Salt Lake City, UT Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum heat
- 68°F, measured 3 ft above floor
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 18.50, Housing Ordinance
- Bathroom
- Private bathroom required per unit
- Enforcement
- Building inspector; daily civil fines
Summary
Salt Lake City's Existing Residential Housing Ordinance requires every rental dwelling unit's permanent heating system to keep habitable rooms and bathrooms at least 68 degrees, measured three feet above the floor at the room's center.
Heating shall be provided by a permanently installed heating system capable of heating all habitable rooms and bathrooms to a minimum of 68°, which shall be measured in the center of the room at a height of 3 feet from the floor.
2. Air Return: A return air duct which serves more than one dwelling unit shall not be permitted. A duplex or multiple dwelling unit legally constructed before 1970 may have an existing common air return continued if a listed smoke detector fan shutoff is installed in the return air duct.
3. Fuel Burning Appliances:
a. Except for direct vented appliances, gas furnaces and gas water heaters shall not be permitted in bedrooms, in bathrooms or in closets accessed only from a bedroom or a bathroom. Existing furnace rooms with access only through an existing bedroom may continue to exist when a 120 volt smoke detector is installed in the bedroom and relayed to a smoke detector installed in the furnace room. All combustion air is to be supplied from outside air.
b. Gas shutoff valves are required on all gas appliances. Shutoff valves shall be installed in accordance with the applicable adopted state construction code.
c. All fireplaces, wood burning stoves, and all other appliances producing combustible gas byproducts shall be connected to an operating chimney or approved flue. All flues and vents shall be installed in compliance with EPA
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 18.50, the Existing Residential Housing Ordinance, sets minimum habitability standards for every rental dwelling unit in the city. Under section 18.50.220(B)(1), landlords must maintain a permanently installed heating system able to warm all habitable rooms and bathrooms to at least 68 degrees, measured three feet above the floor at the room's center. The same chapter requires a private bathroom in every rental dwelling unit (18.50.210(F)), minimum electrical service, weathertight exterior doors and windows, and adequate light and ventilation, all enforced by the city's building inspector.
Violations & Fines
The building inspector issues a written warning notice, then a notice and order under § 18.50.100; uncorrected violations accrue daily civil fines set by the city's consolidated fee schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the minimum indoor temperature a Salt Lake City landlord must provide?
What happens if a rental unit fails this standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle repairs & habitability.