Wasatch County · Heber Valley
Excavation, Grading & Concrete — Midway, UT
Midway is unusual ground. The geothermal activity that produced the valley's hot pots and tufa limestone formations also produced a water table that sits high in places and soil conditions that vary sharply lot to lot. Add a short mountain construction season and resort-grade finish expectations, and Midway becomes a town where knowing the dirt genuinely matters. We work the Heber Valley regularly and plan Midway sites around what's actually under them — including the Ameyalli wellness resort on Wellness Drive, where we self-perform the footings, foundations, and slabs for the resort's cottages.
Sitework built for Midway
Geothermal & tufa ground
Midway's mineral-deposit and tufa formations make soil conditions vary lot to lot. What worked on the last site may not apply to the next one.
High water tables
Groundwater sits close to the surface in parts of the valley, which drives footing depth, trench shoring, and site drainage design.
Short mountain season
Frost depth and a compressed build window mean earthwork gets sequenced early and deliberately, not squeezed in at the end.
What we focus on here: Custom home excavation, foundations, underground utilities, concrete flatwork, and driveways across Midway and the Heber Valley.
What Midway requires before you dig
Every rule and number below comes from Midway's own code, fee schedule, or published guidance — each one linked. Last verified 2026-08-22.
Tufa mounds over 3 feet are legally protected ground
Midway Municipal Code Section 16.14.120 protects any tufa or "pot rock" mound over three feet in height, or otherwise visually significant, from disturbance. Named major hot pots, including the Mountain Spa pot, the Mound, the Homestead, and the Coleman Hot Springs area, cannot be developed or disturbed at all. Any area of surface tufa must be surveyed by a licensed geological engineer for underground grottos or capped domes using ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity, gravimetric, or seismic methods before work proceeds.
Source: Midway City Municipal Code §16.14.120Cutting into a Midway street has a strict clock
Under Municipal Code Section 14.02.020, an Excavation Permit for any right-of-way cut, including a driveway approach, requires a licensed contractor, at least $250,000 in public liability insurance, and a restoration bond covering two years after final acceptance. Cuts must be backfilled within 24 hours, road closures need 48 hours' notice to Public Works, and temporary 2-inch bituminous surfacing is required if permanent paving can't happen within 72 hours. The permit itself is valid for 60 days.
Source: Midway City Municipal Code §14.02.020Steep lots in Midway need a lot more land
Midway's Sensitive Lands Overlay, Section 16.14.060, requires a geotechnical report for any building on slope over 10 percent and caps residential development at 25 percent slope, with no building pad entitled above that line. Minimum lot size scales with slope under Table 16.14.060-1: 1 acre at 10 to 14 percent slope, 5 acres at 15 to 19 percent, 10 acres at 20 to 24 percent, and 20 acres at 25 percent or steeper.
Source: Midway City Municipal Code §16.14.060A new sewer connection means two separate district fees
Properties within 300 feet of an available public sewer main must connect under Municipal Code Section 16.13.190, and Midway routes that connection through two agencies. Midway Sanitation District charges a $2,450 sewer impact fee plus a $100 lateral inspection fee, and Heber Valley Special Service District, which owns the regional treatment plant, charges a separate $4,190 impact fee — $6,640 combined, before city Sewer Board review fees of $30 per lot preliminary and $15 per lot final.
Source: Midway City 2026 Fee ScheduleMidway FAQs
Does Midway's high water table affect my foundation?
It can. Where groundwater sits high, footing depth, waterproofing, and perimeter drainage all have to be planned around it. We check conditions before we dig rather than discovering them mid-excavation.
How does the mountain season affect scheduling in Midway?
Frost and snow shorten the earthwork window meaningfully. We schedule Heber Valley excavation and concrete early in the season where we can, and we'll tell you honestly if a pour should wait until spring.
Have you worked on projects in Midway?
Yes. We're on the ground at the Ameyalli wellbeing resort in Midway, self-performing footings, foundations, and slabs for the cottages, and we did underground utility work at The Homestead resort without interrupting guest operations.
Do I need a permit to cut into the street for a new driveway approach in Midway?
Yes. Any excavation in Midway's public right-of-way, including a driveway approach, requires a city excavation permit, proof of insurance, and a bond guaranteeing the restoration for two years after the street is patched. We pull that permit, carry the required coverage, and schedule the inspections so a driveway project isn't the thing sitting in a paperwork queue.
Can I build on a steep lot in Midway?
Often, but the buildable pad shrinks fast as slope increases, and lots at 25 percent grade or steeper aren't entitled to a building pad at all under Midway's Sensitive Lands Overlay. We run the grading plan and geotechnical coordination before you're committed to a design, so you know what your lot actually supports.