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

Town of Ballard’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Ballard town limits, administered by Ballard City under its own Land Use Ordinance (Title 15).

  • Uses are controlled by the zone district in which a parcel lies (agricultural, residential agricultural, single-family, multi-family, mobile home, planned development, commercial, industrial, open space, and a wildland-urban interface overlay).
  • Ordinance 202302-002 describes itself as adopting and amending the Ballard City Land Use Code; Ordinance 202403-001 repealed, amended and adopted the Title 15 land use code.

  “the following basic zoning districts are created to be applied as necessary to regulate the development of ballard city: agricultural a residential agricultural ra single family residential r residential multifamily rm mobile home mh planned development pd commercial c industrial i open space os”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Ballard town, listed by the city on its official zoning codes page.

  • The city page lists agricultural (A-20, A-10, A-5), residential agricultural (RA-1/2, RA-1, RA-2, RA-5), single-family (R-1-6 through R-1-40), accessory dwelling units (15.06.105), residential multi-family (RM-1, RM-2), medium-high residential (MH), commercial (C-1, C-2, C-3), industrial (I-1, I-2, I-3), open space (OS) and wildland-urban interface overlay districts.
  • Dimensional standards for each district were not read; see the unknown dimensional claims.

  “the following basic zoning districts have been created and applied as necessary to regulate the development of ballard city (15-06-010): agricultural zones (a-20, a-10, a-5) purpose.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential multi-family zones RM-1 and RM-2 inside Ballard town only; not single-family zones.

  • Applies to the RM-1 and RM-2 residential multi-family district development standards (section 15.06.107 as amended by Ordinance 202403-001).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 60 percent (RM-1 and RM-2 zones only)

  “4. maximum lot coverage: maximum lot coverage shall be sixty percent (60%).”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes placed inside Ballard town limits, under the Title 15 definition of manufactured home.

  • Definition applies to homes built on or after June 15, 1976 under the HUD code.
  • Once erected on site, the home must be at least 20 feet wide at its narrowest dimension, use exterior and roofing materials acceptable to the Ballard city building codes, have a minimum roof pitch of 2:12, and sit on a permanent foundation connected to required utilities.
  • Occupancy rules by zone (including the mobile home MH zone) were not read; this claim covers only the on-site definition.

  minimum width at narrowest dimension: >= 20 feet · minimum roof pitch: >= 2:12 pitch

  “when erected on site, the home must be at least 20 feet in width at the narrowest dimension, have exterior and roofing materials acceptable to the ballard city building codes, have a minimum roof pitch of 2:12, and be located on a permanent foundation”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Detached accessory dwelling units on lots in Ballard town's single-family residential zones (R-1-6 through R-1-40).

  • Minimum lot size of 12,000 square feet for construction of a detached ADU in single-family residential zones.
  • Detached ADU floor area must be less than 66 percent of the primary residence square footage and not exceed 1,200 square feet.
  • Detached ADU may have no more than two bedrooms.
  • Two additional off-street parking spaces required beyond the primary dwelling parking, with any further occupant vehicles parked on site.
  • Detached ADU may not be located in a front yard or corner-lot side yard, must meet the primary dwelling setbacks, and must not exceed the lot or rear-yard coverage standard of the underlying zone.
  • Detached ADU must be compatible in exterior color and materials with the principal dwelling; a maximum height limit also applies (text cut off in the reviewed excerpt).

  minimum lot size for detached ADU: >= 12000 sq ft (single-family residential zones) · maximum detached ADU floor area: <= 1200 sq ft (also less than 66% of primary residence floor area) · maximum bedrooms in detached ADU: <= 2 bedrooms

  “the minimum lot size required for construction of a detached adu in all single-family residential zones shall be twelve thousand (12,000) square feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Ballard town limits, under Title 14 (subdivision ordinance).

  • Title 15 provides that a subdivision may be required as a condition of a permit only where the cost is proportional and the subdivision can meet Title 14 requirements.
  • The Title 14 subdivision chapter (14.04) was not opened; its adoption status is unverified.

  “a subdivision of the property will cause no issues with access and will be able to meet all requirements of bmc title 14 the subdivision ordinance bmc title 14.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Ballard town.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Ballard town.
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption by Ballard town.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Ballard town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Ballard 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Ballard means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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