Salt Lake City, UT Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Any structure erection, enlargement, or alteration
- Fee basis
- Percentage of project valuation
- No-permit penalty
- 10% of valuation or $1,000
- Homeowner permit
- Owner-occupants may self-perform work
- Issuing office
- Salt Lake City building official
Summary
Salt Lake City requires a building permit before erecting, altering, or enlarging any structure - including decks and patios - with fees based on project valuation and no local size exemption written into city code.
No person, firm or corporation shall erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any building, structure or premises, or make any installation, alteration or improvement to the electrical, fire, plumbing or mechanical system in a building, structure or premises, or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining the prescribed permits for each such building or structure or premises from the building official.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 18.20.010 bars anyone from erecting, enlarging, or altering "any building, structure or premises" without first getting a permit from the building official - a sweep that covers decks and patios attached to or serving a dwelling. Salt Lake City's own code carries no size or height carve-out for small platforms; the familiar 200-square-foot/30-inch exemptions homeowners cite trace back to the state-adopted International Residential Code applied under Section 18.04.040, not a city ordinance. Permit fees run off the project's valuation (Section 18.20.020), and owner-occupants of a single-family home may pull a homeowner permit and do the work themselves (Section 18.20.070).
Violations & Fines
Starting construction without the required permit lets the building official add a penalty fee of 10% of project valuation or $1,000, whichever is greater, on top of standard permit fees (Section 18.20.090).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a small backyard patio need a permit in Salt Lake City?
How much does a Salt Lake City deck or patio permit cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah building safety overview
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle building permits.