Basement Permit Process in Eagle Mountain & Saratoga Springs

Do you need a permit?

Yes. Pretty much without exception.

Eagle Mountain treats finishing the basement as a discrete project that requires a building permit. That includes converting storage space to living space, changing load-bearing wall configurations, adding a bonus room, and any wiring, plumbing, or HVAC work tied to the finish. The moment unfinished space becomes habitable space, it falls under the IRC.

The edge cases that catch people:

• Pulling drywall and adding new drywall in an unfinished-to-finished conversion? Yes, permit required.
• Framing in a bedroom in an already-finished basement? Yes. New sleeping room triggers egress requirements.
• Adding only an egress window to an existing finished basement? Yes. Foundation work needs a permit.
• Running a new dedicated circuit to a workshop? Yes. Electrical permit.
• Painting, swapping flooring, or replacing fixtures one-for-one in already-finished space? No, those don't require permits.

If you're not sure, call the city or call (801) 555-0184. Better to ask than to find out at resale that a previous owner finished space without one.

Eagle Mountain permit fee, plan review, and application process

Eagle Mountain's basement permit fee is the simplest in the area. $250 flat, classified as a non-valuation based permit on the city's Consolidated Fee Schedule. Same fee whether the basement is 600 square feet or 1,400. Reinspections (if you fail and have to reschedule) are $50 per trade. Inspections not specifically priced run $50 per hour.

• Basement finish permit (non-valuation based)$250 flat
• Reinspection fee, per trade$50
• Inspection-only permit$50/inspection
• Inspections not otherwise priced$50/hr
• Plan review (included in $250 fee)14 business days
• 2nd Kitchen Agreement (if adding a 2nd kitchen)Required, no separate fee

Applications go through the city's OpenGov portal. The team will pull the permit on your behalf if you're hiring out the work. The permit is in the contractor's name with you as the property owner.

Plan review takes 14 business days from a complete submittal. That word is doing real work. A complete submittal includes the floor plan with dimensions, an electrical layout showing every outlet and switch, structural notes for any load-bearing changes, egress window dimensions, mechanical layout, and the appropriate forms. Missing any of that, the clock resets when corrections come in.

Most plan-review delays are corrections, not city backlog. A submittal from a team that's pulled this permit through the city before usually passes first review. One from a contractor new to the process often comes back with corrections and adds a week or two.

Saratoga Springs permit process and water-table disclosure

Saratoga Springs runs basement permits through a fully paperless submittal portal at cityworks.saratogaspringscity.com/publicaccess/login. The city charges a $200 non-refundable deposit at application for single-family projects, which gets applied toward the final permit cost. Published third-party data puts total Saratoga Springs basement permit fees in the $200 to $700 range depending on which trade permits the project pulls.

Here's the thing Saratoga Springs says on the permit application itself, in plain language: "Many areas in Saratoga Springs have ground water problems due to a seasonally high water table." Surface and groundwater management is the property owner's sole responsibility. The city does not warrant building elevation as a solution to surface water issues.

That matters. If you're in a part of Saratoga Springs where the water table runs high seasonally, your basement waterproofing scope isn't the same as it would be in Eagle Mountain's Cedar Valley. Budget for that before framing starts. More on the water-table issue here.

One inspection difference worth knowing up front: Saratoga Springs commonly bundles the four rough inspections (framing, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical) into a single visit, called a Rough 4-Way. Eagle Mountain inspects each rough separately. The Rough 4-Way can shave days off the schedule because you're waiting for one inspector visit instead of four.

Saratoga Springs also requires inspection requests at least one working day in advance, before 5 PM. A printed set of the approved plans must be on site for every inspection. And here's something worth knowing: occupying a Saratoga Springs basement before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued carries a $100 initial fine plus $30 per day until the C of O is granted. This isn't a buried rule — the fine is written directly into the building permit application itself. Don't move tenants in early.

Required inspections in sequence

Eagle Mountain inspections are requested by email only at buildinginspections@eaglemountain.gov. Cancellations must be submitted before 9 AM the day prior. The sequence below is the standard order. Your specific project may skip a step if it doesn't apply (no ground plumbing if no slab cutting, for example).

• 01

  Ground plumbing

  Only if slab is being cut

  The inspector verifies under-slab rough-in before concrete is patched back. Skip this if the builder pre-stubbed and you're not cutting new lines.

