General Contractor in West Haven, Utah

Sections 157.455 through 157.480 of the West Haven City Zoning Code, last amended by Ordinance 43-2024 on December 18, 2024, set ADU conditions that include these, in their own order.

• A subordinate dwelling with its own eating, sleeping, and sanitation facilities, in or attached to a single-family home, or within a detached accessory structure associated with one
• The property owner living full time in part of the main home or in a detached accessory unit on the same lot for more than 275 days of every calendar year, apart from a bona fide temporary absence of three years or less for a temporary work assignment, sabbatical, or voluntary service, after residing there and with the intent to return
• Occupants limited to one of three groups, each of which may add a temporary guest who stays less than 14 days in any rolling one-year period and does not use the dwelling as a legal address for any purpose: one person living alone; two or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption, or legal guardianship, or foster children; or up to four unrelated persons as a single housekeeping unit
• An ADU on a single-family lot in any zone, and none in a multiple-family dwelling or on a multiple-family lot, or where the parking, setback, or lot coverage requirements cannot be met
• One ADU at most in each owner-occupied single-family home or in a detached accessory structure associated with one
• A unit in the basement or an addition, over an attached or detached garage, or in a separate cottage home or guest house
• The home's minimum setbacks for an addition, and for a unit in an accessory structure behind the home, the zone's side yard and a 20-foot rear setback, or 15 feet where no windows, doors, or other openings are adjacent to the property line
• The home's front, side, and rear setbacks for a unit in the side yard, and a second story in an accessory structure only where it meets the zone's height and setback standards for the home
• An interior ADU that keeps the home's single-family appearance, and a unit in an accessory structure compatible, to the degree reasonably feasible, with the home's architectural components, such as its exterior materials, color, and roof pitch
• A basement unit allowed to occupy the entire basement regardless of area or bedroom count, and a detached unit of at least 300 and no more than 1,200 square feet, with no more than three bedrooms
• Combined building coverage of the detached ADU, the home, and any other accessory buildings within the zone's maximum for the lot and rear yards, and no more than 35 percent of the total lot
• A separate, accessible entrance or stairway for an ADU in a new home; for one in an existing structure, existing entrances on a street-facing side or a side or rear entrance; and no side-by-side front doors for the two units unless the second door leads directly to the basement
• The home's address number for the ADU, identified as Unit B, posted where it is visible on the street frontage side of the home
• At least one off-street parking space for the ADU beyond the home's minimum, not in tandem with the home's required parking, and one more for an ADU with two or more bedrooms
• A reduction of one space for the main home within one-fourth mile of a bus rapid transit route
• No parking in a street-side front or side yard setback outside an approved driveway, and the minimum width of parking areas and driveways paved with concrete or asphalt
• Construction and remodeling to the building codes and ordinances in effect at the time of the work, and a certificate of occupancy before the ADU is occupied
• Separate water, gas, and electric meters allowed, each in the property owner's name, with the owner responsible for paying all utilities
• Interior access kept between the main living area and an attached ADU unless a Fire Department inspection determines that the means of egress are sufficient
• No separate sale of the ADU or detachment by deed, with the unit used only as a rental
• A land use permit for the ADU from the city in addition to any building permit
• For the permit, a site plan showing the property lines and dimensions, existing buildings and entrances, proposed buildings or additions and their distances to those lines, parking stalls, and utility meters
• For the permit, labeled floor plans, every correction the Chief Building Official identifies, and photos of the carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and earthquake strapping on water heaters
• The applicant's demonstration and affirmation that the property otherwise complies with the zoning ordinance
• No city obligation to research or enforce private covenants, conditions, or restrictions that prohibit an ADU, with the owner alone responsible for knowing those that run with the property, and the applicant certifying that knowledge by applying
• A conditional use permit from the Planning Commission for an ADU that modifies the maximum size, minimum parking, or setback requirements, with any added conditions the commission sets to mitigate its impact on surrounding properties
• No legal status or approval for an ADU without the land use permit
• Home occupations in the ADU limited to a home office that creates no customer traffic, with the owner's written permission
• No manufactured home, mobile home, recreational vehicle, or trailer used as an ADU
• Accessory buildings covering no more than 25 percent of the rear yard in any residential district

Ordinance 43-2024 repealed Section 157.477, which had required the owner of an ADU to hold a yearly business license and report rent amounts to the city.

West Haven posted notice of a Planning Commission public hearing set for October 28, 2026, on an amendment to its ADU ordinance. Among other changes, the amendment would raise the detached ADU maximum to 1,400 square feet, require two parking spaces for a detached ADU of 650 square feet or larger and one for every other ADU, and make the Community Development Director the land use authority for ADU permits. The amendment had not been adopted as of October 22, 2026.

Utah's ADU statutes apply in West Haven as well, as our ADU page explains.

Sources: West Haven Ordinance 23-2024, with Exhibit A, Sections 157.455 to 157.480; Ordinance 43-2024; City Council Minutes, May 6, 2020; Notice of Public Hearing, October 28, 2026; Utah Code 10-21-303; Utah Code 10-21-304; Utah Code 10-21-101. During preconstruction, we confirm with the city which version of these rules applies to your property.

Utah ADU Law and Building Code