A central purpose of a planning department is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the North Ogden citizens. The North Ogden City Planning Department employees act with this purpose in mind. The planning department works also with citizens to help them exercise their rights as landowners. While doing this, members of the planning department staff must ensure that the rights of all the residents are not unreasonably infringed upon as contemplated in the North Ogden City Code.

One way the planning department protects the rights of North Ogden City residents is by helping them understand city standards for contemplated improvements on their property through the land use permit application process. Land Use Permits ensure that a property owner who would like to build a fence, install or build a shed, or add concrete to their lot are able to do so, within the requirements of the North Ogden City Zoning Code. This ensures that the property owner’s interests, and the interests of their neighbors are considered.

An example of a common project that would require a Land Use Permit is adding a concrete patio or RV parking pad. Increasing the amount of concrete or other hard surface on a lot reduces the amount of land that can absorb rain or runoff water. Since the storm water is not usually retained on site, it enters the storm sewer system. This creates an impact on the storm sewer system, leading to increased service needs. If too much stormwater enters the storm sewer system, it can cause problems such as overwhelming detention basins. To reduce the demand on the storm sewer infrastructure, the city has created a minimum vegetative area requirement for all zones across the city. This ensures that much of the storm water is absorbed on site by the soil and does not enter the storm sewer system. The North Ogden City Zoning Code exists, in part, to prevent this and similar problems.

Once a Land Use Permit application has been received, a member of the planning department examines the request for compliance with the city zoning code, the property’s dedication plat, and known special restrictions, e.g., utility easements or geologic hazards. If the project is compliant with City Code, the Land Use Permit will be approved, and the applicant will be notified of the decision.

If a proposed project does not meet the Zoning Code or there is a special restriction on the lot, a member of staff will contact the applicant to inform them of the restrictions or any needed changes. In these instances, if the project can work with modifications, city staff works with the applicant to provide options to that will allow the applicant to modify the proposed project so that it will conform to City Code before work begins.

If you have a have any questions regarding land use permits, zoning, or planning, please contact a member of the North Ogden City Planning Department staff at 801-782-2215.

PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE A LAND USE PERMIT:

· An accessory building up to 200 square feet in size. (Any accessory building 200 sq. ft. or larger requires a building permit.)

· Adding any impermeable surface such as concrete or asphalt.

· When adding any fence.

· Decks require a building permit (not a land use permit).

INFORMATION NEEDED TO PROCESS AN APPLICATION:

· A simply drawn plan that shows square footage of the lot to be built upon, the size and location of existing buildings or structures. (We don’t accept photos, aerial photos, Google Map, etc.)

· The square footage of existing concrete/asphalt on the lot.

· The square footage of proposed concrete/asphalt.

· The square footage of the existing building footprint.

· Plans and dimensions for any proposed structure, including height.

· A site plan showing the dimensions of the proposed project and distances from property lines.

· Any other site specific information.