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

Town of Huntsville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New structures with a footprint of 200 sq ft or more inside Huntsville town

  • A land use permit from the planning commission comes first
  • Structures under 200 sq ft need no building permit unless electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work is included
  • Remodels that alter electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems need a permit; minor like-kind repairs, roof shingles and siding do not
  • Building permit is valid only while the land use permit (one year) is valid

  footprint threshold: >= 200 sq ft (under 200 sq ft with no utility systems needs no building permit)

  “any owner or authorized agent who intends to engage in new construction of a structure with a footprint 200 square feet or greater shall only commence work after first, having received a land use permit from the huntsville planning commission, and then, secondly, upon issuance of a building permit from the huntsville building official or authorized delegate of the huntsville building official.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Self-performed remodel permit for existing homes and auxiliary buildings inside Huntsville town (not new construction)

  • Land use permit required first
  • Applies to remodel/repair of an existing home or an auxiliary building over 200 sq ft
  • If more than 25% of the square footage is over 200 sq ft it is treated as new construction
  • Owner declares all work on the form and follows construction code requirements

  “work is self-performed by the owner or a close associate. this means that no compensation either monetarily or in kind for work performed on the project can be tendered.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Huntsville town

  • Edition of each code is set by council resolution, not stated in Title 3
  • Ordinance notes Utah has made building codes mandatory for all cities and towns

  “huntsville town adopts and uses the international building codes, the date of each applicable code established by resolution, as the set of building codes for huntsville town.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings under construction or repair inside Huntsville town

  • Inspector must hold a Utah building inspector license

  “it shall be the duty of the huntsville town building official to inspect or cause to be inspected all buildings in the course of construction or repair.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings erected or structurally altered inside Huntsville town

  • Exception for agricultural purposes in accordance with Utah state law
  • Temporary occupancy permit may be issued for up to one year

  temporary occupancy permit maximum: <= 1 year

  “a temporary occupancy permit may be issued for a period of not more than one (1) year”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Huntsville town limits; the town adopts its own Title 15 land use regulations with R-1, A-3/A-5/A-20, FP and other zones

  “the purpose of the r-1 zone is to designate regulations on areas to be designated for use for residential purposes.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the A-3 agricultural zone inside Huntsville town (A-5 is 5 acres, A-20 is 20 acres)

  • Minimum frontage 130 feet

  minimum lot area A-3: >= 3 acres · minimum lot area A-5: >= 5 acres · minimum lot area A-20: >= 20 acres

  “the minimum lot area for a single-family dwelling in the a-3 zone shall be not less than three (3) acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwelling in the R-1 residential zone inside Huntsville town

    “the minimum lot area for a single-family dwelling shall be not less than thirty- two thousand six hundred and seventy (32,670) square feet, which is three-quarters (3/4) of an acre.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 residential zone inside Huntsville town

  • Roof eaves of 18 inches or less may project into the side yard
  • Alley-abutting garages or accessory buildings may be 1 foot from the alley
  • Rear yard figures were not captured in this record

  front yard: >= 30 feet · side yard: >= 10 feet (eave up to 18 inches)

  “the minimum depth of the front yard for the dwelling and for private garages shall be thirty (30) feet from the property line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-3 agricultural zone (and A-5/A-20) inside Huntsville town

    “the minimum depth of the front yard for the dwelling and for private garages shall be thirty (30) feet from the property line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A-3 agricultural zone inside Huntsville town

  • Aggregate cap of 35 percent for all buildings on the lot

  single building coverage: <= 25 percent · aggregate building coverage: <= 35 percent

  “no single building shall cover more than twenty-five (25) percent of the area of the lot or parcel upon which it resides.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential zone inside Huntsville town

    “no group of building (including dwellings and accessory structures), in aggregate, shall cover more than thirty-five (35) percent of the area of the lot or parcel upon which they reside.”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-3 agricultural zone inside Huntsville town

