Tooele County, Utah requires a building permit for construction, alteration, repair, movement, demolition or change of use of a building or structure, including electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical work1. The county administers its own zoning in the unincorporated area from a Planning Commission-recommended zoning map, though incorporated cities like Grantsville keep separate zoning layers2. Septic systems go through the Tooele County Health Department, and the county won't issue a building permit until the health department has approved your water and septic3. Utah lets a sole owner build a limited number of homes on their own property without a contractor's license, but Tooele County still requires the permit itself4.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required for construction, alteration, repair, demolition or change of use1
- Zoning
- Yes, in the unincorporated county; incorporated cities keep separate zoning2
- Septic authority
- Tooele County Health Department; required before the county issues a building permit3
- Owner-builder exemption
- Yes, capped at 1 home per year, or 3 in any five years45
- Well permit
- Required before drilling; septic permit withheld until the well passes water testing6
- Wildland driveway standard
- 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in clearance if over 150 ft from a fire-apparatus road7
- Agricultural exemption
- Farm structures not for human occupancy are exempt from the State Construction Code8
Who to call
Building permits
Tooele County Community Development Department (Building Services & Zoning)
Land-use planning, zoning, subdivision and conditional-use applications, plus building permits and construction oversight under the State Construction Code, for unincorporated Tooele County
47 S. Main St., Tooele, UT 84074
Septic permits
Tooele County Health Department, Environmental Health
Septic (onsite wastewater) system permitting under Regulation #12, and individual well permitting under Regulation #5, for Tooele County
151 N. Main Street, Tooele, UT 84074
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 24, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Tooele County, Utah?
Yes. State and county law requires a permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the use of a building or structure in Tooele County, including electrical, plumbing, gas or mechanical work9. There are some exceptions, and the county's own building page advises calling the inspectors to confirm whether your project needs one9. Farm buildings and structures used solely for agriculture and not for human occupancy are exempt from the State Construction Code, though a plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit can still be required for that work, and the exemption narrows if the structure sits on less than five contiguous acres inside a city or town, or less than two contiguous acres inside an approved subdivision8. Utah's current State Construction Code, built on the 2024 International Building Code and 2021 International Residential Code, became effective July 1, 202610. Tooele County has also assessed new impact fees on unincorporated-area building permits under Ordinance 2024-07, effective December 2, 202411.
Who is the Tooele County Building and Zoning office, and how do you reach them?
Tooele County's Community Development Department administers both building permits and zoning for the unincorporated county12. Its Development side handles land-use planning, zoning, subdivision and conditional-use applications, while its Building Services side oversees construction under the State Construction Code12. Reach the department at the county government building, 47 S. Main St., Tooele, UT 84074, call (435) 843-3160, or email [email protected]12. Utah law lets a compliance agency use a licensed third-party inspection firm from an approved list; once that firm submits its inspection report, the local regulator must promptly issue the certificate of occupancy or letter of completion13.
Does Tooele County have zoning?
Yes, in the unincorporated area. Tooele County's Planning Commission recommends land-use ordinances and zoning maps for the unincorporated county, and any specific development still has to meet the applicable zoning district's ordinance, approvals and site requirements2. The county's zoning map service keeps a separate Tooele County layer alongside municipal focus layers for Erda, Grantsville and Lake Point, a reminder that an incorporated city inside the county boundary runs its own zoning, not the county's14. County zoning districts include designations such as A-10, A-20, A-40, R-1-8 and RR-1 among others15. Zoning officers review your building-permit site plan against the applicable district's setback requirements from property lines, wells and septic systems, so get your zoning confirmed before you design a build16. Utah law gives counties this land-use authority over their unincorporated territory17.
How do septic and well permits work in Tooele County?
Septic systems in Tooele County are permitted and inspected by the Tooele County Health Department, not by the Community Development Department, and the county won't issue a building permit until the health department has signed off on water and septic3. Reach the Health Department's Environmental Health office at 151 N. Main Street, Tooele, UT 84074, call 435-277-2440, or email [email protected]18. If your property will use a private culinary well, you need a permit before drilling begins, along with water rights and well-driller start cards, a completed Well-Spring application, a site map showing the well's distance from your property, home and septic system, and a required 100-foot protection radius around the well6. After drilling, the Health Department collects a water sample for lab analysis, and your septic permit won't be issued until that well sample comes back satisfactory6. If you're buying a home with an existing well, a real-estate recertification water test takes at least 36 lab hours with no rush option, so build that into your closing timeline6. USDA soil-survey data rates only about 7.6% of Tooele County's soils as free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so budget for a site evaluation before you count on a standard system19.
Can you live in an RV, tiny home or manufactured home on your land in Tooele County?
