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Emigration Canyon council adopts package of zoning, fee and fire ordinances; special-event bike rules deferred
Summary
Council adopted multiple ordinances updating the fee schedule, zoning chapters and fire-restriction authority and rezoned a single multifamily parcel; council discussed but did not finalize a special-event code change for bicycle groups, directing staff to return in September with adjustments.
The Emigration Canyon council on Tuesday approved a package of ordinances that updated the city fee schedule, repealed and replaced zoning chapters and adopted stage 2 wildfire restrictions consistent with Unified Fire Authority recommendations.
Why it matters: The ordinances revise how land use and zoning are administered in the canyon, remove a decades-old agricultural exemption to permit requirements, change the town’s nonconforming-use rules, and put the municipality on the same wildfire-restriction footing as the state — changes that affect property owners, developers and residents.
Votes at a glance
- Ordinance 2025-0-10, updated fee schedule — Council moved to adopt the ordinance as presented; motion seconded and the council voted in favor. The ordinance formalizes planning and building fee language and adjusts a percentage used in one fee line. (Motion offered on the record.)
- Ordinance 2025-0-05, repeal of agricultural exemption in chapter 19.02 and adoption of revised Title 19 general provisions — Council moved and voted to adopt the ordinance. Staff said the change removes a special pathway that allowed some agricultural structures to be established without a land-use or building permit; it does not by itself remove agriculture as an allowed use but requires a permit before an agricultural use may be established. The planning commission had recommended approval.
- Ordinance 2025-0-09, rezoning of a 0.88-acre parcel (Camp K parking parcel) from RM to FR-20 — The council adopted the rezone after staff reported Salt Lake City and the camp operator had been consulted. The change eliminates the lone multifamily zoning parcel inside the canyon code.
- Ordinance 2025-0-07, repealing and replacing chapter 19.88 (nonconforming uses and noncomplying structures) — Adopted. The replaced rules were described by staff as narrower than the county’s prior rules, limiting some previous practices that allowed rebuilding or enlarging nonconforming structures beyond their original footprint.
- Ordinance 2025-0-06, repealing chapters 19.08, 19.44 and 19.56 (various unused zone chapters) — Adopted; the council retained the historic-preservation chapter for additional review at the planning commission’s request.
- Ordinance 2025-0-11, stage 2 fire restrictions — Adopted; the ordinance implements stage 2 restrictions immediately and aligns the city with Unified Fire Authority’s guidance. Council also directed staff to draft a follow-up ordinance allowing delegated, expedited changes to local restrictions in coordination with UFA.
What the council discussed but did not adopt
The council reviewed a proposed replacement for the city’s special-event code (draft Ordinance 2025-0-08). Staff said the draft splits events into categories (free-speech, entertainment, recreation and bicycle events) and lowers the per-event permit threshold used by the county for bicycle groups. The draft as written used 10 participants as the threshold for a bicycle-event permit. Council members and law enforcement pressed for a higher number that staff could reasonably enforce. After a discussion that included officers and MSD staff, council members directed staff to change the bicycle-event threshold to 20 participants and to bring the revised ordinance back for adoption in September. They also asked staff to add an expedited-permit fee option to the fee schedule for late requests.
Other actions
The council authorized a lease addendum for a city-owned property at the current rent rate effective on the stated renewal date; the tenant agreed to pay utilities and the lease includes a six-month termination provision.
Staff and planning commission work
Planning staff and the planning commission had reviewed the Title 19 replacement and the zoning changes in public hearings and recommended approval. Council staff told the meeting that the Title 19 rewrite will be adopted chapter by chapter rather than as a single omnibus update so other chapters can be moved into new numbered chapters at a later date.
What’s next
Council members asked staff to return in September with the revised special-event ordinance text (bicycle events threshold increased to 20), the expedited permit-fee wording for the fee schedule, and the enforcement language for municipal civil enforcement if the council wants MSD to process civil code violations tied to automated noise-camera evidence.
