5 rules for unincorporated Davis County, Utah.
Verified from official government sources
Utah law makes an internal accessory dwelling unit a permitted use in residential zones. Layton, Bountiful, and other Davis County cities must allow one internal ADU inside an owner-occupied single-family home; detached ADUs stay under local zoning.
Utah Code §10-9a-530
the use of an internal accessory dwelling unit is a permitted use
In Layton and most Davis County cities, sheds larger than 200 square feet need a building permit; smaller sheds still must meet zoning setbacks. Every shed must sit within the yard setbacks set for your zone.
Layton Municipal Code Table 5-1 (Accessory Structures)
Building permits are required for all sheds larger than 200 square feet.
Converting a garage to living space needs a building permit. Utah law lets an attached garage count as an internal ADU when it is habitable and joined to the home by a common wall, making conversion to a rental unit a permitted use in residential zones.
Utah Code §10-9a-530
The term also includes a garage if the garage is a habitable space and is connected to the primary dwelling by a common wall.
A carport is an accessory structure that must meet your zone's setbacks and height limit. On unincorporated Davis County land the Land Use Ordinance sets 25-foot front and rear yards, 10-foot side yards, and a 35-foot height cap; cities like Layton use their own tables.
Davis County Code §15.20.740
Front yard: twenty-five (25) feet; Side yards: ten (10) feet (each side); Rear yard: twenty-five (25) feet; Building height: thirty-five (35) feet maximum.
Davis County has no special tiny-home ordinance. A tiny house on a permanent foundation is treated as a single-family dwelling and must meet Utah's adopted building code and the zone's standards; a tiny home on wheels is an RV and cannot be a permanent residence in most residential zones.
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