Salt Lake City, UT Building Safety: Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- For any scaffold over public way
- Administered by
- Salt Lake City Engineer
- Fee
- Due before scaffold work begins
- Roadway occupation cap
- 8 feet, up to 15 feet
- Default penalty
- Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000
Summary
Salt Lake City requires a City Engineer permit before erecting any scaffold, fence, or temporary structure over a public sidewalk or street, with the permit fee paid before work begins.
Required For Scaffold Or Staging Over Public Way: It is unlawful for any person to erect, build, maintain, swing or use any scaffold, fence or any other temporary structure over or upon the public way without first obtaining a permit for that purpose and paying the fee for such permit.
D. Not Required When: A permit is not required for use of the public way, other than as noted in this article. However, all persons working within the public way shall properly protect travelers thereon by conformance to the Salt Lake City traffic barricade manual. Any obstruction of a travel lane on any collector or arterial street, as defined in the Salt Lake City official street map, for a period of more than twenty (20) minutes shall be barricaded in accordance with a traffic plan approved by the transportation engineer. (Ord.
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
Under City Code Chapter 14.32, Article II, anyone occupying the public way while working on private property must get a City Engineer permit. Section 14.32.200(C) specifically bars erecting, building, maintaining, swinging, or using a scaffold, fence, or other temporary structure over or upon the public way without first obtaining that permit and paying its fee. The same article also requires permits for storing construction materials or equipment in the public way and caps roadway occupation at 8 feet (extendable to 15 feet at the transportation engineer's discretion).
Violations & Fines
Erecting scaffolding or staging over a public street or sidewalk without a City Engineer permit is unlawful; code violations default to a class B misdemeanor: up to $1,000 fine or six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put scaffolding over a Salt Lake City sidewalk or street?
What happens if a contractor skips the scaffold permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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