The short answer
Yes. Sandy requires a building permit to finish a basement, and it has one just for the job: the basement finish permit. Paint, carpet, tile, cabinets and counters alone do not need a permit. Framing, wiring, plumbing and heating do.
What needs a permit in Sandy
Sandy says a building permit is required for all construction in the city. Its own short list of jobs that do not need one includes painting, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, counters and similar finish work.
A basement finish goes well past that. New walls, outlets, a bathroom or heating ducts all need the permit. Sandy even has a permit type just for it, for "finishing existing unfinished basements."
How to apply
- Make an account in Sandy Cityworks. Sandy takes building applications online only.
- Upload your plans. Sandy wants one set of plans showing the layout, plumbing, electrical and heating. A simple job can use a written scope of work instead.
- Add structural plans if you touch the structure. If a bearing wall, beam or floor changes, Sandy wants structural plans, and the plans examiner decides if an engineer must stamp them.
- Wait for review and pay. The city reviews it and contacts you about anything missing and the fees due.
- Book inspections in the same portal as the work moves along.
What it costs
Sandy's fee schedule lists the basement finish permit at $387 for any job valued from $20,000 to $500,000. The city adds a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee and a 1% state fee. A failed or blocked inspection that has to be redone costs $70.
Skipping the permit costs more. Sandy charges an investigation fee equal to the permit fee for work started without one.
How long it takes
- Plan review: Since November 2025, Utah law says a city must finish plan review on a home project within 14 business days, after a 3 business day screening.
- Inspections: Sandy says state law gives the city 3 business days to do an inspection. Book at least 24 hours ahead. Inspectors work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What inspections to expect
Sandy does not publish an exact inspection list for basements. Under the building code Sandy uses, expect the rough plumbing, electrical and heating to be checked before the walls are closed, then a framing inspection, then a final. Utah also lets the building official check insulation. Confirm the exact stages when your permit is issued.
Who can pull the permit
A homeowner can pull the permit and do the work on their own home by filing Utah's owner-builder form. Or a licensed contractor pulls it. The state form warns that paying an unlicensed contractor, or paying unlicensed help more than a token amount, can be a Class A misdemeanor with fines of up to $2,000 a day.
Alpha Homes Construction is a licensed Utah contractor (license #13234401-5501) and pulls the permit for you.
Walkout doors and new windows
Cutting a new walkout door into the foundation is a separate Sandy permit. It needs a site plan, stair plans and structural plans for the concrete cut, which the city may require an engineer to stamp. A new window that needs structural changes needs structural plans too.
Basement apartments
Utah law makes an apartment inside a home (an "internal accessory dwelling unit") a permitted use in residential zones, as long as it meets building, health and fire codes. Sandy splits basement living space two ways:
- Extended living area: for family, non-paying guests or household help. It is approved with the building permit, and Sandy has the owner sign an affidavit, recorded on the property, that keeps it that way.
- Accessory dwelling unit: a rental. Sandy's code calls for a Special Use Permit and a business license, and the owner has to live in the home.
Decide which one you want before anything is drawn. The rules shape the plan.
What about selling a home with unpermitted work?
Utah's standard real estate purchase contract has the seller disclose known building code violations. The Utah Realtors' seller disclosure form asks if permits were issued and closed for remodels. Unpermitted basement work tends to come up right when you least want it to.
The other east bench cities
- Draper: Requires a permit, with its own basement finish checklist, through the Building Services online portal.
- Holladay: Lists basement finishes as a project that needs a building permit, applied for through iWorQ.
- Cottonwood Heights: Requires a permit for all construction except a short list like sheds and floor coverings, through iWorQ.
Let Alpha Homes handle the permit.
Alpha Homes draws the plans, pulls the Sandy permit and books every inspection, so the crew never waits.
Basement finishing in SandyKeep reading
- How long does it take to finish a basement?
- What does it cost to finish a basement in Utah?
- Egress windows for basement bedrooms in Utah
Sources
- Sandy City, Building Permits
- Sandy City, Residential Remodel and Basement Finish permit handout
- Sandy City, Paperless Permits and Plans
- Sandy City, Building Inspections
- Sandy City, Fee Schedule (FY2027)
- Sandy City, Walkout basement door permit requirements
- Sandy City, Window and door replacement permit requirements
- Sandy City, Affidavit of Understanding (Use of Extended Living Area)
- Sandy Land Development Code 21-11-1, Extended Living Areas and ADUs (Zoneomics copy)
- Utah DOPL, Owner/Builder Certification (via Sandy City)
- Utah Code 10-20-909, plan review and inspection timelines
- Utah Code 10-21-303, internal accessory dwelling units
- Utah Code 15A-3-202, Utah amendments to the IRC
- 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 1 (ICC)
- Utah Division of Real Estate, Real Estate Purchase Contract
- Utah Association of REALTORS, changes to the seller's property condition disclosure
- Draper City, Basement Finish permit checklist (November 2023)
- City of Holladay, Building Division
- Cottonwood Heights, Building Permits
