Sandy, UT Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Section 21-23-21's Land Coverage standards apply to development within the Central Business District (CBD) Zone. Buildings and any covered or semi-enclosed outbuildings are capped at 40 percent of the lot area. A second, broader cap covers everything hard-surfaced on the site: combined building coverage and paved areas used for parking, loading, and circulation cannot exceed 90 percent of the lot, which guarantees a minimum of 10 percent of the property stays landscaped once any future expansion is complete. The code also closes off a workaround for sites that already exceed these limits: an existing development that currently sits above either coverage cap may only expand to the extent permitted by the caps themselves, meaning it cannot add coverage that pushes it further out of compliance.

Two CBD subdistricts get carved out of these percentage limits entirely: properties within the Centennial Parkway District and the Arts and Culture District are exempt from the 40 percent and 90 percent coverage figures, though they still must conform to the other CBD development standards listed in the same section, including architectural design, landscaping, and buffer requirements. These coverage limits sit alongside the CBD's separate residential recreation-space requirement, which requires at least 15 percent of gross living area in a residential CBD project to be set aside as common recreation space.