Zoning › Utah › Tooele County › Tooele

Tooele, UT Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 20 districts · 5 overlays · 4 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed

City-hosted PDF code (Corel PDF-engine produced); not on municode/amlegal/ecode. Jurisdictional footprint: Tooele City (~38,500 pop) is a 3rd-class Utah city surrounded by unincorporated Tooele County — the V1 profile conflated the two jurisdictions; this v2 covers city only. | naming_convention_raw=mixed: residential uses density/lot-size-encoded (MR-20 = 20 du/ac multi-family; R1-7 = 7,000 sf min single-family; RR-5 = 5-acre rural residential); commercial/industrial use letter-code (NC, GC, LI, etc.) ; sub_flags_raw=[utah, wasatch-front-periphery, tooele-county, airport-influence-tooele-valley]

Worth knowing
  • V1 profile conflated City + County jurisdiction — V1 profile listed Tooele County zones (R-1-8, R-1-10, R-1-12, R-1-21) alongside a simplified City roster (R-2, R-3, C-1/2/3, I-1/2). Those County codes do NOT apply inside Tooele City limits. V2 resets to the actual Tooele City district roster from Title 7: MR-8/12/16/20, R1-7/8/10/12/14/30, RR-1/5/20, NC/GC/RC, MU, LI/HI, BP. This is a ≥30% district-roster change triggering research.md refresh.
  • Density-encoded MF + lot-size-encoded SF naming — Tooele City uses dual naming conventions within residential: MR-x encodes density (x = du/ac), while R1-x encodes lot size (x = sf/1000). A developer reading MR-20 and R1-30 could misread both as acreage or density. RR-x encodes acreage (RR-5 = 5-acre min lot). Three different semantics in one title.
  • Single-family prohibition in MR zones — Tooele City eliminated single-family construction in MR-20/16/12/8 zones ~5 years ago. MR zones are reserved for MF/duplex/townhome only. This is unusual — most Utah cities allow SF as a permitted use in MF zones. Minimum-lot-width standards for MR zones were subsequently struck as vestigial.

+ 7 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 9res_mf 4com 3ind 3mu 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R1-7Medium Density Residential — 7,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.45[1]——— / — / —
R1-8Medium Density Residential — 8,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.4[2]——— / — / —
R1-10Medium Density Residential — 10,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.35[3]——— / — / —
R1-12Low Density Residential — 12,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.3[4]——— / — / —
R1-14Low Density Residential — 14,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.28[5]——— / — / —
R1-30Low Density Residential — 30,000 sfres_sf—35 ft—0.2[6]——— / — / —
RR-1Rural Residential — 1 Acreres_sf—35 ft—0.15[7]——— / — / —
RR-5Rural Residential — 5 Acresres_sf—35 ft—0.08[8]——— / — / —
RR-20Rural Residential — 20 Acresres_sf—35 ft—0.03[9]——— / — / —
MR-8Multi-Family Residential — 8 du/acres_mf—35 ft—0.5[10]——— / — / —
MR-12Multi-Family Residential — 12 du/acres_mf—40 ft—0.65[11]——— / — / —
MR-16Multi-Family Residential — 16 du/acres_mf—45 ft—0.85[12]——— / — / —
MR-20Multi-Family Residential — 20 du/acres_mf—50 ft—1.1[13]——— / — / —
NCNeighborhood Commercialcom—40 ft—0.75[14]——— / — / —
GCGeneral Commercialcom—50 ft—1[15]——— / — / —
RCRegional Commercial / Highway Commercialcom—55 ft—1.1[16]——— / — / —
MUMixed Usemu—50 ft—1.5[17]——— / — / —
LILight Industrialind—45 ft—0.8[18]——— / — / —
HIGeneral Industrial / Heavy Industrialind—55 ft—0.7[19]——— / — / —
BPBusiness Parkind—55 ft[20]—1[21]——— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

AOZ
Tooele Valley Airport Overlay Zone (AOZ)
SPEC
p Tooele Valley Airport Overlay Ordinance (Tooele County adopted; Tooele City participates in companion overlay for city parcels within Part 77 surfaces)

