Business Licensing & Operations in Salt Lake City, UT (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Salt Lake City, Utah, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Sexually oriented businesses need a city business license and must clear a 1,000-foot buffer from schools, parks, churches, homes and daycares before they can open.
Salt Lake City Adult Business Permit, Spacing
Significant Restrictions§ 21A.36.140.F
1. Required Distance From Other Uses: No sexually oriented business shall be located within a one thousand foot (1,000') radius of any place of worship, park, school, residential zoning district, residential use, or licensed child daycare center... 4. Concentration Prohibited: No sexually oriented businesses shall be allowed within a one thousand foot (1,000') radius of another sexually oriente...
Tobacco Retail License
Selling cigars or tobacco in Salt Lake City, wholesale or retail, requires a city license before any sale, offer, or barter can occur.
Salt Lake City Tobacco Retail License
Some RestrictionsSalt Lake City Code § 5.86.460
It is unlawful for any person to sell, barter, peddle or offer for sale at wholesale or retail any cigars or tobaccos in any form within the corporate limits of the city without first making application and procuring a license so to do.
Secondhand Dealers
Salt Lake City requires anyone buying, bartering, or selling secondhand goods, junk, or precious metals to hold a city license before opening for business.
Secondhand & Junk Dealer License in Salt Lake City
Significant Restrictions§ 5.60.020
It is unlawful for any person to operate as a secondhand dealer, secondhand computer dealer, secondhand compact disc dealer, secondhand precious metal and/or precious gem dealer, junk dealer, junk collector or an antique dealer without first obtaining a license to do so.
Pawnbrokers
Salt Lake City requires a city license before anyone can operate as a pawnbroker, backed by a $5,000 bond and strict recordkeeping rules enforced by the police department.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Salt Lake City
Significant RestrictionsSalt Lake City Code § 5.48.020
It is unlawful for any person to carry on the business of pawnbroker without previously having obtained a license to operate as a pawnbroker in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Salt Lake City flatly bans running an auto repair business out of a home. It's listed first among businesses that can never qualify as a home occupation, no matter how small the operation.
Salt Lake City Bans Home Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsSalt Lake City Code § 21A.36.030.C
C. Home Occupations Prohibited: The following businesses, regardless of their conformance with the standards in Subsection G of this section, are prohibited as home occupations: 1. Auto repairs; 2. Kennels; 3. Welding shops or machine shops;
Towing Companies
Salt Lake City licenses wrecker services and bars non-consent tows from private property unless the lot is posted with compliant signs or the vehicle is abandoned.
Salt Lake City Non-Consent Towing Rules
Significant RestrictionsSalt Lake City Code § 5.84.200
For any wrecker or operator, or any other person, to tow or otherwise move a vehicle or authorize the removal thereof from any private road or driveway... no person shall tow, remove or authorize the removal of a vehicle from private property without the consent of the owner or custodian of such vehicle, unless: a. The property is posted with signs that comply with section 5.84.190 of this chap...
Looking for Salt Lake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Salt Lake City city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Salt Lake County →