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Provo council removes neighbor-signature fee-waiver for ADUs, updates code map
Summary
The Provo Municipal Council voted unanimously Nov. 11 to amend the city’s ADU code: the council replaced the ADU map in the code and repealed a section that had allowed applicants to obtain a fee waiver by gathering neighbor signatures. Applicants may still seek ordinance text amendments or rezonings to permit ADUs.
The Provo Municipal Council on Nov. 11 voted 7–0 to amend the city’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations, replacing the ADU map in Provo City Code and repealing a provision that allowed applicants to seek a fee waiver by collecting neighbor signatures. The change removes the signature-based pathway while leaving existing ordinance-text-amendment and rezone options intact.
Planner Malia, who presented the item, told the council the two-part package changes the map in section 14-30-020 and repeals section 14-30-040 of the ADU chapter. “All we’re repealing here is for a fee waiver path, which is by getting signatures of neighbors,” Malia said, explaining that the administrative pathway that relied on neighborhood approval was being eliminated while other application routes remain available.
Councilor Rachel Whipple framed the repeal as corrective: she said the neighborhood-approval administrative permit had been an experiment and that the council had learned from the experience. “That was a failed experiment,” Whipple said, adding that the council was responding to resident feedback and balancing competing interests.
No members of the public spoke on the item during the noticed hearing. The council then called the roll; Councilors Patrice McKay, Christiansen, George Hanley, Becky Bogdan, Travis Hoban, Rachel Whipple and Gary Garrett each voted “yes,” and the chair announced the ordinance passed 7–0.
The amendment changes how ADU eligibility is shown in the code’s map and removes a procedural route for a fee waiver tied to neighbor signatures. Staff said property owners retain the option to pursue an ordinance-text amendment or a rezone if they seek to have an ADU allowed by right on a parcel. The council did not discuss or adopt any new fee schedule during the meeting.
With the vote taken, the ordinance is adopted as presented and staff may proceed with the code update and any required administrative steps to implement the map change.