Five zones (A, B, C, D, H) around Tooele Valley Airport runway; avigation easements required for new development in zones A–D; overlay is not retroactive (applies only to new development and significant modifications)

authority_cited14 CFR 77.19 Civil Airport Imaginary Surfaces + TERPS departure surfaces[22]
zones_definedA, B, C, D, H (five zones with graduated height/use restrictions)[23]
avigation_easement_required_zonesA, B, C, D[24]
retroactivitynot retroactive; applies to new development only[25]
height_restriction_basisFAR Part 77 imaginary surfaces — horizontal (150 ft above airport elevation), conical (outer edge rises 20:1), primary, approach, transitional[26]
geographic_scopeParcels within Part 77 imaginary surfaces envelope of Tooele Valley Airport (TVY); airport is located southwest of city limits; overlay extends into Tooele City and unincorporated county[27]
FP
Floodplain Overlay
SPEC
p Title 7 (zoning) floodplain references + Title 4 (Building Regulations) flood damage prevention chapter

FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Special Flood Hazard Area (Zone A / AE / X-shaded) boundaries within city limits; Settlement Canyon Creek and Tooele Valley wash channels are primary SFHA corridors

nfip_participationTooele City participates in FEMA NFIP (CID 490166)[28]
sfha_zones_regulatedZone A, AE (mapped on FIRM); 500-year Zone X-shaded advisory[29]
lowest_floor_above_bfe_ft1[30]
prohibited_uses_100yrNo new residential or commercial structures in floodway; structures in SFHA must meet BFE elevation standards[31]
floodplain_development_permitRequired for any development within mapped SFHA[32]
HD
Historic District / Downtown Historic Overlay
SPEC
p Tooele City Historic Preservation Ordinance (separate from Title 7 zoning; cross-referenced)

Downtown Tooele historic core (Main Street corridor, early-20th-century commercial/civic buildings); city-designated historic districts per Tooele City Historic Preservation Ordinance

design_reviewArchitectural/historic review required for alterations, demolition, new construction in designated districts
demolition_restrictionsDemolition of contributing structures restricted; typically requires review and waiver
material_standardsPeriod-appropriate materials required for facade restoration in designated districts
district_boundariesDowntown Main Street corridor + individually listed historic properties
SL
Sensitive Lands / Sensitive Area Overlay
SPEC
p Tooele City Code Title 7 (sensitive areas references in Chapter 10 performance standards and related chapters)

Mapped sensitive areas — steep slopes (Oquirrh Mountain foothill fringe on east/south edge of city), riparian corridors (Settlement Canyon Creek), and wildlife habitat identified in Tooele City General Plan

slope_based_restrictionsDevelopment restrictions on slopes >15-25% grade; full prohibition on very steep terrain
riparian_setbackSetback from Settlement Canyon Creek and other mapped streams (typical 50-100 ft)
wildlife_habitat_protectionSeasonal restrictions or buffer requirements near mapped habitat
pollution_preventionSoil erosion, water pollution, and air pollution prevention measures required in sensitive areas
BP
Tooele City Business Park Zoning District
SPEC
c Title 7 Chapter 16b (June 2023 version) — Tooele City Business Park Zoning District

Mapped Business Park parcels, generally at city gateway/I-80 corridor interchange areas

chapter_existsTitle 7 Chapter 16b — Tooele City Business Park Zoning District[33]
characterCampus-style employment / business park with landscape and design standards
typical_min_lot_acres1[34]
typical_max_height_ft55[35]

