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Building Inspections

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1. Must plans be stamped?

Yes and no.

The following plans do need to be stamped:

• Commercial Additions that are over 2000 square feet (Commercial shall include non-residential)
• Commercial Remodels that are over 2000 square feet
• New Commercial Buildings that are over 2000 square feet
• New Residential (Single-family dwellings and duplexes)
• Unusual construction such as mixing building systems wood/masonry/steel as structural elements or buildings of unusual shape

The following plans generally do not need to be stamped:

• Residential Additions
• Residential Garages or Sheds (unless they meet criteria for unusual construction)
• Residential Remodels

2. Who may stamp plans?

• Architectural plans may be stamped by architect or engineer
• Plumbing, mechanical and electrical plans may require a stamp depending on the complexity of the work
• Structural Calculations must be stamped by Engineer
• Structural sheets (commercial) must be stamped by Engineer

3. What contractors are required?

Generally only the licensed general contractor is required to pull a building permit. The other subcontractors that we regulate will be on our contractor verification form (electrical, plumbing, mechanical). Note: If people contract to work on your house you should make sure they are licensed. We can do that for you.

License Requirements

Almost all contractors must be licensed with the State of Utah. The State of Utah requires that we confirm that the General Contractor/Builder, Electrical Contractor, Plumbing Contractor and the Mechanical Contractor are licensed. If you hire a General Contractor or Construction Company to build your home, it is their responsibility to assure West Valley City through the Contractor Verification Form that the sub-contractors are licensed.

If you are the owner and builder you are not required to have a license and you may do all the work yourself.

4. Can I perform "Sweat Equity"?

If you do not own the lot, but only are the party in a pending home sale, certain types of sweat equity are not allowed by State Law. You may not perform electrical, mechanical (heating and air conditioning) or plumbing, in the home you hope to buy. You can perform most other items in the construction of the new home, including rough framing, concrete and drywall.

5. What is the policy for moved buildings?

Whenever a building is moved from a lot/site/town/county to another parcel of property, the moved building (house) must conform to all current codes as if it was a new building.

6. What is the policy on Manufactured Move-on Homes to be located outside a mobile home park?

Manufactured homes must be set on permanent foundations. The foundation must be designed and stamped by an engineer. Some other things that are required are:

• Flood Elevation Certificate if in a floodplain
• Garage Plan

The fees due for Move-on Homes are $232 plus garage permit cost and impact fees.

7. What signatures are needed on permit applications, and who should take out the permit?

See the Building Permit Application and see * by required signature.

8. If I construct an addition or remodel, will I need to bring my existing building into compliance with current building codes?

Generally no as long as the existing construction is in compliance with the codes that were in effect at the time your building was built. This is almost never a problem unless a real life safety threat is apparent (like dilapidated equipment or missing guardrails).

9. Is a building permit required to re-roof your home? Either re-shingle, re-tar, or tar and gravel?

Yes. Reroofing requires a building permit and must comply with section R907 of the International Residential Code. We need to make sure the right building materials are used in the reroofing process. Also we need to make sure your roofing contractor has a current State contractor license. The cost of a reroofing permit for a single family dwelling is $53.00

10. Is a building permit required to do a roof conversion?

Yes, a permit is required. A truss diagram and truss detail are also required. The permit fee is at present a flat fee of $111.30

11. What are simple joist, rafter and beam rules?

Charts can be found in the 2012 International Building Code (available in the West Valley City Recorder's Office), or come in to West Valley's Building Inspection Department and visit with an Inspector.

12. Should I shovel the snow off my roof?

No, trusses are built to withstand a buildup of approximately 36 inches of snow. The risk of back and limb injuries from falling off a roof outweigh the necessity of removing the snow. However, if the buildup of snow starts to exceed the 30 inch level, we would suggest you call in a professional roofer to remove the snow.

13. Are weekend inspections available?

Weekend inspections are only available if authorized by the Chief Building Official. There must be a real need as this is the exception to the rule. There is an extra charge for weekend inspections in addition to the Building Permit Fee. The inspector is paid overtime for these inspections by West Valley City. Fees must be paid directly to the city, never to an inspector.

14. Do I need a permit to demolish a structure?

Before you demolish a structure you must secure a demolition permit from our Building Inspection Division. The permit is required by section 106.1 of the Uniform Building Code. The permit process accomplishes four things:

• Ensures that all utility lines to the building have been terminated at a safe location by the utility companies.
• Ensures that appliances and electrical devices that might contain hazardous materials have been disposed of properly.
• Ensures there is no friable asbestos in the building, or that friable asbestos has been removed by appropriate means by a contractor licensed for asbestos removal.
• Removes the demolished building from the State tax roles.

