What do the zoning letters mean on a Utah zoning map?

Utah has no statewide zoning code, so each city and county defines its own district letters. State law requires each city's council and each county's legislative body to create its zoning districts by ordinance and to set the general uses allowed in each one (Utah Code 10-20-501, Utah Code 17-79-501). That is why the same letters can mean different things in different places. In Salt Lake City, "A" is the Airport District and "I" is Institutional. In Provo, "PD" is a Performance Development Overlay. To read a code correctly, check the zoning ordinance of the city or county where the land sits.

Common patterns in Utah zoning codes

These patterns show up again and again in the codes below. Each example comes from that place's official code.

• Residential with a lot-size number (R-1-8 style). The number after the residential letter often gives the minimum lot size in thousands of square feet. Provo's code says it outright: an R1 subzone needing 8,000-square-foot lots is shown on the zoning map as R1.8 (Provo 14.10.030). West Jordan lists R-1-8 as 8,000 square feet, and Saratoga Springs gives R1-10 a 10,000-square-foot minimum lot. The format varies: Provo uses a period (R1.8), West Jordan a hyphen (R-1-8) and Salt Lake City a slash (R-1/7,000). The number does not always mean lot size. In West Jordan's R-3-12 and Saratoga Springs' MF-14, it is units per acre.
• A = agriculture, usually. Examples include West Jordan's A-1, A-5 and A-20, Draper's A5 and A2, Lehi's A-5 and A-1, Provo's A1, Saratoga Springs' A and unincorporated Utah County's A-40. Salt Lake City is the exception: its agricultural districts are AG, AG-2 and AG-5, and plain A is the Airport District.
• C = commercial. Examples include Orem's C1, C2 and C3, West Jordan's C-G (general commercial), Draper's CN, CC and CR (neighborhood, community and regional commercial) and Lehi's C. Salt Lake City's current district list has no C districts; it uses mixed-use (MU) and downtown (D) districts instead.
• M or I = industrial. M-1 or M1 is light manufacturing and M-2 or M2 is heavy or major manufacturing in Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Draper, Provo and Orem. Others use I or LI: Utah County has I-1 (Industrial), and Lehi and Saratoga Springs have LI (Light Industrial). In Salt Lake City, I is Institutional, not industrial.
• MU = mixed use. Examples include Salt Lake City's MU-2 to MU-11, Provo's MU and NMU, Lehi's MU, Saratoga Springs' MU and West Jordan's MU and SWQ-MU.
• PD, PRD, PC = planned development, mostly. Orem's PD-1 to PD-52 are each written for one site. West Jordan has PRD (Planned residential development) and PC (Planned community), Lehi and Utah County have PC, and Draper has MPC (Master planned community). Provo is the exception: its PD is the Performance Development Overlay Zone. In Lehi's code, a Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a way of developing land within a zone such as R-2.5, not a zone of its own.
• Overlays add rules on top of a base zone. Examples include Salt Lake City's H (Historic Preservation) and AFPP (Airport Flight Path Protection), Draper's OSL (Sensitive lands) and OHD (Historic district), Utah County's NHO (Natural Hazards) and Provo's CH (Critical Hillside). A parcel can have a base zone and one or more overlays at the same time.

Zoning district codes by city and county

Each table lists the codes from that place's official zoning ordinance, fetched October 30, 2026. Plain meanings are short summaries of the official names and purpose statements. They are not legal definitions. Allowed uses, setbacks and lot rules are in each code's later chapters.

Salt Lake City

Source: Salt Lake City Code 21A.22.010, Zoning Districts, fetched October 30, 2026. Section history runs through Ord. 3-26 (2026). Under 21A.22.020(C), any area not shown in a district on the zoning map is treated as R-1/12,000. Agenda coverage: Salt Lake City.

West Jordan

Source: West Jordan City Code 13-5-1, Zoning Districts, fetched October 30, 2026. Section history runs through Ord. 22-37 (Aug. 10, 2022). Agenda coverage: West Jordan.

Draper

Source: Draper City Code 9-8-010, Zone Establishment, fetched October 30, 2026. Agenda coverage: Draper.

