Deck Service Areas Across the Salt Lake Valley

Most of what differs between these cities comes down to two things: when the houses went up, and what the ground under them is doing.

The south end of the valley — Herriman, Riverton, Bluffdale, Daybreak, parts of South Jordan and West Jordan — is largely post-1998 construction on former farmland and bench. Those decks are original builder work, now fifteen to twenty-five years old, and they are hitting the age where ledgers, footings and guard posts declare themselves.

Further north, Murray, Millcreek, Holladay, South Salt Lake and eastern West Valley City are post-war suburbs. Decks there have often been added, altered and re-covered by several owners, and what we find under the boards is less predictable. Bench cities like Cottonwood Heights and Draper add slope, which means taller posts, bracing and more stair.

And every one of these is a separate jurisdiction with its own building department, its own published design criteria, and its own view on what needs a permit. We check yours rather than assume.

• South valley: mostly post-1998 subdivisions, original decks now at repair-or-replace age
• Inner suburbs: post-war housing with decks that have been altered more than once
• Bench and foothill lots: slope, taller posts, more stair, and more attention to drainage
• Utah County: newer growth around Silicon Slopes with a lot of first-generation decks