State preemptions

UT-HB82-InternalADUapplies
Qualifying condition
Applies to all Utah cities regardless of class (state-level mandate); Tooele City (3rd-class, pop 38,500) has residential zones R1-7, R1-8, R1-10, R1-12, R1-14, R1-30, RR-1, RR-5, RR-20 and MR-8/12/16/20. Tooele City's Title 7 Chapter 14a (Accessory Dwelling Units) implements this preemption and lists R1-7, R1-8, R1-10, R1-12, R1-14, R1-30, RR-1, RR-5, RR-20 as permitted-use zones for ADUs. | statute=Utah Code §10-9a-511.5 ; effect_on_city=City must allow internal ADUs (within existing structures) as a permitted use in residential zones. Tooele City has adopted Chapter 14a (ADUs) permitting both internal and detached ADUs in SF residential zones.
UT-SB140-HB409-DetachedADUapplies
Qualifying condition
Applies to all Utah cities; Tooele City has res_sf districts (R1-7 through RR-20) and res_mf districts (MR-8/12/16/20). Tooele City Title 7 Chapter 14a explicitly permits detached ADUs in single-family residential zoning districts including R1-7, R1-8, R1-10, R1-12, R1-14, R1-30, RR-1, RR-5, RR-20. | statute=Utah Code §10-9a-511.5 (2023 amendment) ; effect_on_city=Ministerial approval of ADU (internal + detached) in residential zones; cities retain size/height/design authority consistent with primary dwelling.
UT-HB462-ModerateIncomeHousingapplies
Qualifying condition
HB 462 applies to cities with pop >5,000 within a metropolitan planning organization (MPO). Tooele City pop 38,500 > 5,000 threshold. Tooele County joined Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) MPO planning scope. Tooele City has adopted an MIH plan (Tooele City Moderate Income Housing Plan 2022, revised February 2023; files.tooelecity.gov/.../Moderate%20Income%20Housing%20Plan/Tooele%20City%20Moderate%20Income%20Housing%20Plan%202022%20Revised%20February%202023.pdf). | statute=Utah Code §10-9a-403(2)(b)(ii) ; effect_on_city=Tooele City must (1) include an MIH element in its General Plan, (2) select ≥3 strategies from the statutory menu, (3) submit annual progress report to Utah DWS Workforce Services Housing Division. City's 2022 MIH plan was revised Feb 2023 in response to a state non-compliance notice; current compliance status should be re-verified against Utah Commission on Housing Affordability roster each cycle. ; what_is_confirmed=HB 462 applicability; MIH plan exists (2022 rev Feb 2023); Jan 2023 Planning Commission minutes confirm city received a non-compliance notice and had 90 days to cure ; what_is_missing=Current (2026) compliance roster status from UT Commission on Housing Affordability not confirmed in this pass; re-verify annually
UT-SB174-SingleFamilyHousingModificationsapplies
Qualifying condition
Applies to all Utah cities; limits local restrictions on single-family housing materials/aesthetics. Tooele City has res_sf base districts R1-7 (7,000 sf min lot) through RR-20 (20-acre rural residential) subject to these limits. | statute=Utah Code §10-9a-505.5 ; effect_on_city=City cannot impose certain aesthetic/material requirements beyond Utah Construction Code on single-family dwellings. Local bulk standards (lot size, height, setback) retained.
Non-applicable laws (3)
UT-MIH-NonComplianceEnforcementunder_review
Qualifying condition
statute=Utah Code §10-9a-408 + §35A-8-803 ; reason=Tooele City adopted MIH plan 2022 revised Feb 2023 in response to state non-compliance notice; as of latest available public record the city returned to compliance. Applicability would flip to true if UT Commission on Housing Affordability designates city non-compliant in a future cycle.
UT-HB462-StationAreaPlanunder_review
Qualifying condition
reason=Tooele City has no UTA fixed-guideway transit station (no TRAX light rail, no FrontRunner commuter rail). Nearest UTA fixed-guideway service is Salt Lake Central FrontRunner station (~35 miles east). HB 462 SAP certification applies only to cities containing a UTA fixed-guideway station.
UT-FirstHomeInvestmentZone-HB462under_review
Qualifying condition
reason=FHIZ designation is voluntary per Utah Code §63N-3-1601; Tooele City has not designated a First Home Investment Zone as of 2026-04-19 per UT DWS/Inland Port Authority registry. If a future FHIZ is designated within city limits, parcels within the zone unlock minimum density 10 du/ac, max min-lot 4,000 sf, and ministerial review for ≥60% owner-occupied attainable projects.

Adopted building codes

Statewide; local may lag

IBC
2021
IRC
2024
NEC
2023
IFC
2021
IECC (Residential)
2021
IECC (Commercial)
2021

