Remodeling in Promontory: How Design Review Works

Promontory has its own design review, and it comes before your county permit. If your remodel changes anything people can see from outside, plan for review from the first meeting.

This guide covers what needs approval, the steps in order, what review costs, and the rules your crew follows once work starts. It is written for owners who already have a home in Promontory and want to remodel or add on.

What needs approval

Promontory's design review procedures cover more than new homes. Any owner who wants to change a home must get approval first for any visible exterior change. That includes:

• Additions and alterations
• New exterior materials or finishes, including repainting
• Replacement roofs
• Driveways, patios, decks and awnings
• Exterior lighting
• Landscaping beyond replacing existing trees and shrubs

Changes after a home is finished count too. Any later change, including landscaping and color or material changes, has to be submitted and approved before it is installed.

The steps, in order

Here is how a project moves through Promontory's process, based on the Conservancy's December 2023 procedures and its construction resources page.

1. 1.
   Read the governing documents

   Start with the CC&Rs, the Design Guidelines and the Design Review Procedures. Some neighborhoods also have Supplemental Design Guidelines with stricter rules.

2. 2.
   Choose a licensed architect

   The committee requires a licensed architect. It can approve an unlicensed designer, but only after an interview, letters of recommendation and work samples.

3. 3.
   Hold the pre-design conference

   Before any preliminary plans are drawn, the owner and architect meet with the committee's team to talk through the project.

4. 4.
   Preliminary submittal

   Send the complete preliminary package. The design review fee is billed once the package is complete, and nothing is reviewed until it is paid. The committee answers in writing within 30 days.

5. 5.
   Final submittal

   Send complete drawings with materials and colors. A committee representative inspects the lot. If nothing significant changed from the preliminary approval, the Design Review Architect can stamp the plans. If it did, the full committee reviews it at its next meeting.

6. 6.
   Deposit and agreement

   Pay the performance deposit and sign the Performance Deposit Agreement and lien form. The committee releases the stamped plans after that.

7. 7.
   Summit County permit

   Apply for the building permit online with the stamped plans. The county has separate checklists for additions, remodels, decks, roofing, windows and siding.

8. 8.
   Pre-construction conference and gate passes

   Hold the architects' and builders' meeting, send your contractor's details to the Conservancy and request construction gate passes.

9. 9.
   Build, then final inspection

   When the work is done, request the final inspection. The deposit comes back once the work matches the approved plans.

Final approval lasts 12 months. The deposit, the county permit, the pre-construction conference and the start of work all have to happen inside that window, or the plans go back for another review.

Rules for your crew

• Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., or sunset if earlier. Summit County allows longer hours, but Promontory's rules are stricter, so they win.
• Construction traffic uses the construction entrance at the Equestrian Gate, Monday through Saturday. Gate passes are requested ahead of time.
• Each job brings its own portable toilet and dumpster. Crews may not share them with other sites.
• Dumpsters stay covered, vehicles stay on the lot or in approved parking, and the site stays clean.
• Every contractor and subcontractor must read Promontory's Construction Regulations.
• Violations by contractors count against the owner and can lead to fines.
• Summit County requires the permit, the stamped plans and its Construction Acknowledgement to be posted where they can be seen from the street.

What tends to surprise remodelers

• Exterior lighting is kept to a minimum. Fixtures must be low-level, fully shielded and aimed down, and they need approval before they go up.
• Landscaping stays inside the building envelope and uses Promontory's approved plant list. New landscapes need a smart irrigation controller.
• Hot tubs, air conditioners and meters can draw a compliance notice if they are not screened.
• Nothing changes on site until it is approved. A finish swap or a moved window that is not on the approved plans is not approved.
• The Conservancy inspects homes before a resale. Work that was never approved can come up when you sell.

How we handle it

We build design review into the schedule from the first walkthrough, so the approval time is planned instead of a surprise. We work with your architect so each package goes in complete, keep the site inside Promontory's rules, and file the Summit County permit as soon as the plans are stamped.

We have worked in Promontory before. Our full-gut powder room remodel there is on our project page.

Common questions

Where these rules come from

We checked these sources in October 2026. Promontory updates its documents, so confirm the current versions with the Design Review Architect at the Promontory Conservancy before you plan.

• Promontory: construction and design resources
• Promontory Design Review Procedures (December 2023)
• Promontory Conservancy newsletter: what needs approval (July 2022)
• Promontory Conservancy newsletter: landscaping and site rules (April 2024)
• Summit County Building Department
• Summit County Construction Acknowledgement