Salt Lake County, UT Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Who designates
- County council, on commission recommendation
- Process sections
- § 2.88.030 and Chapter 19.90
- Permit to alter
- Conditional use permit (§ 19.86.030)
- Records
- Planning and Development Services Division
- Last amended
- Ord. 1839 (2018)
- Scope
- Unincorporated Salt Lake County
Summary
In unincorporated Salt Lake County, historic designation is a two-step act: the Historic Preservation Commission/Planning Commission recommends, and the county council decides. Once a site or structure is designated under Section 19.86.020, any modification, including landscaping, fencing, demolition, construction, or relocation, requires a conditional use permit.
The county council may designate historic sites and structures after receiving a recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission/Planning Commission in accordance with section 2.88.030 and Chapter 19.90 of this code. County council designated historic sites shall be on file with the Planning and Development Services Division.
(Ord. No. 1839, § II, 8-28-2018; Ord. No. 1774, § I, 7-1-2014; Ord. 1473 (part), 2001: Ord. 1401 § 2, 1997; Ord. 1308 § 2, 1995; Ord. 1202 § 1, 1992; Ord. 1137 § 2, 1990; Ord. 1079 § 2, 1989; Ord. 958A § 1, 1986; § 1 of Ord. passed 3/20/85; prior code § 22-34-2)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
90 of the county code. The word may matters: designation is discretionary, so a favorable commission recommendation does not force the council's hand, and no site becomes historic without the council's vote. Every council-designated historic site must be on file with the Planning and Development Services Division, which makes that office the place to confirm whether a specific parcel carries the designation before buying it or planning work on it. Designation has teeth through the permitting process. 030, a conditional use permit is required for any modification affecting a designated site, and modification reaches well past major construction: landscaping, fencing, demolition, construction, and relocation all count.
A yard or fence project that would be routine anywhere else in the unincorporated county goes through conditional use review on a designated property. The provision is not new. It was most recently amended by Ordinance 1839 in 2018, with a chain of amendments running back through 2014, 2001, 1997, 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989, and 1986, and roots in prior code Section 22-34-2.
Violations & Fines
Modifying a designated historic site without the required conditional use permit is a zoning violation enforceable through the planning commission's permit process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides which sites in Salt Lake County get historic designation?
Can I remodel, fence, or re-landscape a designated site?
How do I find out if a property is designated?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
Compare Salt Lake County to another location·View the Utah historic preservation overview
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