15. How long does it take to obtain a Demolition Permit?

It will take at least two weeks, because action by the local utility companies and the City/County Health Department and Utah State Division of Air Quality must be coordinated.

16. How do I obtain a Demolition Permit?

Contact the Asbestos Coordinator at the Division of Environmental Health of the Salt Lake City/County Health Department at 385-468-3914.

Request an Asbestos check and a pre-demolition inspection. The Asbestos contractor you hire must be approved by the State. The Asbestos Coordinator will inspect your structure to determine if your structure contains friable asbestos and/or appliances or devices with hazardous materials.

The coordinator will help you obtain an approval from the State Division of Air Quality for your demolition permit. Once the State Division of Air Quality has confirmation that no asbestos or hazardous materials exists, State Division of Air Quality will notify West Valley City.

Requesting Termination of Utilities

You must request termination of utilities as follows:

1. For termination of natural gas lines call Questar Dispatcher at 801-324-5111.
2. For termination of sewer and water lines call Granger Hunter Improvement District at 801-968-3551.
3. Utility companies will notify Misty Jenkins at West Valley City at 801-963-3475, when all utility lines have been terminated in preparation for demolition.
4. Confirm with Misty Jenkins of West Valley City at 801-963- 3475 that approvals for demolition have been received by the city from:
   State Division of Air Quality
   Questar Company
5. Once you have confirmed that West Valley City has received all necessary approvals for demolition, you may submit your application for a demolition permit.
   1. The West Valley City Building Inspections Division is located at:
      City Hall
      3600 South Constitution Boulevard
      Room 220
      
      Hours
      Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays
      7 a.m. to 6 p.m
6. The permit can be issued immediately if the approvals have been received by the Building Inspections Division. In order to issue the demolition permit, the legal owner of the building must sign the permit application.
7. If the owner is using a contractor to perform the demolition, the application must contain the contractor's company name, State license number and signature of the contractor. The cost of the demolition permit is $53.

Additional Information

If you have further questions about demolitions call Misty Jenkins at 801-963-3475

17. What is a Contractor Verification Form and when do I need one?

In accordance with State law, a building permit can only be issued to a licensed contractor. If a permit application is submitted for the construction or alteration of a building, only a general contractor need be listed on the application at the time of permit issuance. At the time of permit issuance, the license number of the general contractor must be verified.

Subcontractor Verification Form

Any building inspector that issues a building permit to an unlicensed contractor may be disciplined by the State of Utah. The State expects the municipal inspectors to make a reasonable attempt to keep unlicensed subcontractors from working within the municipality. Our Building Inspection Division does this by requiring a completed subcontractor verification form (available at our permit counter or through this web page).

 The form shall include the names of the general contractor, mechanical contractor, plumbing contractor, electrical contractor- accurate license numbers and original signatures from each of these four primary contractors. This is how we verify that only licensed contractors work in West Valley City, as required by State law. If you wish to discuss this further, contact Ed Domian, Chief Building Official at 801-963-3276.

The subcontractor form and its license numbers will be verified by Building Inspection staff. This form must be submitted prior to power clearance and issuance of any Certificate of Occupancy.

Single Family Dwelling on Personal Property

Note: State law allows a property owner to build a single family dwelling for their own use (not for sale). No contractor would be required, therefore, no contractor verification form would be required. You must own the property in order to obtain a permit for the construction of a single-family dwelling, as an owner/builder.

18. What is a Landscape Agreement and when do I need one?

West Valley City requires all new single-family dwellings to have landscaped yards within 12 months of occupancy.

Landscape Agreement Overview

The landscape agreement verifies who will be responsible for installing the landscaping. Sometimes the contractor prefers to provide the landscaping as part of the sale. Sometimes the owner is responsible for the installation of the landscaping. In either case, the landscape agreement is required.

It was designed by the City Planning and Zoning Division, and provides the city with a guarantee that the landscaping will be installed within one year of occupancy of the single-family dwelling, in accordance with the West Valley City Municipal Code.

Additional Information

Questions concerning landscaping requirements should be directed to a City Planner at 801-963-3282. The landscape agreement is required at the time of final inspection.

19. What is the penalty for building without a permit?

The cost of the required building permit will double as a penalty. You could incur daily penalties until the structure is brought into compliance. You may have to demolish the structure if it is found that the structure is located on your property in violation of existing city ordinances. See more information on who needs a permit.

Who needs a permit?