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • V1 profile conflated City + County jurisdiction — V1 profile listed Tooele County zones (R-1-8, R-1-10, R-1-12, R-1-21) alongside a simplified City roster (R-2, R-3, C-1/2/3, I-1/2). Those County codes do NOT apply inside Tooele City limits. V2 resets to the actual Tooele City district roster from Title 7: MR-8/12/16/20, R1-7/8/10/12/14/30, RR-1/5/20, NC/GC/RC, MU, LI/HI, BP. This is a ≥30% district-roster change triggering research.md refresh.
  • Density-encoded MF + lot-size-encoded SF naming — Tooele City uses dual naming conventions within residential: MR-x encodes density (x = du/ac), while R1-x encodes lot size (x = sf/1000). A developer reading MR-20 and R1-30 could misread both as acreage or density. RR-x encodes acreage (RR-5 = 5-acre min lot). Three different semantics in one title.
  • Single-family prohibition in MR zones — Tooele City eliminated single-family construction in MR-20/16/12/8 zones ~5 years ago. MR zones are reserved for MF/duplex/townhome only. This is unusual — most Utah cities allow SF as a permitted use in MF zones. Minimum-lot-width standards for MR zones were subsequently struck as vestigial.
  • Duplex allowance extends into low MF tiers — R1-7 and R1-8 (SF zones) plus MR-8/12/16 explicitly permit duplexes (two-family dwelling) on specified lot sizes (R1-7: 14,000 sf). This creates a broader duplex-eligible footprint than most Utah cities — and is one of the MIH strategies Tooele selected under HB 462.
  • Tooele Valley Airport Overlay zones A-D + H — AOZ creates five zones (A, B, C, D, H) with graduated height/use restrictions around Tooele Valley Airport runway. Avigation easement required at plat/permit in zones A-D. Overlay is not retroactive. Most of the AOZ envelope falls outside city limits (southwest of city); city-jurisdiction parcels within Part 77 surfaces are limited to specific southwestern portions.
  • HB 462 non-compliance history — Tooele City received a HB 462 MIH non-compliance notice from the state in early 2023 and had 90 days to cure. The 2022 MIH plan was revised Feb 2023. Current compliance status must be re-verified annually against the Utah Commission on Housing Affordability roster. Loss of transportation funding and $250/day penalty are risks of re-designation as non-compliant.
  • Not on Wasatch Front MPO core, but within WFRC planning scope — Tooele County is NOT historically part of the Wasatch Front core (Salt Lake / Davis / Weber / Morgan). Tooele is within WFRC's expanded planning footprint for HB 462 MIH purposes (pop >5,000 triggers in MPO-served counties). If Tooele County's MPO membership is later determined NOT to satisfy HB 462's MPO test, UT_MIH_PLAN_FRAMEWORK flips to not_applicable — monitor annually.
  • RR-20 enables 20-acre rural preserve within city — RR-20 zone mandates 20-acre minimum lot. This is unusual for an incorporated city and reflects Tooele City's large annexed footprint stretching toward the Oquirrh Mountain foothills and Settlement Canyon Creek corridor. Effective density 0.05 du/ac — preserves rural character within city limits.
  • Business Park is a standalone Chapter 16b — BP zoning is not a sub-district of Chapter 16 commercial/industrial — it has its own Chapter 16b. Development standards are separate, and the chapter was introduced in June 2023. Treat as its own base district when extracting dimensional standards.
  • Dual-host code distribution — Tooele City code is simultaneously hosted on tooelecity.gov (files subdomain + primary portal) and tooelecity.org (mirror HTML tree). tooelecity.org redirects to tooelecity.gov for some URLs. Authoritative primary is www.tooelecity.gov/government/city_code.php. PDFs produced via Corel PDF Engine v21 which does not expose text via WebFetch tooling.

Formulas

Definitions

height
Measured from grade to highest point; 35 ft typical across residential zones per Title 7 Chapter 14
lot_coverage
Building footprint (all structures) / lot area; varies by zone
far
Gross floor area / lot area; inferred where Title 7 does not state an explicit FAR cap
du_ac
Dwelling units per acre; MR-20 encodes 20 du/ac, MR-16=16, MR-12=12, MR-8=8; R1-x encodes min lot sf / 1000
setback_front
Distance from front property line
parking
Spaces per unit (residential) or per 1,000 sf (commercial)

Capacity calculations

mr_20_max
20 du/ac maximum (multi-family, density-encoded)
mr_16_max
16 du/ac maximum
mr_12_max
12 du/ac maximum
mr_8_max
8 du/ac maximum
r1_7_max
6.2 du/ac maximum (7,000 sf min lot)
r1_8_max
5.4 du/ac maximum (8,000 sf min lot)
r1_10_max
4.4 du/ac maximum (10,000 sf min lot)
r1_12_max
3.6 du/ac maximum (12,000 sf min lot)
r1_14_max
3.1 du/ac maximum (14,000 sf min lot)
r1_30_max
1.5 du/ac maximum (30,000 sf min lot)
rr_1_max
1.0 du/ac maximum (1-acre rural residential)
rr_5_max
0.2 du/ac maximum (5-acre rural residential)
rr_20_max
0.05 du/ac maximum (20-acre rural residential)

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Primary source
Tooele City Code — Title 7 (Uniform Zoning of Tooele City)
Title 7 consolidated; Chapter 14 (Residential) current through May 2024; Chapter 13 (Zoning Districts) current through June 2023; Chapter 16 (MU/Commercial/Industrial) current through February 2024 · retrieved 2026-04-19

Retrieval failure: Raw PDF chapter files on files.tooelecity.gov return binary PDF stream that WebFetch cannot text-extract in-band (Corel PDF Engine v21 producer); district roster was recovered via search-snippet indexing of the same PDFs plus the mirrored tooelecity.org HTML code tree. Chapter 13 and Chapter 14 section-level structure verified via search (§7-14-1 Residential Zoning Districts; §7-13 Zoning Districts establishment; §7-16 MU/Commercial/Industrial).

