18 published records
Business licenses and permits in Washington County, Utah
Washington County, seat St. George, runs a general business license, home-occupation license, county alcohol business license, building-permit, and zoning/land-use program through its Community Development Department, reaching unincorporated Washington County only. The Southwest Utah Public Health Department (SWUPHD), by contrast, is a five-county health district — serving Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver, and Garfield Counties jointly — and reaches every part of Washington County, incorporated or not. Fifteen incorporated cities and towns sit inside Washington County, each running its own business-license, building, and zoning regime that stands outside the county's own: Apple Valley Town, Enterprise City, Hildale, Hurricane, Ivins, La Verkin, Leeds, New Harmony, Rockville, Santa Clara, Springdale, St. George City, Toquerville, Virgin, and Washington City. The county's own jurisdiction list names a 'New Harmony Area' and a 'Leeds Area' to mean the unincorporated valley around each town, not the incorporated town itself; New Harmony is confirmed incorporated and self-regulating by its own adopted Land Use Ordinance (Ordinance #18, January 2020), which requires a home business to register with the town directly rather than with the county.
What are you opening in Washington County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Washington County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License (Standard) | Washington County Community Development Department | $10.00 application processing fee, plus $50.00 standard business license (annual), plus $10.00 for each full-time employee and $5.00 for each part-time employee, per the county's own live business-license application portal. | Annual, expiring January 31; an application filed after July 1 is prorated to half the annual fee | 2026-10-01 |
| Building Permit and Related Building-Division Feesonly if it applies to you | Washington County Community Development Department | Valuation-based building-permit fee table: $1–$500 $23.50; $501–$2,000 $23.50 plus $3.05 per additional $100; $2,001–$25,000 $69.25 plus $14.00 per additional $1,000; $25,001–$50,000 $391.75 plus $10.10 per additional $1,000; $50,001–$100,000 $643.75 plus $7.00 per additional $1,000; $100,001–$500,000 $993.75 plus $5.60 per additional $1,000; $500,001–$1,000,000 $3,233.75 plus $4.75 per additional $1,000; $1,000,001 and above $5,608.75 plus $3.65 per additional $1,000 — plus a 1% state surcharge on the permit fee. Manufactured home permit $400.00 flat plus $40.00 per square foot of valuation. Pool permit $300.00. Special inspection $100.00. Other inspection fees (after-hours, re-inspection, additional plan review where no other fee is specified) are $100.00 per hour, subject to a 2-hour or 0.5-hour minimum depending on category, or the actual cost of an outside consultant. | One-time, per project; add-on inspection fees are billed per occurrence | 2026-10-01 |
| Zoning / Land Use / Planning Application Feesonly if it applies to you | Washington County Community Development Department | Conditional Use Permit (staff) $150.00; Conditional Use Permit (Planning Commission) $300.00; Nonconforming Use $100.00; Variance $250.00; Appeal $500.00; Lot Line Adjustment $150.00; Road Dedication $125.00; Site Plan Review $125.00; Zone Change $400.00; General Plan Amendment $500.00; Amended Plat (plus postage) $250.00; Preliminary Plat Approval $500.00; Final Plat Approval $500.00; Road Name Change $100.00; Subdivision/Planned Development (Combined) $900.00; Inspection Trust Fee — first 10 lots $1,000.00, 11–50 lots $2,000.00, over 50 lots $3,000.00. | Per application | 2026-10-01 |
| Commercial Septic System Permitsonly if it applies to you | Southwest Utah Public Health Department | Conventional system $910.00 (plus a $40.00 state UDEQ fee). Failed-system repair $350.00. Alternative/experimental system $1,260.00 (plus a $40.00 state UDEQ fee), with a $115.00 annual renewal. Liquid-waste hauler vehicle permit $80.00 a year. Subdivision plan review $250.00. Site visit, per lot, $85.00. Per the SWUPHD Fee Schedule effective May 1, 2026. | One-time per installation for a conventional system; annual renewal for an alternative/experimental system or a hauler-vehicle permit | 2026-10-01 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Washington County?
