Moving to Provo, UT?

Provo has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Noise from landscaping equipment is exempt from the Chapter 9.06 noise restrictions when operated between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.; outside that window the general dBA limits apply.

Provo City Code makes it unlawful to maintain a sound level exceeding 105 dBA in any public entertainment venue, including restaurants, bars, cafes, discotheques, or dance halls. Amplified sound on private property must also stay within the property-line dBA limits of Chapter 9.06.

No Provo ordinance sets dBA limits for aircraft in flight. Provo's airport chapter adopts FAA and Utah State Aeronautics Commission regulations by reference, and aircraft noise standards are preempted by federal law.

Provo City Code Chapter 9.06 caps residential noise at a property line at 55 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 65 dBA between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. It is also unlawful to create loud, continuous, or obnoxious noises that are a nuisance to the public peace.

Provo has no chapter setting fixed start and stop times for construction. Construction noise is governed by the general Chapter 9.06 dBA limits, and special construction projects may obtain a written noise-exemption permit from the Mayor.

Provo City Code deems any animal that barks, whines, or howls in an excessive, continuous or untimely fashion a nuisance. Excessive barking means barking continuously for ten minutes, or intermittently for a half hour or more, disturbing any person at any time of day or night.

STR properties in Provo must meet the same parking requirements as their zoning classification. ADU-associated parking may be on a front yard driveway if it leads to required covered spaces. Provo Code Ch. 14.37 governs off-street parking minimums.

Provo City Code Chapter 6.33 (Short-Term Rentals) does not publish a specific minimum liability-insurance dollar amount for STR operators, and Utah Code Sec. 10-8-85.4 does not set a statewide STR insurance floor. Standard Utah homeowner policies typically exclude commercial short-term rental activity, so most Provo operators rely on platform liability coverage (Airbnb Host Liability up to USD 1 million per occurrence; Vrbo Liability Insurance) or a stand-alone commercial STR policy.

Provo does not set a separate per-guest STR occupancy cap, but it sharply limits STR location: they are allowed only in eight commercial/mixed-use zones, and in multifamily buildings in those zones STR use is capped at 10% of the total dwelling units.

Short-term rental guests in Provo are subject to the same noise ordinance as permanent residents. Chapter 9.06 limits apply 24/7 with quiet hours from 10 PM–7 AM. STR licenses can be revoked for repeated noise violations.

Provo requires a short-term rental business license under Provo City Code Chapter 6.33; the city only permits STRs in eight commercial and mixed-use zones, not in residential or agricultural zones. Utah Code 10-8-85.4(4) expressly authorizes the city to require this license.

STR operators in Provo must collect Utah state sales tax (4.85%), Utah County Transient Room Tax (6%), and Provo City sales tax (1%). Total tax burden on STR stays is approximately 11–12%.

Backyard recreational fires and small cooking fires are allowed in Provo under the adopted International Fire Code (Provo City Code 9.51), but a recreational fire must stay at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material, and contained cooking pits are limited to a six-foot cooking area under Provo City Code 9.51.040.

Provo Fire & Rescue allows backyard recreational fire pits under guidelines that cap the pit at 3 feet in diameter and flames at 2 feet, require a non-combustible surround, and keep fires 25 feet from structures and combustibles per the adopted International Fire Code (Provo City Code 9.51).

Provo allows Class C (state-approved) fireworks on the dates and hours fixed by Utah Code 53-7-225, but bans discharge in the east foothills and most city parks because of wildfire hazard. Discharge outside the legal dates/times is a state infraction with a fine up to $1,000.

Provo prohibits open burning under its adopted International Fire Code (Provo City Code 9.51), with narrow exceptions. Where yard-waste burning is allowed, Utah Division of Air Quality rule R307-202 requires a valid permit from the fire authority and a National Weather Service clearing index of 500 or greater.

Provo allows overnight on-street parking but every vehicle must display current registration and move at least 400 feet every 72 hours; a vehicle left longer is treated as stored and subject to citation and towing.

