Washington County, UT Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 10-13-23.D.1.h(2)
- Requirement
- Dwelling insured for multiple rentals/commercial use
- Certified via
- Signed Compliance Affidavit, penalty of law
- Reverified
- At initial application and annual renewal
- False statement penalty
- License denial, non-renewal, or revocation
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Department
Summary
Washington County requires every short-term rental license applicant to sign a Compliance Affidavit certifying the dwelling is insured for multiple rentals throughout the year, covering its commercial use and protecting renters, guests, or occupants from personal injury or property loss, per Code section 10-13-23.D.1.h(2), enforced by the Community Development Department before any STR license issues in the unincorporated county.
h. A Compliance Affidavit signed by all owners and owner-occupants under penalty of law, certifying that the applicant, the dwelling, and the lot or parcel comply with the licensing requirements of section 10-13-23, including, but not limited to: ... (2) The dwelling for transient use as a short term rental is insured for multiple rentals throughout the year, for its commercial purpose, and for the protection of the renters, guests, or occupants from personal injury or property loss.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
h requires the owner and every owner-occupant to sign a Compliance Affidavit under penalty of law. Item (2) of that affidavit requires the owner to certify that the dwelling used for transient short-term rental is insured for multiple rentals throughout the year, for its commercial purpose, and for the protection of renters, guests, or occupants from personal injury or property loss. h(4)). c for the Community Development Department to deny, decline to renew, or revoke the license as fraud or misrepresentation. b requires the owner to reverify that the STR remains in compliance with the requirements needed to operate, which the code lists as including insurance alongside habitability, posted notices, and operable smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Because the license is issued only in the owner's name and automatically expires if the primary residential exemption is lost, the insurance affidavit travels with ownership: a new owner must file a fresh application, including a fresh Compliance Affidavit, within 30 days of any transfer.
Violations & Fines
A false or unsupported insurance certification is a misrepresentation under section 10-13-23.R.6.c, letting the Community Development Department deny, refuse to renew, or revoke the Short Term Rental License as a final administrative decision. Operating without a valid license at all triggers the separate unlicensed-STR penalty in section 10-13-23.Q.3: a $4,000 civil penalty per violation after a 14-day cure period, a recorded Notice of Fine, and potential prosecution as a class B misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington County require short-term rental insurance?
What happens if the insurance certification turns out to be false?
Do I have to reconfirm insurance every year?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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