7-1-108. BUILDING AND USE PERMITS.
(1) Construction, Alteration, repair, or removal of any Building or Structure or any part thereof, as provided or as restricted in this Title, shall not be commenced or proceeded with except after the issuance of a written permit for the same by the Building Inspection Division. Building permits shall not be issued without approval of the Community and Economic Development Department, which shall not issue or permit the issuance of a building permit if any Building, Structure, or Use of land would be in violation of this Title or other applicable law.
(2) A Structure or land shall not be used for any Use not identified within the zone where the property exists. Permits shall be issued in accordance with and all construction shall comply with all requirements of Utah law and the International Building Codes as adopted by the State of Utah.
(3) The Use of the land shall not be commenced or proceeded with except upon the issuance of a written permit for the same by the Community and Economic Development Department. Except as otherwise provided in this Title, no Use permit shall be required for land used for agricultural purposes or for the keeping and raising of Animals.
(4) A detailed Site Plan, drawn to a scale and size specified by the Community and Economic Development Department, shall be filed as part of any application for a building permit.
(5) Prior to issuing any building permit to a contractor, the Building Inspection Division shall require from the Applicant a bond naming the City as a beneficiary in the amount specified in the Consolidated Fee Schedule. The bond shall be in addition to all other fees required for a building permit.
a. Notwithstanding this subsection (5), no bond is required if the affected Building is one Single Unit Dwelling and the general contractor is also the Owner or builder of the Building. However, the Owner or builder shall not receive a release of permanent electrical power until a drywall and electrical inspection is completed, including but not limited to testing and inspection of all electrical panels and wiring for proper installation.
b. All bonds submitted pursuant to this Section shall be deposited or retained by the City Treasurer, with all monies deposited in a separate trust account.
c. Upon City Manager approval, the City Treasurer may establish record-keeping procedures to permit developers to use bonds that have been wholly or partially released to fulfill bonding requirements for new applications, provided that all of the following conditions are met:
i. The bonds have been released or partially released prior to the new permit application;
ii. The amount deposited or held is sufficient to fulfill all bonding requirements for all active permits;
iii. The terms of the original bonds permit such usage;
iv. The bonds shall not expire prior to release of the building permit; and
v. The developer has met all obligations of the agreement creating the bonds.
d. If released bonds are used in accordance with subsection (5)(c) above, the developer is solely responsible for maintaining all records concerning the amount and status of each bond.
(6) The Building Inspection Division shall grant power-to-panel clearance only when the Building Inspection Division determines that all four-way rough inspections have been passed, the Structure is secured against entry, and all subcontractors have been verified.
(7) The City Treasurer shall release the bond submitted pursuant to subsection (5) above upon written certification by the Building Inspection Division that the Building and associated required improvements have been completed or construction abandoned, that all required inspections have been made and have passed, and that the building permit has been closed.
a. If the Building Inspection Division reinspects the Structure or project and fees for the reinspection have not been paid, the Building Inspection Division shall direct the City Treasurer to retain the amount of said fees from the bond and pay the same to the General Fund, Building Inspection Account.
b. The Building Inspection Division shall not certify release of the bond if construction has been abandoned, the Structure or project has not been secured against unauthorized entry, and the Structure or project poses a threat to public safety.
c. The amount of the bond required by a unit within a Subdivision shall be released from the total amount bonded for that Subdivision if the Building Inspection Division certifies in writing that the conditions for release have been satisfied for that unit. Release of a partial amount of the bond for work completed on an individual project or Structure shall not be granted.
(8) At the time of final inspection, the Building Inspection Division shall post a notice stating substantially as follows: “All deficiencies found at the time of final inspection on (date) must be corrected and approved by the Building Inspection Division within sixty days of this notice. If corrections are not made and approved, the bond posted shall be forfeited to West Valley City, with said forfeiture not operating to excuse compliance with applicable building codes or preclude further enforcement.” Upon a failure to comply with the notice described in this subsection (8), the Building Inspection Division shall certify the noncompliance in writing to the City Treasurer, who shall then declare the bond forfeited and deposit the full amount to the General Fund, Building Inspection Account.
(9) The Building Inspection Division may approve temporary occupancy of a Structure if all violations threatening the life or safety of occupants or the community have been resolved.