Provo City Code 9.32.090 bars trucks rated 1.5 tons or more (or licensed over 18,000 lbs gross) from parking on residential public streets for more than 2 hours (8 hours absolute max) except while actively loading or unloading.

Recreational vehicles, trailers, and boats may not be parked on any public street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours (Provo City Code 9.31.055), and in residential zones they cannot be stored in a front or street-side yard except on a driveway set back 12.5 feet from the sidewalk (Code 14.34.060).

Provo City Code Chapter 14.37 governs off-street parking. For one-family dwellings with ADUs, driveway parking in the front yard is allowed if it leads to required covered spaces. Vehicles may not be between the dwelling and the street.

Provo prohibits stopping, standing, or parking on sidewalks, crosswalks, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within an intersection, and other listed locations under Provo City Code 9.31.010, mirroring Utah Code 41-6a-1401.

Structural fences 6 feet or less in height do not require a building permit in Provo. Fences over 6 feet require a permit. All fences must comply with setback, vision clearance, and zoning rules.

In Provo R1 zones, solid fences in front yards are limited to 3 feet. Side and rear yard fences may be up to 6 feet. Non-sight-obscuring (50%+ open) fences may be up to 6 feet in front yards. No permit required for fences 6 feet or less.

Provo follows Utah's general property law for shared fences. Fences must be within the owner's property. Disputes over shared boundary fences are governed by Utah Code §17-15-3 (fence viewers). No specific cost-sharing ordinance in Provo city code.

Provo cannot ban or restrict any dog by breed. Utah Code 18-2-101 prohibits a municipality from adopting or enforcing any breed-specific rule, regulation, policy, or ordinance regarding dogs and voids any such measure, so no breed restrictions apply in Provo.

Provo City Code 8.06.070 limits each residence or commercial establishment to no more than two dogs and no more than two cats six months of age or older, with licensed kennels, catteries, grooming parlors, and pet shops exempt.

Provo City Code 8.02.190 lets residents in residential zones keep hen chickens (no roosters) for egg production, with the number tied to lot size from two hens at 6,000 sq ft up to six hens at 10,000 sq ft, and requires annual registration with the City plus a secure rear-yard coop.

Provo City requires all dogs to be on a leash or otherwise restrained when not on the owner's property. Dogs must be under restraint in all public areas including city parks, unless the area is a designated off-leash park.

Provo City Code Title 8 includes beekeeping definitions and regulates apiaries in residential areas. Utah Code §4-2-103 (Utah Department of Agriculture) governs statewide beekeeping registration. Mason bees are treated separately from honeybees.

Utah regulates exotic wildlife ownership under Utah Admin Code R657-3. 'Exotic wildlife' means non-native wild species. Permits may be required depending on species. Provo City Code Title 8 defines exotic wildlife under animal control provisions.

Tree removal on private property in Provo generally does not require a permit for small, dead, or hazardous trees. Heritage trees under the Utah Heritage Tree Act require a permit. Street/right-of-way trees require City Forester consent.

Provo City Code 7.01.020 declares overgrown or uncultivated vegetation a public nuisance when it is hazardous, obstructs traffic, or is likely to harbor pests, and bars noxious weeds on vacant lots or along sidewalks and streets. In the park strip, vegetative materials other than trees may not exceed 24 inches in height at maturity under Provo City Code 15.20.120.

Provo City Code 9.20.050 makes it unlawful to plant, remove, spray, trim, prune, or cut any tree or shrub on city parking strips, parks, or other public property without first obtaining the written consent of the City Forester. Provo's Arboricultural Standards require limbs over streets to clear 13 feet and over sidewalks to clear 8 feet, and all work to follow ANSI A300 and Z133.1 standards.

Provo City Code 10.02.160 makes it unlawful for any water user to waste water through leaks, overflowing troughs, or wasteful running of hydrants and faucets. Under Provo City Code 10.02.220, when water is scarce the Mayor may proclaim restrictions on outdoor (non-domestic) water use, and violators can have their water shut off until they pay a turn-on fee.

