Kayenta

Kayenta has the most thoroughly published architectural process in Washington County. The ACC Handbook sets out meeting dates, submittal deadlines, fees, deposits, construction hours, dumpster and toilet rules, sign specifications and a full dark-sky lighting schedule. If you are hiring work done here, most of the answers are already written down.

Two things to hold onto. The Handbook is dated August 17, 2021 and the fee and deposit schedule August 18, 2020, so both predate the Utah statutes passed between 2022 and 2026. And Kayenta is a master architectural committee sitting over several sub-associations, each with its own supplemental declaration and its own deposit figures. Confirm the current version with the ACC before you plan around any single line.

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Design review

When the ACC meets, what has to be in front of it, what it costs, and what happens if it does not answer.

The Kayenta ACC meets the third Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m.1
Under Kayenta ACC Handbook §3.2 (rev. August 17, 2021), applications and preliminary plans are due at least seven days before the meeting to be placed on the agenda.1
Handbook §3.2 requires the owner or the owner's representative to present in person, and states that if the presentation is not ready it shall be postponed.1
Handbook §3.2 requires the written decision to be mailed or emailed within 10 days, and states that the owner must have written approval before proceeding with any work.1
Kayenta expressly rules out deemed approval: Handbook §3.2 states that failure of the ACC to act within the ten day period does not act as a deemed approval of the preliminary plans.1
On the Schedule of Fees and Deposits dated August 18, 2020, a new residence carries a $1,000 ACC application fee, and an addition or modification carries a $500 fee.1

3 more facts, with sources

Repainting, reroofing, changing doors or windows, driveway changes including gravel colour, drainage changes, courtyard modifications and landscape changes from the original plan carry a $0 fee and a $0 deposit — but they still require an approved application.1
The HOA construction deposit for a new residence is $2,500 plus $0.75 per square foot of house and casita in Taviawk, and $2,500 plus $0.40 per square foot of all enclosed square footage in Shonto; an addition or modification carries a $1,250 deposit.1
For a new home, the Neighbor Notification form is mailed to neighbouring owners with a copy to the ACC Chair 15 days before review, and story poles must be in place seven days before the meeting and removed within seven days after.1

Landscape rules

The landscape plan, the stone rules, and how they meet the county rebate.

Handbook §6.1 requires a landscape plan and Form L, approved in writing by the ACC, before any dwelling is completed, detailing courtyard, transitional and natural areas with species location and quantity, and showing all hardscape including chat and boulder placement.1
Handbook §6.1 prohibits cinders, requires approval for non-indigenous stone, and gives the owner one year from approval to implement the landscape plan.1
Handbook §6.3.1 lists the approved indigenous stone as Kayenta Sandstone, Navajo Sandstone and Shinarump Sandstone, provided 90% of the surface is a reddish hue.1
Kayenta publishes a Landscape Regulations document, a "User-Friendly Guide to Kayenta Plants" whose latest version is July 2025, a Landscape Plan Submittal Process, and Form Q for a new or modified landscape plan.1
Ungrouted pavers and dry-set flagstone count as mulch and stay inside the rebated area, while poured concrete and grouted or mortared work are subtracted from the incentive calculation.2

Working on your house

Hours, deposits, dumpsters, toilets, fencing, signs and street protection — all of it written down.

Under Form A ¶4 (rev. August 17, 2021), noise- or smoke-producing tools and equipment may be operated only between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from May through September, and 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from October through April, on weekdays and Saturdays except holidays; concrete pours may start an hour earlier in each season.1
Form A ¶5 requires substantial completion within 15 months of commencement, extendable at the ACC's sole discretion.1
Form A ¶6 requires a refundable security deposit posted with the HOA in advance of commencement, covering street and landscape repair, debris removal and compliance with the CC&Rs, and makes all construction damage — including damage by construction-related vehicles — the owner's or contractor's to repair promptly.1
Form A ¶12 and Handbook §5.4 require a dumpster with a lid or cover in place before any construction work begins other than excavation and grading, kept out of the undisturbed natural area, with contents confined by the lid daily and emptied before overflowing.1
Burning construction debris is absolutely prohibited in Kayenta, and burying debris on site is not allowed.1
Form A ¶13 and Handbook §5.6 require a commercial portable toilet on site before any work including excavation and grading, serviced weekly or more often, secured with metal stakes, coloured brown or beige, and removed as soon as construction is complete.1

1 more fact, with sources

Handbook §5.8 states that the HOA or the City owns the asphalt plus roughly six feet adjacent, varying by area, and that all modifications in that area — rockwork, gravel, monuments, walls, landscape, address boulders, lighting, concrete aprons, and paved or gravel driveways — require ACC approval and are at the owner's liability.1

Lighting

Kayenta is a dark-sky community, and the lighting schedule is unusually specific.

Handbook §4.22 conforms to the Ivins City ordinance and caps all exterior light colour temperature at 2700K or less, with wall sconces, pathway, landscape and driveway lights directed downward and no direct point source.1
Handbook §4.22 limits pathway, landscape and driveway fixtures to 120–150 lumens each, mounted no more than 24 inches above the surface, at least 12 inches from a vertical surface, and staggered at least 20 feet apart.1
Handbook §4.22 states that exterior lighting is not allowed between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise, with the address marker excepted, and that solar lights require ACC approval.1

Structure and management

One architectural committee, several sub-associations.

Kayenta runs a self-administered master architectural control committee serving multiple sub-HOAs — Shonto (Shonto Point), Taviawk and Kwavasa/Posovi — each with its own supplemental declaration and its own deposit schedule.1

What the statute adds

The Handbook predates the 2022–2026 Utah statutes. Read the two side by side.

Utah Code § 57-8a-109(2) provides that an association may not charge a plan fee that exceeds the actual cost of reviewing and approving the lot plans, which is worth reading alongside Kayenta's published fee schedule.1
Utah Code § 57-8a-218(22)(c)(iii) and § 57-8a-212 bar restricting a lot owner from hiring a contractor solely because the contractor is not on the association's preferred vendor list, or lacks a licence that is not required by law.3

What we could not read

These are the parts of Kayenta’s documents we could not get to a verified copy of. We would rather say so than guess. Your association can give you the current versions, and Utah Code § 57-8a-227 says what they have to hand over on request.

Contractor insurance minimums
Shonto deed restrictions
Whether the 2021 Handbook is still current
Ivins irrigation hours
Whether association common areas qualify for the county rebate
Rock colour rules and the rebate

Before you submit anything

Where this comes from

Every line above traces to a document we read in full. The number after a sentence points to the research below; hover it for the section. If you find a line wrong, tell us and we will fix it and say so.

HOA research, August 2026 Compiled from Utah Code Title 57 Chapters 8 and 8a, Title 13 Chapter 79, HOA Ombudsman advisory opinions, and the recorded CC&Rs and design guidelines of the named communities. 16 sections cited. Hover a number above for the section.
Landscape and hardscape research, August 2026 Compiled from Washington County Water Conservancy District program documents, its sample conservation easement and FAQ, Utah Water Savers, the 2023 USDA hardiness map, USU Extension, and St. George City Code, Title 10. 1 section cited. Hover a number above for the section.
The content briefs, August 2026 Our own working document, compiled from manufacturer warranties, WCWCD documents, the Utah Code and Census QuickFacts. 1 section cited. Hover a number above for the section.

The quote is the number. There is no second number.

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