Grand County moves to rewrite land-use code shaping recreation growth

Grand County is moving to rewrite the land-use code that quietly decides where recreation growth can happen, and where it cannot. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 on April 6 to recommend awarding a contract for a full overhaul, a shift away from piecemeal edits that officials say have left the rules tangled, outdated, and hard to interpret for both applicants and staff.

The county’s request for proposals, published March 20, 2026, says the goal is a modern, clear, internally consistent, legally defensible code tailored to Grand County’s rural, resort, and environmental context. That is not abstract language in a place where a single code change can shape whether a new campground, hotel, gear shop, trailhead connection, or workforce housing project fits the county’s rules before it ever reaches a public hearing. In a county defined by Moab’s adventure economy, the code functions as a gatekeeper for what can be built near canyons, river corridors, scenic approaches, and open land.

The rewrite comes after years of planning work that set the table for a bigger overhaul. Grand County’s 2030 General Plan was amended on Feb. 20, 2024, and includes a revised land use chapter, transportation and infrastructure references, healthy economy materials, and implementation strategies. County officials also adopted a Future Land Use Plan for Spanish Valley in 2024, giving planners a more specific framework for how growth should fit into the county’s expanding edge. That background matters because the new code is meant to translate existing policy into rules that applicants, staff, and decision-makers can actually use.

Andrew Jackson, who started as Grand County Planning & Zoning Director on Nov. 24, 2025 after a nine-month vacancy, has identified the rewrite as a priority. The county says the current code contains outdated language and internal inconsistencies that make it difficult to interpret, a problem that can slow down permits, blur standards, and create friction in a county where tourism pressure and conservation concerns often collide. The rewrite is designed in two phases: first an audit and framework step to identify conflicts and confusion, then drafting and adoption support to carry the new code through public review and final approval.

Grand County stretches across more than 3,500 square miles and includes portions of Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, which helps explain why this overhaul is being treated as a core land-management issue rather than a routine cleanup. If the county gets it right, the new code could become the tool that decides how the next round of recreation-driven growth fits alongside public access, trail connectivity, and the long push to keep Moab’s outdoor economy workable.