General Business License (Standard)
Any of the ten covered industries operating from unincorporated Washington County needs this license, priced at $10.00 application processing plus $50.00 standard annual license plus $10.00 per full-time and $5.00 per part-time employee, per the county's own live business-license application portal. The license year runs to January 31, with an application filed after July 1 prorated to half the annual fee under Code § 3-1-4; renewal is due by February 1, a late fee of $25.00 or 10% of the fee (whichever is greater) applies after March 1, and the license lapses after March 31. Washington County requires E-Verify participation under Ordinance No. 2011-1014-O. This license reaches only unincorporated Washington County — the county's own business-license-information page lists a distinct sales-tax location code, 27000, for this area — and does not reach any of the 15 incorporated cities and towns, including New Harmony, each of which runs its own business-license process.
Building Permit and Related Building-Division Fees
Any of the ten covered industries building, remodeling, placing a manufactured home, or installing a pool in unincorporated Washington County needs a building permit, priced by declared construction valuation from $23.50 for work valued at $500 or less up to $5,608.75 plus $3.65 per additional $1,000 beyond $1,000,000, plus a 1% state surcharge, all published on the county's own current Community Development Fees page. A manufactured home permit is $400.00 flat plus $40.00 per square foot of valuation; a pool permit is $300.00; and a special inspection is $100.00. Other inspection fees not otherwise specified — after-hours work, re-inspection, or additional plan review — are $100.00 an hour, subject to a 2-hour or 0.5-hour minimum depending on category, or the actual cost of an outside consultant. This permit reaches only unincorporated Washington County; each of the 15 incorporated cities and towns, including New Harmony, runs its own building-permit process within its own limits.
Zoning / Land Use / Planning Application Fees
Any of the ten covered industries seeking a conditional use permit, variance, zone change, plat approval, or similar zoning or land-use action in unincorporated Washington County pays the fee set on the county's own current Community Development Fees page: amounts range from $100.00 for a nonconforming-use application up to $900.00 for a combined subdivision/planned-development application, with a separate tiered Inspection Trust Fee of $1,000.00 to $3,000.00 based on lot count (full table in the fee formula above). These fees apply only in unincorporated Washington County; each of the 15 incorporated cities and towns runs its own zoning and land-use application process within its own limits.
Commercial Septic System Permits
Any of the ten covered industries on a septic system anywhere in Washington County needs a permit from SWUPHD before installation: a conventional system is $910.00 plus a $40.00 state UDEQ fee, a failed-system repair is $350.00, and an alternative or experimental system is $1,260.00 plus the same $40.00 state fee, with a $115.00 annual renewal, all per the SWUPHD Fee Schedule effective May 1, 2026. A liquid-waste hauler vehicle permit is $80.00 a year, a subdivision plan review is $250.00, and a per-lot site visit is $85.00. SWUPHD's coverage reaches every part of Washington County, including inside each of the 15 incorporated cities and towns.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Washington County — General and Home Occupation Business License online application (states the $10 processing + $50 standard + per-employee fee structure)Washington County Community Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Washington County Code §§ 3-1-1 to 3-1-5, Business Licenses, current through Ord. 2025-1291-O, adopted May 6, 2025Washington County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Washington County Community Development — Business License Information (alcohol multi-license discount, home-occupation two-year option and courtesy-license note, E-Verify requirement, sales-tax location code 27000, the 15-jurisdiction business-license area list)Washington County Community Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Washington County Community Development — Fees (building-permit valuation table, manufactured home/pool/special-inspection fees, zoning and land-use application fee table)Washington County Community Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Southwest Utah Public Health Department Fee Schedule, effective May 1, 2026Southwest Utah Public Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Who issues business permits in Washington County?
Permitting in Washington County is split across 2 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Washington County issuing agencies
- Southwest Utah Public Health DepartmentA five-county local health department serving Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver, and Garfield Counties jointly, established in 1974 as one of Utah's thirteen local health departments. · Runs food establishment, mobile food, temporary food, home daycare food service, food handler/food safety manager certification, body art, tanning, public pool/spa, septic, and tobacco-retailer permitting county-wide within Washington County, including inside every incorporated city and town.12 permits
- Washington County Community Development DepartmentGeneral business licensing, home-occupation licensing, the county alcohol business license, building permits, and zoning/land-use/planning application fees — unincorporated Washington County only. · The county alcohol business license also constitutes local-authority consent for the underlying state DABS license (Washington County Code § 3-2-1(C)); a Brew Pub or Wine Bar license additionally requires the County Commission's own consent at a public meeting.6 permits
Other Utah jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.