Civil Engineering in Lehi, Utah.
Lehi is where a lot of Utah County growth is actually happening, from Silicon Slopes office and flex to large residential plats. It also has some of the broadest detention requirements on the Wasatch Front.
Licensed Professional Engineer in Utah. The engineer designing your Lehi project is the same engineer answering your call.
(612) 567-2154 →How stormwater is regulated in Lehi.
Lehi requires detention on every development, and the volume includes water that was never yours to begin with. That is the single biggest difference between Lehi and its neighbours.
The Design Standards and Public Improvement Specifications require detention facilities on all developments to reduce the impact on existing drainage, except where the City Engineer approves otherwise. There is no size threshold to fall under.
Detention has to include the roadways adjacent to and within the proposed development, plus any natural drainages that drain into the project area. You are sizing for water crossing the site, not only water your project generates.
The drainage plan has to be stamped and signed by a Registered Professional Engineer licensed within the State of Utah, and cover the 10-year and 100-year storm events with an analysis of potential drainage problems and how surface water will be conveyed.
Who reviews a Lehi project.
City engineering carries the technical review, with county, state, and UDOT layers on top depending on where the site sits.
Drainage plan review, grading permits under the city grading ordinance, storm drain, culinary water, pressurized irrigation, and sanitary sewer design, plus right-of-way work.
Plat, zoning, and site plan review under the Development Code. Preliminary and final plat move through the commission with engineering review alongside.
Zoning and subdivision review outside city jurisdiction, plus county road access on the parcels at the city edge.
Construction stormwater coverage under UTRC00000 or the Common Plan Permit, filed through NeT CGP, with annual renewal and a Notice of Termination at final stabilization.
Access and drainage permits on I-15, SR-92 and the state highway system, which carries most of the Silicon Slopes traffic.
Surface fault rupture and liquefaction studies where mapped hazards apply, prepared by a qualified engineering geologist. Utah County growth has pushed development into ground that needs looking at.
What is different about engineering in Lehi.
Lehi grew fast and wrote standards to protect a drainage system that was not built for it. The requirements are broad and they are enforced.
- •You detain water that is not yours. Detention has to cover adjacent and internal roadways plus natural drainage entering the project area. On a site with a coulee or swale crossing it, that can multiply the required volume against what a same-size site elsewhere would need. It has to be in the first layout, not discovered at review.
- •There is no threshold to fall under. Detention is required on all developments unless the City Engineer approves otherwise. Small commercial and infill projects do not get a pass the way they might in a city with an acre trigger.
- •The stamp requirement is in the standards. The drainage plan has to be stamped and signed by a Registered Professional Engineer licensed within the State of Utah. An out-of-state seal does not satisfy it, which matters if a national tenant brings their own engineer.
- •Pressurized irrigation is a second water system. Lehi runs pressurized secondary irrigation alongside culinary water. Used pipe is not allowed in either system, and where culinary and pressurized irrigation lines cross under box culverts, major roadways, or major utilities they have to be installed in casing per the city standard drawing.
- •Two design storms, not one. Drainage plans carry the projected quantity of water for both the 10-year and the 100-year events, with a written analysis of drainage problems and a proposal for conveying all surface water.
What we work on in Lehi.
Plat layout, grading, and detention sized to include adjacent roadways and any drainage entering the site.
Site layout, parking, access off the SR-92 corridor, and detention designed to the city standards rather than a tenant template.
Tight-site grading and detention where there is no threshold to fall under and the volume still has to fit.
Culinary water, pressurized secondary irrigation, sanitary sewer, and storm drain, with the crossing and casing details the city requires.
Common questions about civil engineering in Lehi.
Does every Lehi project need detention?
Effectively yes. Detention facilities are required on all developments to alleviate the impact on existing drainage facilities, except as otherwise approved by the City Engineer. There is no size threshold that exempts a small project, which is different from cities that only trigger detention above an acre.
What has to be included in the detention volume?
More than your own site. Detention has to include the roadways adjacent to and within the proposed development, as well as any natural drainages that drain into the project area. On a parcel with a swale or channel crossing it, that can substantially increase the volume compared with a similar site elsewhere, so it belongs in the first layout.
Can an out-of-state engineer stamp my Lehi drainage plan?
No. The drainage plan has to be stamped and signed by a Registered Professional Engineer licensed within the State of Utah. Paul is licensed in Utah, so the drawings can be sealed directly rather than routed through a local firm for a courtesy stamp.
What storms does the drainage plan have to cover?
The plan has to include the projected quantity of water anticipated for both the 10-year and the 100-year storm events, along with an analysis of potential drainage problems and a proposal showing how all surface water will be conveyed.
What is pressurized irrigation and does it affect my project?
It is a separate non-potable water system that Lehi and much of Utah run alongside culinary water for outdoor irrigation. It means a second pipe network in your utility plan, with its own rules. Used pipe is not permitted in either the culinary or the pressurized irrigation system, and where those lines cross under box culverts, major roadways, or major utilities they have to be installed in casing per the city standard drawing.
Are you licensed in Utah?
Yes. Paul Wallick is a licensed Professional Engineer in Utah, along with Minnesota, Colorado, and North Dakota. The engineer who seals your drawings is the engineer you talk to.
Working on a Lehi project?
Tell us about the site. You will get a same-business-day response from Paul, with a real read on the civil scope, the regulatory path, and the likely permitting timeline.