Utah zoning articles · Saratoga Springs code
Planning a drive-thru in Saratoga Springs? The design rules
Drafted with AI help from the city's code (text pulled 2026-10-19), then reviewed and approved by Stockton Farnsworth on 2026-10-23. By Stockton Farnsworth, Utah Associate Broker, Team Utah Commercial, brokered by RE/MAX Associates.
Coffee, fast food and pharmacies all want a drive-thru window, and Saratoga Springs has a section setting the rules for how one must be designed. Here's what it says, with a link to each section.
First: is a drive-thru allowed on the site?
- The code defines a drive-thru as "a use that provides services through a window or machine without the driver leaving the vehicle." (§ 19.02.02)
- Which zones allow a drive-thru is set in the city's use tables (§ 19.04.11). Our copy of those tables doesn't keep their layout, so check the official table for your zone before anything else.
Room for the line of cars
- Every drive-thru needs at least 3 stacking spaces per lane, and each space must be at least 20 feet long from the point of service (§ 19.09.11).
- Some uses need more stacking; the code points to its Table 19.09.10 for those, and up to 3 stacking spaces may count toward required parking (§ 19.09.11).
- You must provide an approved final traffic report showing all queuing stays on the property and can't back up onto the street or neighboring sites (§ 19.09.11).
- Lane entrances and exits must be clearly marked for the direction of traffic (§ 19.09.11).
Screening and neighbors
- Drive-thru lanes next to public streets need a landscaped strip at least ten feet wide between the sidewalk and the lane, with a berm, hedge or screen wall at least three feet high to block headlight glare (§ 19.09.11).
- Lanes next to homes or residentially zoned land must be set back at least 20 feet from the property line (§ 19.09.11).
- Speaker boxes between the building and nearby homes can't operate between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (§ 19.09.11)
- In the city's non-residential site design standards, no drive-thru lanes are permitted within the required buffer setback next to residential areas (§ 19.16.04).
Next steps
Confirm the zone allows a drive-thru, then lay out the stacking lane, screening and setbacks before you sign a lease or buy a pad. Call Saratoga Springs' planning department to confirm. Want a broker's read on a specific site? 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.