Just cause eviction rules in Salt Lake County, UT — sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances — list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Utah is an at-will, no-just-cause eviction state, and Salt Lake County is preempted from imposing just-cause requirements on private residential landlords. A landlord in Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Sandy, Murray, or unincorporated Salt Lake County can terminate a month-to-month tenancy without giving any reason by serving 15 days' written notice under Utah Code §57-17-7. Fixed-term leases simply expire without renewal. Statutory eviction grounds in Utah Code §78B-6-802 (Forcible Entry and Detainer Act) — nonpayment, lease violation, nuisance, criminal activity, holdover — require only 3 calendar days' notice to quit before the landlord can file an unlawful detainer action.
Unlike California, Oregon, or New York, Utah has no statewide just-cause eviction law and prohibits cities from adopting one. Salt Lake County tenants therefore have no right to renewal at the end of a lease term. The eviction (unlawful detainer) process is set by Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8. Required notice periods: 3 days for nonpayment of rent (§78B-6-802(1)(a)); 3 days for lease violation or nuisance (§78B-6-802(1)(c)); 3 days for unlawful activity such as drug-related crime (§78B-6-802(1)(f)); 15 days for no-cause termination of a month-to-month tenancy (§57-17-7); and 5 business days for the tenant to respond after the landlord files the unlawful detainer complaint in Third District Court. A successful landlord can recover treble damages on holdover rent under §78B-6-811(3). The Salt Lake City Landlord/Tenant Initiative (Chapter 5.14 SLC Code) requires participating landlords to use a standardized lease and adhere to fair-housing rules, but does not impose just-cause requirements.
There is no 'wrongful eviction' cause of action for failure to renew a lease in Salt Lake County. A tenant evicted without proper notice (e.g., a lockout, utility shutoff, or removal of belongings without a court order) can sue under Utah Code §57-22-4 for actual damages plus statutory damages of $500 or two months' rent (whichever is greater), and obtain immediate restoration of possession. Self-help eviction (changing locks, posting a 'pay or leave' note without a court judgment) is illegal in every Salt Lake County city and is the most common landlord violation.
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