St. George pauses new blasting permits for up to six months

St. George's City Council adopted a temporary ordinance on Oct. 1, 2026 that pauses the city's handling of new blasting permits for up to six months, according to the city's notice of ordinances adopted that day. ^[1]

The ordinance, numbered 2026-079, is titled a temporary regulation suspending the permitting or processing of blasting permits under Title 4, Chapter 9 of the city code. In its draft form it makes the city's blasting-permit provisions inapplicable to any new permit request and says no application should be processed while the suspension lasts. ^[2]

Why the council acted

The staff report in the council packet says the city has received public feedback about blasting and wants a pause while the council considers changes to its code. The ordinance's introduction says several residents raised concerns about blasting near their homes and complained of damage they allege was likely caused by it. It frames those as allegations and does not establish what caused any damage. ^[2]

It adds that the city wants to understand blasting's effects, including alleged structural damage and noise, and to write rules that better balance the needs of residents and the companies that use blasting in construction. ^[2]

What the pause does and does not do

As drafted, the moratorium applies to permit applications made on or after Oct. 2, 2026. It covers new blasting permits, and nothing in the draft says all construction stops. The draft says it will run no longer than six months from its effective date, in line with the state's limit on temporary land-use regulations. The staff report puts the budget impact at none. ^[2]

The city's notice does not give a vote count, exceptions or an expiration date, and the signature and vote lines on the packet copy are blank.