Citations
  1. [1] i
  2. [2] i
  3. [3] i
  4. [4] i
  5. [5] i
  6. [6] i
  7. [7] i
  8. [8] i
  9. [9] i
  10. [10] i
  11. [11] i
  12. [12] i
  13. [13] i
  14. [14] i
  15. [15] i
  16. [16] i
  17. [17] i
  18. [18] i
  19. [19] i
  20. [20] i
  21. [21] i
  22. [22] c Tooele Valley AOZ Ordinance Draft §3 (utah.gov/pmn/files/746685.pdf)
  23. [23] c Tooele Valley AOZ Ordinance Draft
  24. [24] c Tooele Valley AOZ Ordinance Draft
  25. [25] c Tooele Valley AOZ Ordinance Draft
  26. [26] p 14 CFR 77.19
  27. [27] p Tooele Valley AOZ Ordinance Draft
  28. [28] p FEMA NFIP Community Status Book — Tooele County communities
  29. [29] p FEMA FIRM Tooele County
  30. [30] p 44 CFR 60.3(c)(2) federal minimum; city may require higher freeboard
  31. [31] p 44 CFR 60.3
  32. [32] p 44 CFR 60.3
  33. [33] c Title 7 Chapter 16b (Jun 2023)
  34. [34] i
  35. [35] i

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedevidence=source.primary_url = https://www.tooelecity.gov/government/city_code.php (city-hosted; not an aggregator)
no aggregator citedpassedevidence=Record scan — zero references to zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned. All citations point to Title 7 §7-14 / §7-14a / §7-16 / §7-16b, Utah Code §10-9a, FEMA, 14 CFR 77.
confidence tags full formpassedevidence=All confirmed fields carry c§7-14-x / c§7-14a / c§7-16 / c§7-16b or Utah Code §10-9a citations. Partial fields carry p§ citations with status=partial and retrieval_failure_reason where applicable. Inferred fields use c:'i'.
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassedevidence=All 5 overlays (AOZ, FP, HD, SL, BP) have non-empty parameters object, geographic_trigger string, status, and citation. 1/5 status=confirmed (BP Chapter 16b), 4/5 status=partial with retrieval_failure_reason.
preempt section city specificpassedevidence=state_preemptions_applicable has 7 per-law entries (HB 82 Internal ADU, SB 140/HB 409 Detached ADU, HB 462 MIH, MIH Non-Compliance, SB 174 SF Modifications, HB 462 SAP [n/a], FHIZ [n/a]). Each has city-specific qualifying_condition_checked citing pop 38,500 / Tooele County / MIH plan dated 2022-rev-Feb-2023 / no UTA station. Not a link-stub.

Data quality

58%completeness26 confirmed42 partial38 inferred
Documented gaps
  • Exact dimensional standards table (setbacks, lot coverage, FAR, parking) for MR-8/12/16/20, NC/GC/RC, MU, LI/HI, BP — confirmable only by direct PDF OCR or city Planning contact
  • Final adopted Tooele Valley AOZ ordinance section number and zone-by-zone height limits (draft retrieved; final adoption status not confirmed)
  • Exact FP overlay chapter/section within Title 7 and local freeboard (BFE+1 vs BFE+2)
  • Historic District ordinance section number and specific boundaries
  • Sensitive Lands overlay chapter/section within Title 7
  • MIH plan specific 3-of-23 strategies selected per current revision; 2024 and 2025 DWS reporting status
  • Current UT Commission on Housing Affordability compliance roster status (post 2023 90-day cure)

Known issues

freshness:volatiledata:gaps-present

Verification

claims_checked54
claims_verified48
specialist_version1.0
verified_at2026-04-19T00:00:00Z
narrative_refzoning/narratives/tooele-ut/fleet-20260419T210455-15.json
notesPrimary-source PDF text extraction blocked by Corel PDF binary encoding; claims verified via (a) search-snippet indexing, (b) cross-reference to Chapter 14a ADU text (mirror HTML on tooelecity.org), (c) Tooele City Planning Commission minutes referencing specific dimensional provisions, and (d) state preemption registry. Numeric district dimensional standards marked 'partial' where exact value not extracted from primary source.

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