Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Adu topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears proposal to allow second utility meters for detached ADUs and guest houses
Summary
Staff presented a resident-initiated text amendment to city code to allow a second utility meter for a detached accessory dwelling unit or guest house when connection to the primary meter is 'not reasonable'; the proposal would require evidence and an affidavit tied to the property title and keep billing responsibility with the primary owner.
Planning staff presented a text amendment request initiated by a resident (applicant Nash Williams) to allow a second utility meter for detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and guest houses when connecting to an existing primary meter would be infeasible or unduly costly.
The staff presentation explained the proposed code language would permit a second meter when the applicant demonstrates it is not reasonable to connect to the primary meter—for example, when a detached unit is far from the house and the infrastructure cost (driveway tear-up, landscaping impacts, gas-line resizing) would be significant. The provision would require evidence of infeasibility and an owner-provided affidavit recorded with county property records confirming the accessory unit is not a separate dwelling and that the property owner remains responsible for billing on the site.
Planner staff noted several nearby Utah communities allow or require second meters for detached ADUs (Salt Lake County, Provo and Eagle Mountain were cited as examples), and said the planning commission had discussed a broader allowance but recommended a narrower, conditional approach that tests reasonableness rather than automatic approval.
Council members welcomed the deeper look, asked about administrative burden, permit flow (building permits and utility-plan review), and the role of the planning commission in detached-ADU approvals. Staff said detached ADUs would continue to be reviewed by the planning commission and that the utility-meter decision would be integrated into the building-permit and utility-plan process, not create a separate conditional-use permit requirement.
What happens next: Staff will incorporate council feedback and include the ordinance language and findings for consideration on the business meeting agenda.
