Which office handles kitchen remodeling permits in Salt Lake County?
For kitchen remodeling in Salt Lake County, the permit office depends on your address, not the county. Every incorporated city runs its own building department with its own online portal. Only homes in unincorporated areas, and in a handful of member communities, go through the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District (MSD). Salt Lake County Planning & Development Services is not where a homeowner applies.
The building code is the same everywhere. Utah adopts one State Construction Code, and as of July 1, 2026 it uses the 2021 International Residential Code for "building construction, alteration, remodeling, and repair." That code requires a permit to alter or replace electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. What changes from city to city is who reviews your plans, which portal they use and how long review takes. State law caps review for a single-family home at 14 business days after the application clears screening.
Sources: Utah Code 15A-2-103; 2021 IRC R105 (Utah); Utah Code 10-20-909.
Salt Lake County kitchen remodeling areas compared
| Area | Median year built | Built before 1980 | Permit office | Portal | Main water supplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holladay | 1969 | 68.8% | City of Holladay Building Division | iWorQ | SLC Public Utilities, Jordan Valley Water or Holliday Water |
| Millcreek | 1973 | 62.2% | Millcreek Building Department | iWorQ | One of five providers |
| Cottonwood Heights | 1978 | 56.7% | City of Cottonwood Heights | iWorQ | SLC Public Utilities or Jordan Valley Water |
| Murray | 1978 | 54.2% | Murray City Building Division | eProcess360 | Murray City Water (wells and springs) |
| Sandy | 1985 | 42.0% | Sandy City Community Development | Sandy Cityworks | Sandy City Public Utilities (Metro Water) |
| Salt Lake City | 1965 | 65.4% | Salt Lake City Building Services | Accela | SLC Public Utilities |
| Unincorporated county | No separate figure | No separate figure | Greater Salt Lake MSD | CityWorks | Varies by address |
| Salt Lake County (all) | 1986 | 43.1% | Depends on address | Depends on address | Varies by address |
The five east-side and mid-valley cities on this site are all older than the county as a whole, whose median home dates to 1986. Sandy is the only one close to the county median. That's why the city pages lean on different problems: postwar kitchens in Millcreek and Holladay, 1970s split-levels in Cottonwood Heights, pre-war houses in Salt Lake City. Wherever you are, a full kitchen remodel follows the same sequence: layout, systems, then finishes.
The Municipal Services District and unincorporated homes
The MSD issues permits for unincorporated Salt Lake County and for its member communities. Its building pages list the cities of Magna, Kearns, White City and Emigration Canyon and the towns of Copperton and Brighton. Applications, MSD-stamped drawings, inspection scheduling and the final certificate all run through its CityWorks portal. The MSD has its own building official and plans examiners, and some services may be provided under contract with the county or a third party.
Sources: MSD Building Services; MSD Services.
For a kitchen, the MSD's list is clear. A permit is needed for remodeling that adds, alters or deletes interior walls; for adding, deleting or altering plumbing fixtures; for adding, deleting or altering electrical circuits; and for window replacement. Replacing a defective plumbing fixture with an equivalent one is exempt.
Source: MSD Building Permits & Inspections.
The MSD is young. The County Council created it in late 2015 and it began operating in January 2016. Millcreek was a member only from January through June 2017 before running its own department. In 2024, H.B. 35 turned the former metro townships into cities and towns that remain MSD members.
Source: MSD History.
Unincorporated pockets are being absorbed: HB 330
The map is changing. Under HB 330, passed in 2024, the remaining unincorporated "islands" in Salt Lake County are to be annexed into neighboring cities by July 1, 2027, creating "wall-to-wall cities." Two communities may incorporate instead: Granite, about 1,000 to 1,500 people in 16 islands near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, and Sandy Hills, about 3,000 to 4,000 people in seven or eight islands.
Source: KSL, "New law aims to create wall-to-wall cities".
In 2026 a feasibility study found Granite incorporation feasible, while the Sandy City Council voted to annex 21 Granite parcels. For a homeowner in one of these pockets, the practical point is simple: the office that reviews your kitchen remodel could change between design and permit. Confirm the jurisdiction when you apply, not when you start planning.
Sources: Granite feasibility study, March 16, 2026; KSL, Sandy vote on Granite.
Permit offices verified October 2026.
County-wide factors: hard water, the Wasatch fault, asbestos and lead
Hard water. USGS classes water above 120 mg/L as hard and above 180 mg/L as very hard. Every verified supply in the valley lands in one of those two classes. Jordan Valley Water, a wholesaler serving much of the county with retail service in parts including unincorporated areas, reports 170 mg/L (about 10 grains per gallon). Your supplier is set by your address, so the water bill is the place to check. Plan sink plumbing with room for a filter or softener connection if you want one; our kitchen plumbing and electrical page covers what that involves.
Sources: USGS, Hardness of Water; Jordan Valley Water.
The Wasatch fault. USGS and the Utah Geological Survey put the chance of one or more magnitude 6.75 or larger earthquakes in the Wasatch Front region at 43% over the next 50 years, and 18% on the Wasatch fault itself. UGS notes that houses built before 1975 aren't built to today's earthquake codes, and unreinforced brick houses are more vulnerable than wood-frame ones. When a kitchen remodel removes or opens a wall in an older house, an engineer's review is prudent; see open-concept kitchens and wall removal.
Sources: USGS Fact Sheet 2016-3019; Utah Geological Survey.
Asbestos. Under Utah rule R307-801, contractors must have an asbestos inspection performed by a Utah certified inspector before renovating; owner-occupants doing their own work on homes of four units or fewer are not required to. Homes built before January 1, 1981 get a full inspection. Homes built on or after that date only need specific materials checked, including vinyl tile, sheet vinyl, flooring backing and mastic, which are exactly what a kitchen tear-out removes. Utah has proposed exempting homes built on or after January 1, 1992 from inspection; we couldn't confirm final adoption, so ask your contractor which rule applies to your home.
Sources: Utah Admin. Code R307-801-9; R307-801-10; Utah DAQ fact sheet, 2025.
Lead. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in homes built before 1978. In Utah, the Division of Air Quality's Lead-Based Paint Program certifies the firms and individuals who do that work. Across the county, 43.1% of housing units were built before 1980, so many remodels fall under both rules.
Sources: EPA RRP program; Utah DAQ Lead-Based Paint Program; ACS 2020-2024, Salt Lake County.
