4-8-020 Permit Required – Exceptions
Unofficial copy. It may be out of date. 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.
The official Box Elder County code is at https://www.boxeldercountyut.gov/241/Land-Use-Management-Development-Code.
Text pulled 2026-10-19 from this source.
Chapter 5-4 (Flood Damage Prevention) is a scanned image on the county's site and is not included.
Tables (like use tables) may not copy cleanly, so check any table against the official code.
Confirm anything here with Box Elder County planning before you rely on it.
A. No person shall commence or perform any grading or excavation, including those in gravel pits and rock quarries, in excess of the limits specified below without first obtaining a conditional use permit for such grading or excavation. (Also see the Conditional Use Permit section of this Code 2-2-100.)
B. In this section, all references to conditional use permit shall mean a conditional use permit for grading or excavation.
C. A conditional use permit shall be required in all cases where development comes under any one or more of the following provisions unless such work is otherwise exempted elsewhere in this chapter:
1. Excavation, fill or any combination thereof exceeding 1,000 cubic yards.
2. Fill exceeding five (5) feet in vertical depth at its deepest point measured from the adjacent undisturbed ground surface.
3. An excavation exceeding five (5) feet in vertical depth at its deepest point.
4. An excavation, fill, or combination thereof exceeding an area of one (1) acre.
5. Vegetation removal from an area in excess of one (1) acre.
D. A conditional use permit shall not be required in the following cases:
1. Excavations below finished grade for which a building permit is required and has been issued by the County, including, but not limited to, the following: a. septic tanks and drain-fields, b. tanks, c. vaults, d. tunnels e. equipment basements, f. swimming pools, g. cellars, or h. footings for buildings or structures.
2. Excavation or removal of vegetation within property owned by public utility companies or within public utility easements by public utility companies.
3. Removal of vegetation as a part of the work authorized by an approved building permit.
4. Tilling of soil or cutting of vegetation for agricultural or fire protection purposes.
5. Commercial quarries operating with valid conditional use permits and/or in appropriate industrial zones as provided for in this Code.
6. Engineered interior fills or surcharge on the property with respect to industrial development.
7. Items not covered by this Chapter which are exempted from required permits by this Code and the building codes adopted by the County.
8. Grading and/or excavation done pursuant to an approved final subdivision plan.