Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Fountain Green, Utah

Fountain Green’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction inside Fountain Green city (RA and BC zones per guide)

  • City permit not required for structures under 200 sq ft without utilities, but they must meet setback and land use rules.
  • The guide also says a Sanpete County Building Department permit is required for building.

  city permit threshold: >= 200 sq ft (or any structure with utilities)

  “new construction of any structure equal to or greater than 200 square foot (homes, sheds, accessory buildings, etc) and/or structures having utilities.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building code inside Fountain Green city

  • Edition of the IBC not stated in the passage found.

  “building code. the international building code, as adopted by the city.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Fountain Green city

  • Guide says structures under 200 sq ft without utilities need no county approval or inspection.
  • Inspections are also tied to Sanpete County.

  “the fountain green city designated official shall inspect the project during construction through its completion to verify conformance with approved plans.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Fountain Green city limits

  • Chapter 1 states it applies to all land and uses of land within the city and may be amended from time to time.

  “the designated zoning districts within fountain green city are: residential - agriculture (ra); business - commercial (bc); public facilities (pf); and sensitive lands (sl).”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Fountain Green city

  • Boundaries are on the Zoning District Map of the City of Fountain Green, kept at the city recorder's office.

  districts: RA, BC, PF, SL

  “the designated zoning districts within fountain green city are: residential - agriculture (ra); business - commercial (bc); public facilities (pf); and sensitive lands (sl).”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single family dwelling lot in the Residential-Agriculture (RA) zone inside Fountain Green city

  • Lots validly created before the standards are exempt.

  minimum lot area: >= 0.455 acre · minimum lot area: >= 19820 sq ft · lot frontage: >= 90 feet

  “single family dwelling 0.455 acre 19,820 feet2 auxiliary see building on above.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential-dwelling-only lots in the Business-Commercial (BC) zone inside Fountain Green city

    “no minimum lot area requirements except as may be dictated by off-street parking requirements, adequate circulation, and appropriate site utilization minimum lot size is 0.455 acre.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single family dwelling in the RA zone inside Fountain Green city

  • Measured from foundation/footings.
  • Auxiliary buildings: no closer than 25 ft to the front street right-of-way; 6 ft from other property lines; buildings over 200 sq ft may be 2 ft from side and rear lines with a fire wall.

  front: >= 25 feet · rear: >= 25 feet · side: >= 12 feet (25 feet where the property fronts a city street right-of-way)

  “front: 25 feet rear: 25 feet side: 12 feet unless property fronts on a city street right-of-way where it remains 25 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the RA zone inside Fountain Green city (section 7.2-3 lot coverage)

  • The passage opened began mid-sentence; confirm the subject of the sentence in 7.2-3b.

  maximum coverage: <= 40 percent

  “all buildings, including accessory buildings and structures, shall cover not more than forty (40%) percent of the area of the lot or parcel of land.”

• Building heightSpecified

  All buildings within Fountain Green city limits

  • Residential tables also show a 21 ft eave height maximum.

  maximum height at ridgeline: <= 28 feet · maximum height at lowest eave: <= 21 feet

  “the maximum height of any building within city limits must not be more than 28' as measured at the ridgeline of the roof and 21 feet at the lowest point of the eaves.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  RV occupancy on private residential property inside Fountain Green city (7.2 RA zone; same wording in other zones)

  • Not allowed on city street rights-of-way or in line-of-sight triangles at intersections.
  • Occupancy is by conditional use or short-term visitation only, or in an approved RV park.

  visitation limit: <= 30 days in any 90 day period · construction-period RV occupancy by CUP: <= 1 year (needs approved building permit for home construction)

  “residential property for visitation purposes not to exceed 30 days in any 90 day period.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Internal accessory dwelling units (IADUs) in the RA and BC zones inside Fountain Green city

  • Owner occupancy required.
  • Prohibited on lots of 6,000 sq ft or less or where the primary dwelling has a failing septic tank.
  • Needs a license and notarized affidavit, reviewed annually.
  • Detached ADUs are prohibited.

  minimum lot area for IADU: > 6000 sq ft

  “detached adus are prohibited within the city.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision inside Fountain Green city (Chapter 10)

  • Plans must show utility hookups; simple lot subdivisions need culinary water and sanitary sewer authority approval and county health department approval for any septic system.

  “simple lot subdivisions shall not be approved until the applicant provides a plot plan that indicates the proposed utility plan hookups for each proposed lot.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Properties in the FEMA special flood plain inside Fountain Green city

  • Allowed with a conditional use permit and more restrictive minimum requirements.
  • The city guide says to get a floodplain development permit and application from the city first.

  “if your property is in a flood hazard area, first get a floodplain development permit and application from the city.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit process inside Fountain Green city

  • Guide covers auxiliary structures in RA and BC zones; commercial construction, subdivisions and Sensitive Lands construction need additional steps.

  “you must own the property you plan to build on - if not, you will need notarized permission from the owner.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Fountain Green or Sanpete County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Fountain Green city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Fountain Green city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Fountain Green city
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Fountain Green city
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Fountain Green city

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.