Does my HOA have to approve a bathroom remodel?

The statute, in three places

The interior-restriction bar appears three times, because Utah has two association statutes and one of them constrains both declarations and rules. In a planned community: § 57-8a-212(4)(n) limits what a declaration may contain, and § 57-8a-218(22)(b)(i) limits what a rule may contain. In a condominium: § 57-8-10(9)(n) says a declaration may not impose "a restriction on a unit interior, except as reasonably necessary for the safety of adjacent units and the occupants of the units." There is no interior bar at the condominium rule level. We read all seventeen subsections of the current § 57-8-8.1 and the word interior does not appear in it. Cite the session law chapter rather than a bill number. The declaration provisions are 2026 Chapter 62, effective May 6, 2026, and § 57-8a-218 was amended by 2026 Chapter 79 instead.

Notice the exception. "Safety of adjacent lots" is a narrow door, and in a detached house it is hard to see what a bathroom does to a neighbor's safety. In an attached townhome, a fire-rated party wall or a vent through a shared wall could plausibly fit. Do not assume the exception is empty. Do not assume it swallows the rule either.

Many local CC&Rs were written before 2026 and still contain interior language. Whether a particular clause survives is a question for an attorney; we will not tell you a clause is void. What we can tell you is what the current statute says, and that the statute is newer than the document.

What still needs a form

Anything on the outside of the house. Coral Canyon's design review page lists security cameras, light fixtures, landscaping, solar panels, windows, painting and gates as items that require a DRC form. Entrada's EDRC reviews all exterior changes. So a new window in the shower wall, an exhaust fan terminating through an exterior wall, or a condensate line to daylight can bring the association back into a project that is otherwise interior. Coral Canyon's DRC meets the second and fourth Thursday at 9 a.m.; the form is due the Friday before; the decision comes within 48 hours after the meeting.

A denial has to say why. § 57-8a-109(4) requires the written notice to specify "each governing document provision on which the association relied when denying the plan" and "the specific aspect of the proposed plan that does not conform." § 57-8a-109(2) caps the plan fee at "the actual cost of reviewing and approving the lot plans."

Condominiums: the wall may not be yours

In a condo, a bathroom remodel runs into Utah Code § 57-8-7.2, which draws the property line inside your wall. Where the declaration names a wall, floor or ceiling as a unit boundary, the finished surfaces are yours: tile, paint, wallboard, finished flooring, "and any other material constituting part of the finished surface." Then subsection (2)(b): "Any portion of a wall, floor, or ceiling not listed in Subsection (2)(a) is part of the common areas and facilities." Everything behind the finish belongs to the association.

Pipes follow their own rule at subsection (3). A pipe that lies partly inside and partly outside the boundary is limited common area if it serves only your unit, and common area if it serves more than one unit or any common area. Because limited common area is still common area, § 57-8-7(7)(a) puts maintenance on the association unless the declaration reassigns it. Declarations do reassign it, often, which is why we read yours first.

The practical consequence for a remodel: moving a drain or a supply line inside a shared wall touches association property, and the association is entitled to know. Advisory Opinion 2026-19 from the state ombudsman's office (Canyon Crossing Condominium Owners Association) is the current worked example: a common-area stack broke and damaged a unit; the association had to repair the line and its property policy was primary; the owner still owed a share of the deductible, and the diagnostic cost stayed with the owner.

One more section before you buy tile: § 57-8-43(9)(c) requires the association's property policy to cover fixtures and improvements installed "in any remodel or later alteration," including plumbing fixtures, floor covering and cabinets, subject to your share of its deductible.

Accessibility work: the Fair Housing Act layer

If the remodel is for a disability, a second rule applies regardless of what the CC&Rs say. Under the Fair Housing Act an association cannot deny a reasonable modification where there is a nexus to a disability: grab bars, ramps, walk-in showers, widened doorways. The resident pays for the work. Per the HUD and DOJ joint statement, the association may not require a specific contractor, additional insurance, increased deposits, alternative designs, or medical records. It may require a description of the work, building permits, and that the work be done in a workmanlike manner.

Put that next to § 57-8a-212(4)(n) and an interior walk-in shower has two independent grounds. The statute says the association can't restrict the interior. The federal rule says it can't deny the modification. You do not need to rely on either one alone.

They can't pick your contractor

The same 2026 amendments bar an association from restricting a lot owner from hiring a contractor "solely because the contractor or worker... is not on the association's preferred vendor list; or... does not have a professional or occupational license, unless the license is required by law." That language sits at § 57-8a-212(4)(i)(ii) for declarations and § 57-8a-218(22)(c)(iii) for rules, with condominium twins at § 57-8-10(9)(i)(ii) and § 57-8-8.1(13)(b)(ii). The two rule-level provisions have been in force since May 7, 2025. Only the two declaration-level provisions are new on May 6, 2026.

Read the second clause carefully, because it cuts both ways. Plumbing in Utah requires a state license, so the association can bar an unlicensed person from doing plumbing in your unit. What it cannot do is bar a licensed plumber because he isn't on its list. Ask us for our number, and the state's lookup page will confirm it.

There is a live tension in at least one local community. Sand Hollow Resort's 2023 Design Code requires homeowners to select an Official or Preferred Builder to supervise construction, with a strike system. That document predates the 2025 and 2026 statutes. Whether a tiered builder program survives the preferred-vendor prohibition is an open question. We publish the two documents side by side and recommend counsel. We do not declare the rule void.

HOA approval is not a building permit

The two are separate. Utah adopts construction code statewide under Title 15A, so the plumbing code does not change from St. George to Washington City; what changes is the permit process and the fees. St. George building permits run through CityInspect. CitizenServe, which competitor pages sometimes name, handles business licensing only. Utah moved to the 2024 IBC, IECC and IEBC on July 1, 2026 under H.B. 65; whether the plumbing code edition moved with it is a question for the Building Department.

Two older-home notes. The EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to homes built before 1978 and has no small-residential exemption; a contractor disturbing paint in a pre-1978 bathroom must be certified in lead-safe work practices. Asbestos is different: Utah Admin. Code R307-801 exempts residential structures of four units or fewer from its inspection mandate. Testing before disturbing suspect material is still prudent.

If it goes wrong

The Office of the Homeowners' Association Ombudsman, Utah Code Title 13, Chapter 79, (801) 530-6670, issues advisory opinions on violations of state statute. An interior-restriction denial is a statute question, so it is inside the office's scope. A dispute about whether a design guideline is reasonable is not; § 13-79-103(5) bars the office from interpreting governing documents. The filing fee is $150, nonrefundable, and you must exhaust the dispute procedures in your governing documents first.

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