  • Dwellings must be at least one story
  • Accessory buildings to a single-family dwelling limited to 35 feet

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (or 2.5 stories)

  “no building shall be erected to a height greater than two and one-half (2-1/2) stories or thirty-five (35) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential zone inside Huntsville town

    “no building shall be erected to a height greater than two and one-half (2- 1/ 2) stories or thirtyfive (35) feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  R-1 and A-3 residential lots inside Huntsville town

  • Exception for a temporary residence during construction of a new residence; the old residence must be removed within 30 days of the occupation permit for the new one

  maximum RV/mobile home residence: <= 30 days (temporary residence during construction)

  “no mobile homes or recreational vehicles may be placed on a lot for use as a permanent or temporary (greater than 30 days) residence, except as outlined in number five (5) above.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  R-1 residential lots inside Huntsville town

  • Accessory structures may not be rented as a dwelling unit
  • Accessory structure may be used as a dwelling only short-term (no more than 15 days) by friends or family while the owner occupies the property
  • Section cross-references an exception in 15.8.5 that was not opened

  accessory structure guest use: <= 15 days (friends or family, owner present)

  “no accessory structure or building, or portion thereof, shall be used as a dwelling unit; except on a short-term basis (no more than 15 days) and only by friends or family of the owner while the owner occupies the property.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Building permit applications in R-1 and A-3 zones inside Huntsville town

  • Certificate is issued by the Weber/Morgan County health department

  “a septic tank certificate of design approval from the weber/morgan county health department shall be required in all applications for a building permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Huntsville town

  • Separate subdivision chapters 15.25.1-15.25.4 exist but could not be opened in this run

  “no parcel of land which has less than the minimum width and area requirements for the zone in which it is located may be cut off from a larger parcel of land for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of building or development as a lot.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land within the FP floodplain overlay zone inside Huntsville town

  • No permitted uses; only conditional uses
  • Lowest inhabitable floor must be at or above base flood elevation
  • Town adopted Weber County Title 22 flood damage prevention ordinance with substitutions of town bodies

  “conditional uses are allowed only when authorized by a conditional use permit obtained as provided in the huntsville town conditional uses title.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 zone inside Huntsville town

  • Rentals shorter than 30 days not allowed
  • Owner-occupied rental is restricted except as provided in title 15.18.5
  • No more than four families or unrelated groups in a 12-month period
  • B&B allowed in existing dwellings with business license, up to three guest rooms

  minimum rental term: >= 30 days

  “no single-family dwelling or a portion thereof, shall be rented for a term less than 30 days.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permits inside Huntsville town

  • Land use permit fees and impact fees are set by council resolution (not opened)
  • Fee schedule resolution was not reviewed

  state surcharge: 1 percent · plan check fee cap: <= 65 percent of building permit fee (or actual cost of review, whichever is lesser) · reinspection fee: 100 USD

  “reinspection fee. in the event an inspector is requested to perform a reinspection, and the inspector finds items previously noted as being defective have remained defective and not been corrected, the permitee requesting the inspection shall be charged a reinspection fee of $100.”

• Permit processPublished

  Land use and building permits inside Huntsville town

  • Site plan reviewed by planning commission before permit issuance
  • Land use permit valid one year; reapply on expiry

  “building/land use permit and renewal fee valuations and schedules shall be adopted by resolution of the huntsville town council.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Huntsville

Town of Huntsville does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Domestic water supply and sewage disposal for lots inside Huntsville town (R-1 and A-3 zones)

  • Town ordinance defers to state and Weber/Morgan County health department requirements

  “public health requirements concerning domestic water supply and sewage disposal shall comply with state and weber/morgan county health department requirements.”

Still unanswered

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

• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of dwellings inside Huntsville town
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Huntsville town
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Huntsville town
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured homes inside Huntsville town
• Septic inspection — Septic system inspection inside Huntsville 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.