Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Dutch John, Utah

Town of Dutch John’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or removal of buildings and structures inside Dutch John town

  • Exempt only as provided by the town's building code or state law (Utah Code 10-20-304 and following)
  • Permit issued by the town's building official

  “construction or removal of any building or structure or any part thereof, shall not be commenced or proceeded with until a building permit is obtained from the town's building official, unless exempt by the provisions of the town's building code or state law”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Structures requiring a building permit inside Dutch John town

  • Specific code edition not stated in the section quoted

  “all structures requiring a building permit shall comply with the requirements of the town's building codes, as adopted by the town.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Dutch John town

  • Inspections tied to building permits

  “this requirement is to trigger inspections of critical aspects of development by a certified and licensed building inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Structures erected, changed, converted, moved, altered or enlarged inside Dutch John town

  “a certificate of occupancy shall be required before any structure or premises, or part thereof, hereafter erected, changed, converted, moved, altered or enlarged wholly or in part, may be used or occupied.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Dutch John town limits

  • Ordinance has zoning districts R-1, RURR, RESR, R-2, R-3, C, LI plus civic
  • Town posts ordinance 2026-03 amending the Planning and Zoning Ordinance

  “the table of site development standards accompanies the table of uses. this table identifies the lot requirements, required setback and yard standards, building height standards, site coverage standards”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Dutch John town

  • Districts in the table: civic, R-1, RURR, R-2, R-3, RESR, C, LI
  • Town also links a zoning map on its documents page

  “table of uses notes: p = permitted use c = conditional use blank = prohibited use”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 district inside Dutch John town (other districts use site review determination or other values; table columns garbled in extraction)

  • Other districts (RURR, RESR, R-2, R-3, C, LI) not resolved because the extracted table column alignment is ambiguous

  R-1 minimum lot size: 12000 sq ft

  “minimum lot 12,000 sq. site review 1 acre size ft. determination 12,000 sq. ft. existing”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 district inside Dutch John town (primary structures)

  • Other districts use different values or site review determination; column alignment ambiguous in extraction

  R-1 front yard setback: >= 25 ft · R-1 rear yard setback: >= 25 ft

  “minimum front yard setback 25 ft. 50 ft. site review determination 25 ft. 25 ft.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Rentals of a residence for less than 30 days inside Dutch John town

  • Only property owners may hold the permit
  • Subject to density limitations established in the section
  • Conditional use permit fee $350 and annual review $75 per fee schedule

  rental period covered: < 30 days

  “it shall be unlawful for any person to rent for less than thirty (30) days a residence without possessing and maintaining a conditional use permit for a short term rental (str) as required by this ordinance.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building and planning/zoning permit fees inside Dutch John town

  • Schedule dated February 25, 2026
  • All fees non-refundable
  • Building permit fees scale with total valuation; inspections outside business hours, re-inspections and other inspections $55/hour with one hour minimum
  • Conditional use permit $250; short-term rental conditional use permit $350; zoning change $300 plus $50 per acre

  building permit fee, valuation $0-$500: 30 USD

  “consolidated fee schedule february 25, 2026 all fees paid are non-refundable”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Dutch John or Daggett County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Dutch John town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Dutch John town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Dutch John town
• Building height — Building height inside Dutch John town
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Dutch John town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.