• 02

  Rough framing

  After framing complete, before insulation

  All interior framing, door and window openings, headers, blocking for fixtures, and fire blocking get checked. Saratoga Springs often bundles framing into the Rough 4-Way.

• 03

  Rough plumbing

  After plumbing rough complete

  Drain, waste, vent, and supply lines visible and pressure-tested where required.

• 04

  Rough mechanical (HVAC)

  After HVAC takeoffs in place

  Ductwork sized correctly, dampers installed, returns located properly for the layout.

• 05

  Rough electrical

  After electrical rough complete

  Boxes installed, wiring run, panel additions made if applicable. GFCI planning verified.

• 06

  Insulation

  After all roughs pass, before drywall

  Wall insulation and rim joist insulation get checked. The 2021 IECC sets minimum R-values for the assembly.

• 07

  Final

  After finish work complete

  Smoke and CO alarms operational, GFCI outlets working, fixtures installed, egress operable. Ready for occupancy.

Code minimums you need to know

These are the dimensions the inspector is checking against. All from the 2021 IRC as adopted by both cities.

• Ceiling height, finished floor to finished ceiling7 ft
• Ceiling height at beams, ducts, girders6 ft 4 in
• Egress window net clear opening (below grade)5.7 sq ft
• Egress window net clear opening (grade floor)5.0 sq ft
• Egress minimum opening height24 in
• Egress minimum opening width20 in
• Egress maximum sill height above finished floor44 in
• Window well floor area minimum9 sq ft
• Window well projection minimum36 in
• Window well ladder required when well depth exceeds44 in
• Electrical panel working space (depth × width)36 × 30 in

Smoke alarms required in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on each floor. Carbon monoxide alarms required on each level when gas appliances or an attached garage are present. GFCI protection required for bathrooms, kitchen countertops, jetted tubs, and outlets in unfinished basement rooms. Full egress requirements (IRC R310) here.

The 2nd Kitchen Agreement vs the EMMC 17.70 ADU permit

Two things to watch for if your basement plan includes a kitchen or rental use. Which path you take depends on one question: are you renting the space out, or keeping it for your own household?

If you're NOT renting the space, Eagle Mountain requires a 2nd Kitchen Agreement. This is a deed restriction recorded with the county that says you won't rent the unit out. It applies when your basement has a second kitchen (full kitchen or even a kitchenette with cooktop and full-size refrigerator) but the space is for your own family's use — a downstairs entertaining kitchen, an in-law suite for a parent who lives with you, that kind of thing. The agreement is the lighter path. No planning approval, no separate entrance requirement. Just the building permit plus the recorded deed restriction.

If you ARE renting the space, you skip the 2nd Kitchen Agreement and go straight to an ADU permit under EMMC Chapter 17.70. A basement with a second kitchen, a separate exterior entrance, and a code-compliant rental finish is functionally an internal accessory dwelling unit. That requires planning approval from Eagle Mountain's Planning Division on top of the building permit. The two run in parallel — the building permit covers the construction, the ADU permit confirms the use is allowed at your address. Full ADU rules here.

The two paths are mutually exclusive. 2nd Kitchen Agreement means no rental. ADU permit means rental is allowed. Know which one you need before the plans are drawn, because the ADU path adds a separate entrance requirement, planning review, and additional inspections that affect the layout and the budget.

Owner-builder vs contractor-pulled permits

Eagle Mountain accepts owner-builder permits with a signed Owner/Builder Certification. The homeowner has to occupy the home and can't be acting on behalf of another party.

Owner-builder makes sense in a narrow set of cases. If you've actually done framing, electrical, and plumbing work before, and you have the time to coordinate inspections during business hours, you can save a meaningful percentage on the labor that drives the project. If you're hoping to save money by managing the trades yourself without the skills to do the work, the math usually doesn't work. Contractor labor on framing and drywall is already close to material cost, so the savings are smaller than people expect.

Contractors must submit a copy of their Utah DOPL license with the permit application. DOPL is the state's Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing, the agency that issues contractor licenses in Utah. The relevant license types for basement work are S220 (carpentry and remodeling subcontractor) and B100 (general building contractor). Most contractors who do basement work hold one or both, plus active general liability insurance.

Saratoga Springs accepts owner-builder applications, but the city generally requires that electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work be performed by licensed individuals unless specific owner-occupancy conditions apply. If you want to DIY any of the trades in Saratoga Springs, check with the building department first.

Eagle Mountain vs Saratoga Springs at a glance

Common questions about basement permits