No official Tooele County or Utah source found for this guide directly establishes a countywide rule on residential RV, tiny-home or manufactured-home occupancy on private land; the county's own code simply doesn't use those terms, and silence isn't proof either way, so confirm with Community Development before you plan around one12. What Utah's rules do cover is narrower: a recreational vehicle or a tiny house, up to 400 square feet under the state's definition, may be sited in a licensed recreational vehicle park with two or more RVs if it carries the required data plate and certification and the park meets applicable building, zoning, electrical, health and fire codes20. Outside an RV park, the state rule itself says whether a tiny home is allowed depends on local land-use regulations and whether it's treated as a primary dwelling, accessory dwelling, modular unit or manufactured home, which Tooele County's own code doesn't spell out21. Tooele County does regulate camping in its own county-owned campgrounds, capping stays at 7 consecutive days in the same campground in Middle, Settlement or Ophir Canyons, at the Grantsville Reservoir, or at Deseret Peak Complex, but that rule is about county campgrounds, not private land22.
Building a home in Tooele County: the steps, in order
- Confirm your parcel's zoning district using the county's zoning map, and check with Community Development on setbacks from property lines, wells and septic systems before you design a build16.
- Apply for your well permit with the Health Department before drilling starts if you're on a private well, including water rights and driller start cards, a Well-Spring application, and a site map showing the well's distance from your home and septic system186.
- Apply for your septic permit with the same office at 151 N. Main Street, Tooele, UT 84074 or 435-277-2440; it won't be issued until your well water sample comes back satisfactory186.
- If you're building your own home without a licensed contractor, remember Utah's owner-builder exemption caps you at one residential structure per year and three per five years on your own property for noncommercial use4.
- Submit your building permit application to Community Development, 47 S. Main St., Tooele, UT 84074 or (435) 843-3160, with the property owner's name, address and phone number, the site address and parcel number, a site plan, and construction documents1223.
- If your lot is in a wildland/urban interface area and any part of the first-story exterior wall will sit more than 150 feet from a fire-apparatus access road, build your driveway to the county's fire-access standard: at least 12 feet wide with 13 feet 6 inches of clearance, with turnarounds required past 150 feet and turnouts past 200 feet7.
- Budget for the county's impact fees, in effect since December 2, 2024 under Ordinance 2024-07, in addition to your permit fee11.
What to check before you buy land in Tooele County
Ask Community Development which zoning layer applies to your parcel: Tooele County keeps a separate zoning layer from the municipal layers for Erda, Grantsville and Lake Point, so a parcel that looks rural on a map can still fall under a city's zoning14. Check the soil before you assume a standard septic system will work: only about 7.6% of Tooele County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field19. If a new driveway will connect to a state highway, the Utah Department of Transportation requires a conditional access permit before you build it, and even an existing driveway can need a new one if the land use, zoning or traffic intensity changes24. If your lot sits more than 150 feet from a fire-apparatus access road in a wildland/urban interface area, budget for the county's driveway width, clearance and turnaround standards before you finalize a site plan7. Tooele County's typical home value runs about $481,741, with a typical property tax bill of roughly $2,303 a year2526.
Watch-outs
- No official Tooele County source found for this guide establishes minimum lot size, minimum dwelling size, lot coverage, building height, subdivision standards, floodplain-development rules or short-term-rental rules; confirm each with Community Development before you rely on an assumption12.
- Tooele County won't issue a septic permit until your well's water sample passes, so a slow or failed well test can delay your entire building timeline6.
Sources
- Building Permits (2026 county census)
- Tooele County Code (2026 county census)
- Tooele County Health Department - Septic Systems (2026 county census)
- Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55, Construction Trades Licensing Act exemptions (2026 county census)
- Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55, Construction Trades Licensing Act exemptions (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Wells- Individual Water Systems: permitting, testing and re-certifications, quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Code, quoted and re-checked
- Utah Code Title 15A, State Construction Code Administration Act, quoted and re-checked
- Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
- Utah Code § 15A-1-204, Adoption of State Construction Code (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Community Development Department (Building Services & Zoning) (tooeleco.gov)
- Utah Code Title 15A, State Construction and Fire Codes Act, quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Zoning MapServer, quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Zoning MapServer, quoted and re-checked
- Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
- Utah Code, Title 17, Chapter 79, Section 17-79-101 (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Health Department, Environmental Health (tooelehealth.org)
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Utah Administrative Code Rule R392-301, Recreational Vehicle Parks (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- OPRO Accessory Dwellings (ADU's) and other dwelling types (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Code, quoted and re-checked
- Tooele County Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
- Conditional Access Permit (Utah statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 24, 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.