Skip to main content

Sandy Journal

Sandy City Council Approves Changes to Business License Code

Jul 01, 2016 09:29AM ● By Chris Larson

By Chris Larson | [email protected]


The Sandy City Council approved a change to city licensure, allowing the city departments, namely the police department, clearer means to deny a business license.

According to Sandy City Business License Coordinator Lesley Casaril, the city administration was prompted to clarify the standards by which Sandy City police may deny licenses after, what Casaril called, an influx of Reiki and massage parlors that were a front for prostitution operations came to the city.

“Communities were having issue with these businesses when in fact they were proven to be fronts for prostitution,” Sandy City spokesperson Nicole Martin said. “We wanted to make sure that we have an ordinance that allows the police to deny a business that is trying to fraudulently come into the community.”

Casaril started the process in the fall of 2012.

Sergeant Dean Carriger said all city offices that have regulations over certain types of businesses in certain zones examine business license applications to ensure there are no inherent violations to code or attempts to mitigate potential problems for the community.

The police needed clearer standards of rejecting business license applications based on the businesses’ previous history.

Businesses that attempt to gain licenses fraudulently, refuse sampling or inspection, knowingly allow illegal activity, or are associated in the conduct of forbidden businesses will face application denial, according to the new code.

 Casaril said additional updates and clarifications were added to update it to current practice, like removing the city recorder from the licensing process, which isn’t currently involved in the licensing and merging replicated sections of the code.

Such updates or consolidations of the code came after the updating of the denial section drew a sharp contrast to what the city actually does and allows for better adaptability for new types of businesses.

“When you buy a new couch, the whole living room looks shabby,” Casaril said.  

The measure also clarifies the place of temporary permits and temporary uses. Temporary permits are now 60 days long if the business would appear to be approved for a license and there is a delay in the city’s approval process, a delay in the process of someone other than the applicant, or if the business is operating without a license “under innocent mistake of fact” but would otherwise be approved for a license.

“Pumpkin sales, Christmas tree sales, flowers sales for Memorial Day” are specified as temporary businesses that require temporary-use permits and all temporary or seasonal businesses must reapply every year for a license.

This includes door-to-door solicitors.

Martin said the new ordinance no longer requires lemonade stands to attain licenses.

“A person under the age of 16 conducting a business as a part-time hobby or occupation who is not engaged in such business activities that would be considered the principal means of that person’s support” would be exempt from licensure, according to the exhibit adopted as code.

 Farmers that produce “crops, livestock and other agricultural products” and sell them on the property where they were produced are exempt from getting a license.

 Certain nonprofits, employees working under a licensed employer, a contractor working with the city who is licensed properly in the jurisdiction of their office, businesses that are approved vendors at city-sponsored events and “mere delivery in the city” do no require a license.

 Those exempt from fees include private nonprofit education facilities, disabled peoples who are restricted to certain businesses and certain nonprofits.

 Martin said the many changes were attempts to remove “vague” portions of the business license code.

 “We as a city have no clue what new types of businesses are going to want to come the city,” Martin said. “A lot of changes are reflecting that to create an ordinance that has a longer shelf life.”     λ