Provo City Code Chapter 7.02 (Weed and Refuse Abatement) lets the City inspect for injurious and noxious weeds and serve written notice requiring the owner to remove them within at least 10 days. If the owner fails to comply, the City may abate the weeds itself and bill the owner, with unpaid costs collected through the courts or placed on the property tax notice. Utah Code Title 4, Chapter 17 makes uncontrolled noxious weeds a public nuisance statewide.

Provo City Code Section 14.41.040 sets the baseline conditions every home occupation must meet, including that the business be conducted wholly within the dwelling, employ no non-resident persons on the premises, and not alter the residential character or disturb the peace of the neighborhood. Only one business vehicle (up to 14,000 lbs GVWR) is allowed and it must be stored entirely within a building.

Provo City Code Chapter 14.41 requires a home occupation permit before operating any business from a residence, with separate Minor (14.41.050) and Major (14.41.060) permit tracks. Under Utah Code Section 10-1-203(8), Provo may not charge a license fee for a home based business unless its off-site impact materially exceeds that of the residence, so the Minor Home Occupation Permit is issued at no cost.

Provo City Code Section 14.41.040 prohibits any sign or advertising on the premises of a home occupation except a permitted nameplate, and bars any display visible from the exterior. Under the cross-referenced sign rules in Section 14.38.050, a home occupation nameplate is limited to a small wall-mounted nameplate.

Home occupations in Provo's residential zones must not generate customer traffic that disturbs the neighborhood's residential character. No non-resident employees are typically permitted. High-traffic businesses require commercial zoning.

Above-ground pools in Provo are subject to the same building permit and fencing requirements as in-ground pools. A 6-foot fence enclosure and property line setbacks apply. Accessory structure rules may apply to associated pool structures.

A City of Provo building permit is required to install any indoor or outdoor swimming pool, and the application must show setbacks, required barriers, utilities, pool equipment and pool features; commercial pools must first be approved by the Utah County Health Department.

Provo regulates spas and hot tubs under the same swimming-pool provisions and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, so a building permit and a compliant barrier or safety cover are required, with five-foot setbacks and self-closing, self-latching access.

Provo requires an outdoor pool to be enclosed by a wall or fence at least six feet high with no openings that pass a 4-inch sphere and with automatic self-closing, self-latching gates; the zoning code and the adopted International Swimming Pool and Spa Code set the barrier standards.

Provo pool safety rules follow IRC barrier standards and UDOH Admin Code R392-302. Building permits are required. Pools must maintain required fencing, gates, and setbacks at all times. Commercial pools require Utah County Health Department approval.

Provo regulates carports as accessory structures under Title 14 (Zoning). In the R1 (One-Family Residential) zone, Sec. 14.10.080 requires garages and carports to be set back at least 20 feet behind the sidewalk, or at least 26 feet behind the back of curb where no sidewalk exists. On a residential corner lot, a garage or carport in the rear yard cannot be closer to the side-street property line than any residence on the adjoining lot, and in no case closer than 30 feet, whichever is more restrictive. Building permits are required for carport construction.

Provo allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family detached home in most residential zones under Chapter 14.30 of the Provo City Code, but requires owner occupancy, four off-street parking spaces, and a rental dwelling license; internal ADUs are a permitted use statewide under Utah Code 10-9a-530.

Provo permits an accessory apartment created over an attached garage or by conversion inside the home, and Utah Code 10-9a-530 makes an internal ADU within an owner-occupied single-family dwelling (including a connected, habitable garage) a permitted use; a building permit, interior inspection, and owner occupancy are required.

Provo treats sheds, gazebos, and other detached accessory buildings under its yard-requirement code (14.10.080); accessory buildings outside the buildable area must sit at least three feet from any property line, cover no more than 10% of the lot, and no portion may exceed 12 feet in height within 10 feet of a property line.

Provo City Code §15.05.180 governs floodplain development. A floodplain development permit is required for any construction in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The effective FIRM date is June 19, 2020. A 100-foot Provo River buffer zone applies.

Provo enforces a juvenile curfew for minors under 17. Nighttime curfew hours typically run 11 PM to 6 AM on school nights with later weekend hours.