Provo

Source: Provo City Code Title 14 (zone chapter titles, plus 14.10.030 and 14.14A to 14.14F), fetched October 30, 2026. Lot area rule: 14.10.030. Agenda coverage: Provo.

Orem

Source: Orem City Code 22-5-1, Establishment (zones and districts), fetched October 30, 2026. Agenda coverage: Orem.

Lehi

Source: Lehi City Development Code Chapter 05, Zoning Districts (Section 05.010), fetched October 30, 2026. Chapter amended through June 10, 2025. Agenda coverage: Lehi.

Saratoga Springs

Source: Saratoga Springs City Code Chapter 19.04 (19.04.02 and 19.04.06), fetched October 30, 2026. Agenda coverage: Saratoga Springs.

Utah County (unincorporated)

Source: Utah County Land Use Ordinance 10.04, Zones Established, fetched October 30, 2026. This applies only to land outside city limits. Inside a city, that city's code governs. Agenda coverage: Utah County.

How to find your property's zone

1. Find out which city, if any, the land is in. The zone comes from that city's map. If the land is unincorporated, it comes from the county's map.
2. Open the official zoning map:
   • Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City zoning map
   • West Jordan: West Jordan City Info Map (linked from the city's Planning & Zoning page)
   • Draper: Draper Planning & Development Map Collection
   • Provo: Provo Zoning Map
   • Orem: Orem zoning map (linked from the city's Planning page)
   • Lehi: two zone maps are posted: the Lehi City Planning Zone Map, PDF dated June 8, 2026 and the Lehi City Planning Zone Map PDF linked from the General Plan page, which shows 2011 (General Plan page). The newer-dated file appears most current, but Lehi Planning hasn't confirmed which is official.
   • Unincorporated Utah County: Utah County Zoning Map
   • Unincorporated Salt Lake County and MSD member communities: MSD Planning Information Finder (linked from the Greater Salt Lake MSD's Land Use & Zoning page)
3. If you don't know the address or city, start with the parcel. Salt Lake County has the Assessor's Parcel Viewer and the Recorder's parcel map. Utah County has its Parcel Map and Land Records. For unincorporated Utah County, the county also offers a zone clearance request.
4. Look up the code in that place's ordinance, using the tables above. If the map shows a code that isn't listed here, it may be a site-specific or overlay zone, so ask the city's planning office.
5. Watch for changes. A rezone changes the map. How rezoning and annexation work in Utah explains the process. This week in Utah land use lists upcoming rezone items, and how Land Use Radar works explains where those items come from.

Frequently asked questions

Does Utah have a statewide zoning code?

No. State law requires each city's council and each county's legislative body to create its own zoning districts by ordinance and to set the general uses allowed in each (Utah Code 10-20-501, 17-79-501). Each city and county chooses its own district names and letters.

What does R-1-8 mean in Utah?

Usually a single-family residential zone with 8,000-square-foot lots, but the exact rule depends on the city. West Jordan lists R-1-8 as 8,000 square feet. Provo writes the same idea as R1.8, and its code defines the suffix as the minimum lot area in thousands of square feet (Provo 14.10.030). Check the code for the city where the land sits.

Is "A" always agriculture?

No. In West Jordan, Draper, Lehi, Provo, Saratoga Springs and unincorporated Utah County, A codes are agricultural. In Salt Lake City, A is the Airport District, and the agricultural districts are AG, AG-2 and AG-5.

Does PD mean planned development?

Often, but not everywhere. Orem's PD-1 to PD-52 are site-specific zones, each written for one area. In Provo, PD is the Performance Development Overlay Zone.

What is an overlay zone?

An overlay zone adds a second layer of rules on top of the base zone, such as a historic, hillside, airport or natural-hazards overlay. A property can be in a base zone and an overlay at the same time. Each code explains how the two sets of rules work together. Examples include Salt Lake City's H Historic Preservation Overlay, Draper's OSL Sensitive lands overlay and Utah County's NHO Natural Hazards Overlay.

How do I find out what zone my property is in?

Open the official zoning map for the city where the property sits, or the county's map if it is unincorporated, and search the address. If you only have a parcel number, find the parcel first in the county's parcel map. Then look up the zone's letters in that city's or county's zoning ordinance.