Town of Francis, Utah: building permits, zoning and septic rules

At a glance

Building permits

Required, with exceptions for specified accessory, agricultural and fence projects¹

Zoning

Town zoning applies inside Francis²

Septic permits

Summit County Health Department; required before installation or modification⁴⁵

Agricultural buildings

Only certain buildings qualify for exemption; application required⁶

Owner-builder

Conditional Utah contractor-license exemption; building permits still apply⁷¹

Solar installations

Building permit required for photovoltaic installations¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in the Town of Francis, UT?

Francis requires a building permit for construction, alteration, repair or removal of a building or structure, and for solar photovoltaic installations.¹ The town lists exceptions for residential accessory buildings less than 200 square feet, certain agricultural buildings and fences less than 6 feet high.⁸ Ask the Francis Building Department to confirm your project fits an exception before ordering materials; the agricultural exemption is conditional and requires an application.⁶

The Francis Building Department handles building-permit plan review and inspections.⁹ Use the town department for a parcel inside Francis rather than treating the surrounding county’s construction procedures as the town’s requirements.⁹

Does the Town of Francis have zoning, and can you live in an RV?

Francis has municipal zoning and provides applications for conditional uses, subdivisions and zoning-map amendments.²¹⁰¹¹ Ask Francis Planning & Zoning to identify the parcel’s district and confirm permitted residential uses, lot size, setbacks and the proposed building location before committing to a design.²

We could not confirm Francis rules for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes or manufactured homes; ask Francis Planning & Zoning about your specific dwelling and proposed length of stay.¹¹ A short-term rental application is available, and the building department conducts inspections for short-term rental permits; that process does not establish permission to occupy an RV or tiny home.¹²¹¹

How do septic permits work inside the Town of Francis?

Summit County Health Department is the septic authority for onsite wastewater systems in Francis as part of its countywide jurisdiction.⁴ A separate Health Department permit is required before installing, constructing, altering, replacing, enlarging, extending or otherwise modifying an onsite wastewater system.⁵ Septic-system repairs and remodeling also require a repair/remodel permit.⁵

For an existing septic-served property, a change of use or expansion of the dwelling requires Health Department review of system adequacy.⁵ Periodic inspections, maintenance and servicing are required, with more complex systems needing more oversight.¹³ Ask the town about sewer service before assuming the parcel will use septic; Francis provides a water and sewer utility application.¹⁴

Building a home in the Town of Francis: what are the steps?

Use this order to resolve the separate town land-use, building and wastewater questions before construction.²¹⁵

1. Ask Francis Planning & Zoning to confirm the parcel’s district, proposed residential use and any land-use application needed.²
2. Ask the town about water and sewer utility service; if septic is proposed, obtain Summit County Health Department’s required wastewater approval.¹⁴⁵
3. Submit the building project to the Francis Building Department for building-permit plan review and arrange the required inspections.⁹¹
4. If acting as owner-builder, ask the building department about its certification form; Utah’s conditional exemption concerns contractor licensing and does not remove building-permit requirements.⁸⁷

What should you check before buying land in the Town of Francis?

For land outside Francis boundaries, use the Summit County guide: the county’s Eastern Summit development code applies to unincorporated land surrounding Francis, while town zoning applies inside Francis.³² Inside town, ask Francis Planning & Zoning to confirm the district and subdivision status of the proposed homesite.²¹⁰

Resolve the water and sewer service question with the town before planning an independent system; a town utility application is available.¹⁴ For a proposed shallow well, Utah requires a valid water right and a Start Card before construction, with work performed by a licensed well driller or licensed shallow-water-well constructor.¹⁵ We could not confirm Francis utility-connection obligations, floodplain-development procedures or driveway requirements; ask the town to identify the applicable approval and responsible office for the parcel.¹¹¹⁴

Watch-outs

• An agricultural building exemption in Francis applies only to certain buildings and requires an application; do not assume every farm structure qualifies.⁶
• We could not confirm Francis minimum dwelling size, district-specific lot size or setbacks; ask Francis Planning & Zoning before choosing a house plan.¹¹
• Confirm the applicable construction-code edition with the Francis Building Department before submitting plans.⁸

Sources

1. Francis City Building Department (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
2. Francis City Planning & Zoning (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
3. Development Codes for Summit County, Utah, quoted and re-checked
4. Local Health Departments and District Engineers, quoted and re-checked
5. Summit County Code of Health, version 5.0 revised June 2026, quoted and re-checked
6. Francis City Building Department (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
7. Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55, Construction Trades Licensing Act exemptions (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Francis Building Department (francisutah.gov)
9. Francis City Building Department (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
10. Francis City Planning & Zoning (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
11. Francis Planning & Zoning (francisutah.gov)
12. Francis City Building Department (Town of Francis), quoted and re-checked
13. Summit County Code of Health, version 5.0 revised June 2026, quoted and re-checked
14. Francis Utility Applications (francisutah.gov)
15. Water Well Drilling Information (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 14, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.