Provo, UT Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Code adopted
- Uniform Plumbing Code, per State Building Code
- Local amendment
- Sewer available within 300 feet of property line
- Amended section
- Plumbing Code Section 701.2
- Penalty basis
- General penalty, Provo City Code 1.03.010
Summary
Provo enforces plumbing work through the state-adopted Uniform Plumbing Code, per City Code 9.52.010, with one local amendment: a public sewer counts as available whenever it sits within 300 feet of the property line of a building meant for human occupancy.
As required by Section 58-56-4 of the Utah Code, Provo City shall adhere to the building code, National Electrical Code, plumbing code, and mechanical code as promulgated by nationally recognized code authorities and adopted by the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission (collectively, the 'State Building Code'). ... The Plumbing Code, Section 701.2, shall include the following as the second paragraph: The public sewer may be considered as being available when such public sewer is within three hundred (300) feet of any property line with any building used for human occupancy.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-17, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Like electrical work, Provo's plumbing rules start with Section 9.52.010(1): as required by Utah Code 58-56-4, the city adheres to the plumbing code promulgated by nationally recognized code authorities and adopted by the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission as part of the State Building Code, and any new edition the Legislature adopts becomes Provo's plumbing code automatically without a separate city ordinance.
Provo does write one specific amendment into its own plumbing enforcement, though. Subsection (3)(b)(i) states that 'the Plumbing Code, Section 701.2, shall include the following as the second paragraph: The public sewer may be considered as being available when such public sewer is within three hundred (300) feet of any property line with any building used for human occupancy.' That 300-foot rule is the local test Provo's building officials use to decide when a property must connect to the public sewer rather than relying on a septic system, and it is the one place the city's plumbing code diverges from the unmodified state text.
Subsection (4) sets plumbing permit fees the same way it sets electrical fees: whatever amount the Municipal Council has adopted on the Consolidated Fee Schedule controls, notwithstanding any different fee figure the adopted Plumbing Code itself might specify. Subsection (5) folds plumbing code violations into the same general criminal penalty framework as every other technical code violation, Section 1.03.010, so unpermitted plumbing work or a sewer-connection violation can be charged the same way as an unpermitted building or electrical job, up to $1,000 and six months in jail for a straight misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Plumbing work done without a required permit, or in violation of the amended Section 701.2 sewer-availability standard, is enforced under Provo City Code 9.52.010(5) through the general criminal penalty statute at Section 1.03.010, exposing a violator to a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, depending on classification.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must I connect to the public sewer instead of using a septic system in Provo?
Does Provo use its own plumbing code?
What's the penalty for unpermitted plumbing work?
Sources & Official References
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Plumbing Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle plumbing permits.