Utah zoning articles · Bountiful code
Can I open a drive-through in Bountiful?
Drafted with AI help from the city's code (text pulled 2026-10-19), then reviewed and approved by Stockton Farnsworth on 2026-10-20. By Stockton Farnsworth, Utah Associate Broker, Team Utah Commercial, brokered by RE/MAX Associates.
Coffee stands, fast food and bank drive-ups are common questions for Bountiful property owners. Here's what Bountiful's Land Use Code says about drive-through windows, with links to each section so you can read the city's own words.
Start with the zone
Bountiful's use tables work as a closed list: in the Commercial zone, the code says "Any use not listed herein is also expressly prohibited." (§ 14-6-103)
- The Commercial (C) zone is split into subzones, including Heavy Commercial (C-H), which is meant for regional uses near major arterials (§ 14-6-101). The minimum zone areas are 3.0 acres for C-H, 2.0 for C-G and 0.5 for C-N (§ 14-6-102).
- The Commercial zone's use table has a line for "Fast Food Restaurant w/ or w/o Drive-up" with a different answer (permitted, conditional or not allowed) in each subzone (§ 14-6-103). Our copy of that table doesn't keep its column headings, so check the official table to see which subzone allows what.
Downtown is different
- In the Downtown (DN) Mixed Use Zone, the use table lists "Fast Food Restaurant w/ drive-thru window" as N (not allowed), "Fast Food Restaurant w/ pick-up" as C (conditional) and "Fast Food Restaurant w/o drive-thru" as P (permitted) (§ 14-7-103).
- The DN zone exists to preserve the mixed-use character of the Main Street downtown area, consistent with the Bountiful Historic Downtown Plan (§ 14-7-101).
- In the Mixed-Use (MXD) zone, the permitted-use list for the hotel and entertainment sub-zone names restaurants without a drive-up window, and the prohibited list includes motor lodges (drive-up motel units) (§ 14-10-104).
Room for the line of cars
Where a drive-up window is allowed, the site has to fit the waiting cars (§ 14-18-112):
- Restaurants and fast food: "Six (6) stacking spaces for each service window or device." (§ 14-18-112)
- Banks: four stacking spaces per window; all other drive-up uses: three (§ 14-18-112).
- Each space is 9 by 20 feet with 14 feet of clearance (or as the Fire Marshal decides), and the stacking lane can't interfere with required parking or traffic circulation (§ 14-18-112).
If it's a conditional use
Bountiful says conditional uses are uses that need special conditions to fit with the permitted uses in a zone, and they require a Conditional Use Permit (§ 14-2-501).
Next steps
Find your property's zone on Bountiful's zoning map, check the official use table for that zone, and call Bountiful's planning office before you sign a lease or buy a pad site. Want a broker to read it for a specific address? Ask us for a free zoning summary.
Not legal or zoning advice. Zoning rules change, and only the city or county can say for sure what is allowed on a property. Confirm with the city or county planning department before you buy, sign or build. Section links go to our unofficial copy; the city's official code controls.