Salt Lake City Title 21A treats short-term rentals as accessory uses tied to a primary residence in most zones, meaning the host must occupy the home as their primary residence even when renting rooms to guests.
Under Salt Lake City Code Title 21A.36 accessory-use provisions, short-term rentals are generally allowed only as an accessory to a residence the host actually lives in. Whole-home rentals where the host is absent the entire stay are prohibited in most residential zones; the city treats these as transient lodging which requires commercial zoning and a hotel-style license. Hosted stays where the operator sleeps on-site or on the same lot are the legal default. Utah Code §10-9a-401 caps how far the city can go but still allows zoning-based occupancy restrictions like this one.
Operating an unhosted short-term rental in a residential zone can trigger zoning enforcement, a stop-rental order, daily civil penalties, and removal of any business license the host holds.
Salt Lake City, UT
Short-term rentals in Salt Lake City must operate from the host's primary residence, with the dwelling serving as the host's domicile for a majority of the c...
Salt Lake City, UT
Short-term rentals under 30 days are only allowed in the operator's primary residence; a conditional use permit and business license are required.
See how Salt Lake City's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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