10 rules for unincorporated Davis County, Utah.
Verified from official government sources
Rules are set by your city, not the county. Bountiful requires a Short-Term Rental Permit approved by its Administrative Committee. Layton does not regulate STRs but requires a residential business license. Unincorporated Davis County treats lodging uses under Title 15 zoning.
STRs must follow city noise ordinances. Bountiful requires no audible sound at the property line from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Layton and unincorporated areas apply general noise and nuisance rules.
Bountiful City Noise Ordinance (STR permit condition)
No audible sound at the property line from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
STR stays under 30 nights owe Utah's transient room tax plus state and local sales tax. The state transient room tax is 0.32%; counties may levy up to 4.5% and cities up to 1.5%, so combined lodging tax typically runs about 3%–6.25%.
Parking is governed by city code. Bountiful requires STR sites to meet the accessory dwelling unit parking standard and comply with the city Traffic Code on on-street parking. There is no county-wide STR parking ordinance.
There is no county occupancy cap; cities set the limits. Bountiful caps guests at the International Building Code occupancy standard based on unit square footage, using roughly 200 square feet per occupant as guidance.
Neither Davis County nor Utah state law mandates a specific short-term rental insurance policy. Cities may require proof of liability coverage as a permit condition, and standard homeowner policies often exclude commercial rental use.
Utah defines a short-term rental as a stay under 30 consecutive days. No Davis County city imposes an annual night cap, and state law bars local governments from punishing residents solely for advertising a short-term rental online.
Utah Code 17-50-338(2)
A legislative body may not enact or enforce an ordinance that prohibits an individual from listing or offering a short-term rental on a short-term rental website.
There is no county-wide STR registry. Bountiful requires a permit that does not run with the land, so a new owner must reapply. STRs are prohibited in non-conforming or non-compliant structures and must meet all state and local law.
No county-wide host-presence rule exists. In Bountiful, the owner must occupy the primary home or the ADU at all times, functioning as a host-presence requirement. Utah state law separately bars cities from punishing residents merely for advertising an STR online.
Several Davis County cities tie STRs to owner-occupancy. Bountiful allows STRs only in an accessory dwelling unit whose owner occupies either the main home or the ADU at all times. Layton flatly does not permit short-term rental of an ADU.
Layton City FAQ / LMC Title 19 (accessory dwelling units)
Short-term rental of the ADU is not permitted.
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