General Contractor in Cottonwood Heights, Utah

Chapter 19.75 of the Cottonwood Heights Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 465 on May 19, 2026, sets conditions that include these.

• An internal ADU created within a primary dwelling, which the code defines as a detached single-family dwelling occupied as the primary residence of its owner of record, and within its footprint at the time, for a long-term rental of 30 consecutive days or longer
• An internal ADU as a permitted use in a primary dwelling under owner occupancy, on a lot of more than 6,000 square feet in the R-1, RR-1, and F-1 zones, and never on a lot of 6,000 square feet or less or where a failing septic tank serves the primary dwelling
• A detached ADU as a conditional use in the R-1, RR-1, and F-1 zones
• Approval after an ADU application, a satisfactory property inspection, the signed affidavit, and any necessary building permits, with Planning Commission approval after a public hearing for a detached ADU, and annual renewal of the ADU permit for either kind of unit upon a satisfactory inspection
• The record owner, including titleholders and contract purchasers, living in the primary dwelling or the ADU as a permanent residence for at least 200 days per calendar year, and never receiving rent for the owner-occupied unit
• No short-term rentals, and one ADU per lot or property
• A new internal ADU in an existing home brought up to all minimum standards in its entirety, as inspected and approved by city staff
• One off-street space for an internal ADU beyond the home's required parking, with no fewer than three stalls in all, two added spaces for a detached ADU, with no new front yard spaces apart from existing driveways, and no tandem parking for either kind of unit
• Garage or carport spaces replaced when an internal ADU is created within the garage or carport
• An internal ADU designed so the primary dwelling keeps its appearance as a single-family dwelling
• No internal ADU created within a mobile home as Utah Code 57-16-3 defines it
• Fencing, a landscaping buffer, or both, so a detached ADU's parking areas and entrances are screened from adjoining owners
• A detached ADU as a permanent structure in the rear yard, at least 6 feet from the primary structure, meeting the side and rear setbacks for a primary structure in its zone, the accessory building standards for height, lot coverage, rear-yard coverage, and size, and, on a flag lot, the primary structure flag lot setbacks
• Conversion of an existing accessory building only where it meets, or is modified to meet, all current city standards and every applicable provision of the chapter
• A notarized affidavit signed by the record owner, and after any change in ownership, an updated ADU permit, a site inspection where one applies, and a new affidavit
• A building permit application and an inspection by the city's building inspector when no other work is needed to ready an ADU for occupancy
• Expiration of an ADU permit when no later step in its approval is undertaken within six months of the most recent one

The city's Accessory Dwelling Units page gives the internal ADU lot as 6,000 square feet or more. Section 19.75.030 says more than 6,000 square feet. We confirm a lot of exactly 6,000 square feet with the city before design.

Ordinance 465, passed on May 19, 2026, amended Section 19.75.050 to bar separate utility meters for an internal ADU. For a detached ADU, the section allows them when the applicant shows, with documentation from the utility provider, that the existing utilities cannot be adequately sized for the ADU or cannot reasonably be separated from the main residence. The ordinance also conditions separate meters for a detached ADU on the record owner remaining responsible for the utility bills of both units. The city asks for a pre-application meeting first. The ADU application then goes in digital form to the Community and Economic Development Department with a project narrative and, when the applicant is not the owner, a signed consent form. It also includes a home business license application, a notarized affidavit of permanent residency, a floor plan of the ADU area, and an ADU parking and access plan. For a detached ADU, the application adds a scaled site plan showing the unit's location with setback measurements, the required fencing, and the landscaping. An ADU that requires construction also needs will-serve letters from the water and sewer providers.

ZTA-26-004, a city-initiated amendment to Chapter 19.75 to update its ADU requirements to S.B. 284, was on the Planning Commission's agenda of October 21, 2026, for a public hearing and a possible recommendation to the City Council. The council had not voted on it as of October 23, 2026. Utah's ADU statutes apply in Cottonwood Heights as well, as our ADU page explains.

Sources: Cottonwood Heights Municipal Code, Chapter 19.75; Ordinance 465; Accessory Dwelling Units; ADU Forms; Accessory Dwelling Unit Application; Planning Commission agenda, October 21, 2026; Utah Code 10-21-304.

Utah ADU Law and Building Code