Orem council adopts detached ADU ordinance and approves Central Utah 911 dispatch agreement, both 6-0
September 22, 2026, 3:00 p.m. · 56 North State Street, Orem (work session in Council Conference Room; regular session at 6:00 p.m.)
The council adopted Ordinance O-2026-0025, which repeals the accessory apartment section of the city code and adds a section regulating internal and detached accessory dwelling units, after amending the draft at the meeting. The vote was 6-0 among council members, and Mayor Karen McCandless also voted yes. On the consent calendar, by the same 6-0 vote with the mayor also voting yes, the council approved Resolution R-2026-0012 authorizing the mayor to sign a membership fee agreement and an amended interlocal agreement with Central Utah 911 for dispatch services, an ordinance on water connection requirements and two advisory commission appointments. The work session covered speed limits, water accounts, a partner-cities network and short-term rentals; no votes were taken there. The minutes were approved Oct. 13, 2026.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 16, 2026.
Orem's mayor is a voting member of the seven-member council. The minutes count the six council members in each tally and record the mayor's vote beside it, so a council vote of 6-0 with the mayor voting yes is 7-0 with the mayor.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Tiger Traffic Team and speed limits | Discussed |
| Water connection requirements (Section 21-1-3) | Discussed |
| Short-term rentals, continued | Discussed |
| Resolution R-2026-0012: membership fee and interlocal agreement with Central Utah 911 for dispatch services | Approved · 7-0 with the mayor |
| Ordinance: water connection requirements (Section 21-1-3) | Approved · 7-0 with the mayor |
| Consent: appointments to Cultural Arts and Library advisory commissions | Approved · 7-0 with the mayor |
| Ordinance O-2026-0025: internal and detached accessory dwelling units (Article 22-6) | Approved · 7-0 with the mayor |
Agenda, item by item
Item 1.1 · Roads and utilities
Tiger Traffic Team and speed limits
Discussed
Public Works Executive Director Chris Tschirki and the city's traffic team reviewed how speed limits are set under state law, historical speed data and a proposed reduction on 800 East between 800 South and University Parkway from 40 to 35 mph. Tschirki said roads shared with neighboring cities would need discussion with those cities, and state routes are under UDOT. No vote was taken.
Item 1.2 · City code
Water connection requirements (Section 21-1-3)
Discussed
Chief Financial Officer Brandon Nelson presented an amendment requiring all commercial and residential utility accounts to be held in the property owner's name. Council Member LaNae Millett raised tenants' access to their water-use data; staff said it would look at follow-up policies on that. The ordinance was on the consent calendar that evening.
Item 1.3 · Presentation
Partner cities
Discussed
Strategy and Innovation Director Jennica Jones and staff proposed a network of peer cities to share practices. A weighted scoring of 22 municipalities placed Provo, Lehi and Ogden in the top tier, with Layton and several out-of-state cities in a second tier. Staff said the coordinating group would have no decision-making or legislative power. No vote was taken.
Item 1.4 · City code
Short-term rentals, continued
Discussed
Deputy City Attorney D. Jacob Summers outlined three paths for regulating short-term rentals under an owner-occupied framework. The council discussed requiring an ADU permit for a rental, spacing buffers between rentals, a ban on guest parking on public streets, quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., a 30-day maximum stay and barring an owner from running both a long-term and a short-term rental on one parcel. Staff will continue drafting; no vote was taken.
Item 9.4 · Public safety
Resolution R-2026-0012: membership fee and interlocal agreement with Central Utah 911 for dispatch services
Approved · 7-0 with the mayor
Approved on the consent calendar. The resolution authorizes the mayor to sign a membership fee agreement and an amended interlocal agreement for joint and cooperative action of Central Utah 911 so that Central Utah 911 provides police and fire dispatch for Orem. Its recitals cite Orem's 2022 dispatch agreement with Provo and state a target transition date no later than March 31, 2027. The approval authorizes the agreements; it does not record when they were signed or when dispatch service moves.
- Resolution R-2026-0012
- The signed resolution's date line reads the 23rd day of September 2026 (handwritten); the approved minutes record the vote at the Sept. 22 meeting
- Target transition date in the resolution: no later than March 31, 2027
Item 9.5 · City code
Ordinance: water connection requirements (Section 21-1-3)
Approved · 7-0 with the mayor
Approved on the consent calendar: an ordinance amending the city code's water connection requirements so utility accounts are held in the property owner's name.
Item 9.2 · Appointment
Consent: appointments to Cultural Arts and Library advisory commissions
Approved · 7-0 with the mayor
Approved on the consent calendar: Brandon Jeppson to the Cultural Arts Advisory Commission and Diane Wanamaker to the Library Advisory Commission.
Item 10.1 · Zoning
Ordinance O-2026-0025: internal and detached accessory dwelling units (Article 22-6)
Approved · 7-0 with the mayor
The council adopted Ordinance O-2026-0025, which repeals Section 22-6-9(I) on accessory apartments and adds Section 22-6-11 regulating internal and detached accessory dwelling units on single-family properties. The adopted rules allow a detached unit on lots of at least 11,000 square feet, not in PRD zones, with the owner living in the main home or the unit. Units are single-story, with maximum sizes of 850 square feet on lots up to 15,999 square feet, 1,200 on lots up to 19,999 and 1,500 on larger lots, and never more than 50% of the main home's footprint. One added parking space is required for a unit up to 650 square feet and two for a larger one. Before the vote the council struck the draft's bedroom limits, limited driveway extensions to the front corner of the unit, raised the cap for lots of 11,000 to 15,999 square feet to 850 square feet, and limited the 5-foot setback exception to lines next to commercial, industrial, public facility or park property. The ordinance takes effect upon passage and after a summary is published or posted; this record does not show the posting date. The Oct. 13 agenda listed further changes to ADU definitions.
- Ordinance O-2026-0025, signed; passage line reads Sept. 22, 2026
- Public hearing 7:00 to 7:13 p.m.
- Planning Commission recommended approval 6-0 on July 15, 2026 (per the ordinance)
What residents said
Detached ADU size and parkingTraffic and parking
Four people spoke during personal appearances (6:27 to 6:45 p.m.). At the ADU hearing, four speakers commented: two opposed the ordinance, citing conflicts with state law and traffic and parking; one asked to raise the smallest size cap from 650 to 800 square feet; one praised staff's work. City Attorney Steve Earl agreed that the draft's bedroom limits should be struck and said the rest of the ordinance complies with state law.