Legal Question in Administrative Law in Utah

Re: Remodeling Permits from City entities

Most cities base the cost of permit on the cost of the remodeling. If an owner is doing the work himself, his costs are less because he pays the permit only on materials - not labor.

The purpose of a permit is to assure that the work is done in accordance with the building codes. Permits are required any time work is done which is required to meet one or more of the codes. There are a lot of codes, and each city adopts the ones it wants. Some cities are more strict than others. In some cities you are not required to get a permit for non-structural changes, which means you can build non-load bearing walls. Other cities are very restrictive and require a permit for anything more than painting a wall.

Some cities use building permits as part of revenue streams. They want your money to support city functions and any excuse is good enough,