For a 1948–1969 Salt Lake County building-history question, ask the County Archives for its building permit application cards with the likely build or approval year and the original owner or builder’s name. The Archives FAQ says those are the details needed to search this early series. A present-day street address can help identify the property; the card series files by year and name instead.
Use the year and original name to find the right card
The County’s PD-002 finding aid describes accession 99-220, dated 1948–1970 with the bulk in 1948–1969. It says the 63 boxes of cards are arranged by year of permit approval, then alphabetically by the original owner, builder or contractor. Only two cards are from 1970. The Archives’ public FAQ simplifies the request range to 1948–1969, so a 1970 question should be confirmed with staff instead of treating the two-card tail as full 1970 coverage.
A useful request to Archives identifies the original name if known, an approximate construction year, the historic or current address, and whether you seek a new-building card or an alteration clue. If you know only today’s owner, that surname may be missing from a card created decades earlier. Ask Archives which other property-history sources might identify the original owner or builder; its property and house history page describes assessment cards and permit material as different collections. The Archives accepts research inquiries and appointments by phone or email; the contact page lists 385-468-0820 and says research visits are by appointment.
Before contacting Archives, put these details in one short request:
- Series and year: say “PD-002 building permit application card” and give the approximate build or approval year, or a narrow year range.
- Original name: include the owner, builder or contractor at construction time if known; identify the source of that name so staff can distinguish a later owner.
- Property clue and question: give a historic or present address and ask whether the card shows application, approval or permit markings. If the name is unknown, ask what other Archives collection might supply it.
Application, approval or permit: read the Salt Lake County card’s markings
The finding aid explains that the cards began as applications; in later years, approvals and fee payment could make the same card the actual permit. The FAQ calls the 1948–1969 group application cards and says no separate building permits exist for that period. So a given card may be an application or an issued permit. Look for approval, permit number, fee or other markings on the specific card and ask Archives how that year’s form was used before describing the project as authorized.
The early template can carry the building location, zone, owner, contractor and legal description on the front, with work details on the reverse. Templates changed over time; the finding aid mentions later additions such as contractor-license and phone fields. A blank field or missing card leaves the work question open, and a passed final inspection or occupancy approval needs its own record. Our final-inspection status guide keeps that later question separate.
Salt Lake County permits from 1970 on and after September 2019
For a later County permit, the Archives property guide says its approximate 1970–2019 permit files are accessible by address, while the FAQ specifically routes 1970–September 2019 questions to Archives. The earlier cards still file by year and original name. If you need a Certificate of Occupancy, the FAQ says one is only occasionally in a permit file; ask for the certificate separately. The Archives says it does not hold building plans or blueprints.
For work after September 2019, the Archives FAQ leaves the holder unnamed. If the location is in the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District’s building-service area, its current building-permit page points to an account-based portal for permit and inspection activity and lists 385-910-7138 for questions. Confirm the property’s jurisdiction and ask that office where its particular later record can be retrieved; some newer files may sit outside the MSD portal.
First confirm jurisdiction. The Archives directs readers whose building is in an incorporated city today to that city’s planning or building office; Salt Lake City permits sit with the city rather than in the County card series. Our city-versus-county permit guide helps with that boundary. The County also says its permits begin in 1948, and it points Salt Lake City questions to the Utah State Archives.
Official County finding aid, FAQ and contact pages checked September 28, 2026.