Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Paragonah, Utah

Town of Paragonah’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or alteration of buildings or structures inside Paragonah town

  • Fences are excepted.
  • Section 150.015(b): does not apply where the retail cost of materials is less than $150, except where the work enlarges the structure or affects its walls.
  • Permit is secured from the town clerk on written application with plans in duplicate (§ 150.016).

  materials cost exemption threshold: < 150 USD (does not apply if construction enlarges the structure or affects its walls)

  “this section shall not apply where the retail cost of the materials used in the construction or alteration is less than $150, except that it shall apply in the cases where the construction or alteration results in an enlarged structure or affects the walls of the building or structure.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Plumbing work by the bona fide owner-occupant of a single-family dwelling inside Paragonah town

  • Applies to plumbing permits only; no general owner-builder exemption from the building permit was found.
  • Owner must be a bona fide owner, the dwelling occupied or designed to be occupied by the owner, and must furnish the plumbing inspector a complete layout drawing and show working knowledge of the requirements.

  “any permit required by this subchapter may be issued to any person to do any plumbing or drainage work regulated by this subchapter in a single-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Paragonah town

  • Adopts the uniform building code as adopted by the state under UCA 58-57-4; electrical (national electric code) and plumbing (uniform plumbing code) codes are also adopted in §§ 150.045 and 150.060.
  • The code text refers to older code editions; the edition currently enforced was not verified.

  “the uniform building code, as adopted by the state pursuant to uca § 58-57-4, published by the international conference of building officials and printed as a code in book form”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings erected, enlarged or structurally altered inside Paragonah town

  • Exception for permitted agricultural uses.
  • Also needed whenever the use or character of a building or land changes.
  • Issued by the town zoning administrator.

  “a permit of occupancy shall be issued by the town zoning administrator to the effect that the use, building or premises will conform to provisions of this and related ordinances prior to occupancy, for any building erected, enlarged or altered structurally”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Paragonah town limits (Iron County)

  • Chapter 153 (Zoning) of the town code establishes zoning districts, a planning commission and a board of adjustment.

  “all annexed property will come into the town zoned re-residential estate, pending future changes recommended by the planning commission and approved by the town board.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential Estate (RE) district, the town's main residential district (R-1 was repealed and folded into RE; annexed land comes in as RE)

  • Footnote: prior minimum area was 12,500 sq. ft. (to meet public health department requirements).
  • See also §§ 153.075 and 153.076 (substandard lots).

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 80 ft

  “yards in feet district *area width re 43,560 sq. ft. 80 ft. front side rear 30 10 30”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential Estate (RE) district inside Paragonah town

  • Corner lots: side yard facing a street not less than 20 feet (§ 153.240(a)).
  • Accessory buildings and storage containers must be at the rear, at least 10 feet from the main building, with at least 10 ft rear and side yards (§ 153.240(b)).

  front yard: >= 30 ft · side yard: >= 10 ft (20 ft on street side of corner lots) · rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “yards in feet district *area width re 43,560 sq. ft. 80 ft. front side rear 30 10 30”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential Estate (RE) district inside Paragonah town

  • General Commercial district: no building higher than 35 feet without a conditional use permit; minimum 8 feet (§ 153.293).
  • Exceptions in §§ 153.085-153.088 not reviewed.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (or two and one-half stories) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

  “no building shall exceed two and one-half stories or 35 feet in height. no dwelling shall be less than one story in height.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater (with conditions)

  Proposed buildings and uses inside Paragonah town

  • The same section adds a garbled sewer sentence ('sewer hookups are required to individual septic systems in the town'); its meaning is unclear, so sewer connection is not recorded.
  • No distance or availability threshold is stated.

  “all proposed building or proposed use shall be connected to a public water system within the town limits.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Paragonah town

  • The code sets no amounts; fees are set separately 'from time to time' (fee schedule not located).
  • Impact fees are paid when the building permit is issued (§§ 150.105-150.109).

  “the clerk shall collect a fee for the application of a permit in the amount as may be set forth from time to time.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Paragonah town

  • Building inspector returns plans to the clerk within ten days marked approved or disapproved.
  • Permit is issued by the clerk with one set of approved plans.

  plan review turnaround: <= 10 days

  “the building inspector shall return the plans to the clerk within ten days with the statement "approved" if the plans do conform or "disapproved" if the plans do not conform.”

Still unanswered

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

• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Paragonah town
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Paragonah town
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Paragonah town
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Paragonah town
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Paragonah 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.