<section number="10-20-1001"><effdate>5/6/2026</effdate><histories><history>Amended by Chapter <modchap sess="2026GS">166</modchap>, 2026 General Session</history><modyear>2026</modyear></histories><catchline>Enforcement -- Limitations on a municipality's ability to enforce an ordinance by withholding a permit or certificate.</catchline><subsection number="10-20-1001(1)"><subsection number="10-20-1001(1)(a)">A municipality or a land use applicant may, in addition to other remedies provided by law, institute:<subsection number="10-20-1001(1)(a)(i)">injunctions, mandamus, abatement, or any other appropriate actions; or</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(1)(a)(ii)">proceedings to prevent, enjoin, abate, or remove the unlawful building, use, or act.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(1)(b)">A municipality need only establish the violation to obtain the injunction.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)"><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(a)">Except as provided in Subsections <xref depth="4" refnumber="10-9a-802(3)">(3)</xref> through (6), a municipality may enforce the municipality's ordinance by withholding a building permit or certificate of occupancy.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(b)">It is an infraction to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, or change the use of any building or other structure within a municipality without approval of a building permit.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(c)">A municipality may not issue a building permit unless the plans of and for the proposed erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, or use fully conform to all regulations then in effect.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(d)">A municipality may require an applicant to maintain and repair a temporary fire apparatus road during the construction of a structure accessed by the temporary fire apparatus road in accordance with the municipality's adopted standards.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(e)">A municipality may require temporary signs to be installed at each street intersection once construction of a new roadway allows passage by a motor vehicle.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(2)(f)">A municipality may adopt and enforce any appendix of the International Fire Code, 2021 Edition.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)"><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(a)">A municipality may not deny an applicant a building permit or certificate of occupancy because the applicant has not completed an infrastructure improvement:<subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(a)(i)">unless the infrastructure improvement is essential to meet the requirements for the issuance of a building permit or certificate of occupancy under Title 15A, State Construction and Fire Codes Act; and</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(a)(ii)">for which the municipality has accepted an improvement completion assurance for a public landscaping improvement, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-20-807">10-20-807</xref>, or an infrastructure improvement for the development.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)">For purposes of Subsection <xref tempid="914" depth="4" refnumber="10-9a-802(3)(a)(i)">(3)(a)(i)</xref>, notwithstanding Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="15A-5-205.6">15A-5-205.6</xref>, infrastructure improvement that is essential means:<subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(i)">for a building permit:<subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(i)(A)">operable fire hydrants installed in a manner that is consistent with the municipality's adopted engineering standards; and</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(i)(B)">for temporary roads used during construction, a properly compacted road base installed in a manner consistent with the municipality's adopted engineering standards;</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(ii)">for a certificate of occupancy, at the discretion of the municipality, at least one of the following:<subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(ii)(A)">a permanent road;</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(ii)(B)">a temporary road covered with asphalt or concrete; or</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(ii)(C)">another method for accessing a structure consistent with Appendix D of the International Fire Code; and</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(b)(iii)">public infrastructure necessary for the health, life, and safety of the occupant.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(3)(c)">A municipality may not adopt an engineering standard that requires an applicant to install a permanent road or a temporary road with asphalt or concrete before receiving a building permit.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(4)">A municipality may not deny an applicant a building permit or certificate of occupancy for failure to:<subsection number="10-20-1001(4)(a)">submit a private landscaping plan, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-20-807">10-20-807</xref>; or</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(4)(b)">complete a landscaping improvement that is not a public landscaping improvement, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-20-807">10-20-807</xref>.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(5)">A municipality may not withhold a building permit based on the lack of completion of a portion of a public sidewalk to be constructed within a public right-of-way serving a lot where a single-family or two-family residence or town home is proposed in a building permit application if an improvement completion assurance has been posted for the incomplete portion of the public sidewalk.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(6)">A municipality may not prohibit the construction of a single-family or two-family residence or town home, withhold recording a plat, or withhold acceptance of a public landscaping improvement, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-20-807">10-20-807</xref>, or an infrastructure improvement based on the lack of installation of a public sidewalk if an improvement completion assurance has been posted for the public sidewalk.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(7)">A municipality may not redeem an improvement completion assurance securing the installation of a public sidewalk sooner than 18 months after the date the improvement completion assurance is posted.</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(8)">A municipality shall allow an applicant to post an improvement completion assurance for a public sidewalk separate from an improvement completion assurance for:<subsection number="10-20-1001(8)(a)">another infrastructure improvement; or</subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(8)(b)">a public landscaping improvement, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-20-807">10-20-807</xref>.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="10-20-1001(9)">A municipality may withhold a certificate of occupancy for a single-family or two-family residence or town home until the portion of the public sidewalk to be constructed within a public right-of-way and located immediately adjacent to the single-family or two-family residence or town home is completed and accepted by the municipality.</subsection></section>