Building permits, zoning and land rules in Beaver County, Utah

Yes. Unincorporated Beaver County requires the owner or authorized agent to obtain a permit before covered construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, occupancy changes, or regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing work¹. The county has adopted the state construction code for construction it regulates in unincorporated areas³. A detached, single-story storage shed or playhouse no larger than 200 square feet is among the listed permit exceptions, subject to the county's stated limitations¹. Utah's agricultural construction-code exemption can cover a structure used solely for agriculture and not for human occupancy, but regulated trade work may still need permits and the exemption narrows on certain smaller tracts⁹. A building may not be used or occupied until the building official issues a certificate of occupancy after all required inspections are approved¹⁰. For commercial buildings and changes of occupancy classification in unincorporated Beaver County, the county cites International Building Code Section 110.1 and likewise issues no certificate of occupancy until every required inspection is approved¹¹.

The Beaver County Building Department handles building permits and inspections for unincorporated Beaver County at 105 East Center Street in Beaver; call (435) 438-6484². For unincorporated parcels beginning with 01- or 02-, the department handles zoning, applications, payment, and inspection scheduling². Milford requires building permits under its own rules, with applications filed through Beaver County's Building Department; Southwest Utah Public Health Department remains the septic authority^4,12. The county's online application accepts plans, engineering, septic permits, soil-test results, and owner-builder certification; payment follows plan review and zoning approval². A building permit is not valid until required fees are paid¹³. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing permits cost $75.75; building permit fees differ by the permit issued, and new-home and commercial fees are based on square footage, materials, and labor, with credit-card processing and some additional inspection charges possible¹⁴. Required inspections need at least 24 hours' notice¹⁵.

Yes. Beaver County administers zoning for unincorporated parcels whose parcel numbers begin with 01- or 02-². Minersville administers its own zoning inside town limits; Southwest Utah Public Health Department remains the septic authority, and the town requires written health-department approval of water and waste disposal before a building permit^4,16,17. Beaver City handles its own zoning, and Milford and Minersville handle the zoning portion of their permits, so the county's zoning rules here apply to unincorporated land². The county code publishes district regulations, including an Agricultural 5 District, but the online zoning map is informational rather than legally binding and designations can change, so confirm the parcel's district before relying on the map^18,19. Minimum lot sizes depend on the district: FR-1 requires at least 1 acre and 120 feet of width²⁰, FR-.5 requires at least 0.5 acre and 80 feet of width²⁰, and any dwelling in the MU-20 Multiple Use District needs at least 20 acres²¹. Internal accessory dwelling units are permitted in some residential districts and conditional in others, are prohibited on parcels under 6,000 square feet, and may not have a separate utility meter²². Planned unit developments in residential or agricultural districts require at least 5 acres, with lot coverage determined by the approved site-development plan²³. Beaver County generally regulates divisions into 2 or more lots, although qualifying minor and simple subdivisions follow alternate procedures²⁴. Agricultural-purpose divisions can be exempt from those subdivision rules without becoming exempt from zoning, building, septic, health, or access requirements²⁴.

Southwest Utah Public Health Department is the septic authority for Beaver County, and its Environmental Health program reviews plans, issues permits, conducts inspections, and keeps system records^4,25. Call the Beaver and Garfield County septic contact at (435) 865-5158²⁵. A permit and approved design are required before installing, replacing, or modifying a septic system, and soil and percolation testing must be completed by a Utah-certified onsite professional²⁵. Every septic system needs a final inspection before backfilling²⁶. Only 37.1% of Beaver County soils avoid severe USDA limitations for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility part of the land evaluation rather than assuming a standard system will work²⁷. Off-grid wastewater may use an approved onsite system, but it remains subject to district permitting and inspection²⁵.

Beaver County prohibits residential use of a travel trailer outside approved and licensed travel-trailer parks, except for the temporary owner permit described next⁵. Travel trailers may be stored in unincorporated areas but may not serve as permanent living quarters⁵. A property owner may obtain a temporary-use permit in agricultural, multiple use, residential estate, residential, forest/recreation residential, and multiple-family residential districts from May 1 through October 31, for at most 180 days per calendar year, issued again each year⁵. The temporary residence requires an approved septic tank, culinary water, fire protection, and adequate power⁵. We could not confirm a specific tiny-home occupancy rule; ask the Beaver County Building Department how the proposed unit will be classified². A new manufactured house on a single-family-zoned lot in unincorporated Beaver County must be at least 24 feet wide at its smallest dimension, multisectional or multimodular, and installed on a compliant permanent foundation, with applicable zoning and utility approvals⁸. Detached accessory dwellings must be permanent structures; wheeled trailers do not qualify²⁸. A short-term rental requires a conditional-use permit; the application lists a $100 fee, plus letter and hourly charges when the property is in an Agriculture District and owners within 500 feet must be notified, and it also requires a state transient-room-tax number and safety, parking, and posting standards²⁹.

1. Identify whether the parcel is unincorporated from its parcel number, then confirm the zoning district and allowed dwelling type with the Beaver County Building Department².
2. Verify the district's lot area, width, setbacks, height, access, and subdivision status before designing the home^20,24,30.
3. Secure a water source; a private well requires a valid water right and state permission to drill⁷.
4. Obtain written health-department approval for the culinary-water supply and waste-disposal method, including the septic permit and design when needed^25,31.
5. Obtain any required conditional-use permit before applying for the building permit, and begin permitted work within 180 days or a new permit is required³¹.
6. Schedule each required county inspection with at least 24 hours' notice, leave the septic system uncovered for final inspection, and obtain the certificate of occupancy before using the building^10,15,26.

Verify septic feasibility early because only 37.1% of county soils avoid severe limitations for a conventional drain field²⁷. Confirm legal water before assuming a well is available, since groundwater use and drilling require a valid water right and state approval⁷. Sidewalks and driveways are exempt from Beaver County building permits, but a separate county right-of-way encroachment permit may be required when the work crosses a county right-of-way, so ask the Building Department about the proposed connection^1,2. A connection to a state highway requires a UDOT conditional access permit³². Construction or development in a mapped special-flood-hazard, erosion-hazard, or mudflow-hazard area requires a county flood-control development permit before work starts, and the county may ask for scaled plans and lowest-floor elevations³³. Ask the county building inspector for flood-control application forms; the county commission, building inspector, or a designated engineer administers the requirements³³. Beaver County averages 2.8 people per square mile, and 76.7% of its land is federally owned²⁷. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.4%, with a median annual bill of $1,121²⁷.