farm Nuisance Protection (permissive). See the full right to farm guide for West Jordan for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: West Jordan's zoning code addresses only cannabis production establishments, not retail dispensaries, and confines them to the A-20 Agricultural Zone. Section 13-5A-2 lists cannabis production establishments as a permitted use only in A-20, the city's twenty-acre agricultural district; the A-1 and A-5 agricultural zones and every residential, commercial and industrial zone leave the use off the table entirely..

Also covered: Buffer Zones (restrictive). See the full cannabis regulations guide for West Jordan for details.

Accessory Structures

Shed & Carport Rules: West Jordan limits accessory buildings, including sheds, to 20 percent coverage of the rear, corner side, or front yard where they sit. Section 13-8-3 requires a building permit for any accessory structure over 200 square feet or taller than 17 feet, and for any structure that receives gas, electricity, water, or sewer service..

Also covered: ADU Rental Restrictions (moderate), Garage Conversions (moderate), ADU Rules (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for West Jordan for details.

Home Business

Signage Rules: West Jordan restricts a home occupation to one unanimated, nonilluminated wall sign under City Code § 13-11-2J. The sign must sit in a window or on the front exterior wall, cannot exceed two square feet, and only minimal mailbox identification is otherwise permitted, a limit the sign code repeats verbatim at § 12-3-3H..

Also covered: Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate), Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (moderate), Home Daycare (moderate). See the full home business guide for West Jordan for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: West Jordan does not require a permit to remove a tree from private property, but any city-owned tree, including a park strip or park tree, needs written consent from the Urban Forester and payment of its appraised value before removal, under City Code 13-18-9..

Also covered: Artificial Turf (limited), Native Plants (limited), Tree Trimming (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for West Jordan for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: In West Jordan's City Center zone, street trees must go in a five-foot minimum amenity zone between the curb and walking path, and must be at least 2.5-inch caliper spaced 20 to 30 feet on center, under City Code 13-5I-7, with clustering allowed only by planning commission approval..

Also covered: Heritage & Protected Trees (permissive). See the full tree protection guide for West Jordan for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: West Jordan levies a 1% transient room tax on rents charged to transients staying at hotels, motels, motor courts, inns, bed and breakfasts, condominiums and resort homes rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. Operators file quarterly reports with the city treasurer..

Outdoor Cooking

BBQ & Propane Rules: West Jordan allows barbecue grills in its city parks under City Code section 8-13-6(D), but cooking is banned under any pavilion or other structure, and a fire extinguisher must sit within five feet of every grill. Digging a barbecue pit into park ground is prohibited outright, and users must also follow the city's separate grilling rules and any other regulatory agency's requirements..

Data Centers & Crypto Mining

Data Center Zoning & Siting: West Jordan treats a data center as a defined use permitted by right in only two districts: the M-1 Light Manufacturing zone under City Code § 13-5F-2, and the Southwest Quadrant Mixed Use (SWQ-MU) zone under § 13-5N-4. It is not listed in the M-P, M-2, or any residential or commercial zone..

Code Violation Reporting

Response Times: West Jordan gives property owners at least 14 calendar days from service of a notice of violation to correct a code problem, and the same 14-day window to request an administrative hearing. Once a hearing is requested, the Administrative Law Judge must set it within 7 days and hold it within 45 days..

HOA Rules

CC&R Enforcement: West Jordan's land disturbance and land-use titles do not override a subdivision's own CC&Rs, HOA agreements, or similar covenants when those private documents are stricter. Section 11-1-1 makes the more restrictive provision control whenever the city's substantive land use rules conflict with another title, law, ordinance, or private covenant, but the city itself does not enforce HOA CC&Rs..

Fire Regulations

Fireworks: West Jordan permits only Class C common state approved fireworks, and bans discharging them within twenty feet of a home, dwelling or other structure, or onto someone else's property. Selling fireworks requires a license from the mayor's office plus insurance and a $100 cleanup deposit.

Also covered: Brush Clearance (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for West Jordan for details.

Special Events & Permits

Park Event Permits: Reserving a West Jordan city park, pavilion, or recreational facility requires a reservation or permit approved by the city administrator under City Code section 8-13-3. Standard requests need 24 hours' notice on weekdays or a full week for weekend dates, and can be filed up to 11 months out.

Rental Property Rules

Rental Registration: West Jordan requires every residential landlord to hold a general business license under City Code section 4-2R-1, and landlords outside the Good Landlord Program or Short-Term Rental Program must also obtain a separate rental property license under section 4-2R-2. Owners of multiple units need only one general business license but must supply a complete list of every rental unit and pay a per-unit fee..

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: West Jordan designates buildings, sites and districts to its historic landmark register under Title 13, chapter 6, article C. A property must sit inside city limits and either carry a National Register of Historic Places listing or meet a national register significance criterion.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: West Jordan reviews solar energy systems under section 13-8-22, requiring conditional use approval in some zones and specific submittal steps everywhere: proof the applicant's electric utility has been notified of the interconnection, undergrounded cabling, and compliance with the accessory-structure setback and height standards in section 13-8-3..

What to Do With This Information

This overview covers the big picture, but the details matter. Each ordinance page for West Jordan includes the full text, violation penalties, and frequently asked questions. Use those pages when you need specifics.