Lehi, UT Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Residency proof
- Tax returns + government ID
- Re-verification
- Annually, at license renewal
- License display
- Posted inside rental for guests
- School buffer
- 600 ft from elementary/middle/jr high
- Governing section
- Development Code 12.240.B
Summary
Lehi allows short-term rentals in every residential zone, but only out of the operator's own home. Development Code Section 12.240.B requires the property to be the applicant's primary residence, proven with the applicant's most recent state and federal tax returns and a government-issued ID showing that address, filed at application and again every year at license renewal.
Section 12.240. Short Term Rentals. (New 03/31/20) Short Term Rentals (STRs) are an allowed use within all residential zones as long as they meet the following criteria: A. No STR shall be located within 600 feet of an elementary, middle or junior high school measured from the nearest entrance of the STR by following the ... shortest route of ordinary pedestrian travel to the property boundary of the school. B. The home shall be the primary residence of the applicant. Primary residency will be shown by providing the following documentation at the time of application and annually thereafter at the time of business license is renewal. 1. The applicant's most recent state and federal tax returns both listing the property as the applicant's primary residence; and 2. A government issued ID with the address of the applicant listed.
Full Breakdown
240 makes short-term rentals an allowed use in every residential zone in Lehi, but only if the operator clears several conditions, the most important being that the rental has to be the operator's own home rather than a stand-alone investment property. Subsection B requires the applicant to prove the address is their primary residence by submitting their most recent state and federal tax returns, both listing the property as the primary residence, along with a government-issued ID bearing that same address. This documentation is not a one-time hurdle: the applicant must resubmit it annually at the time the short-term rental business license comes up for renewal under subsection F, and the license itself must be displayed inside the rental so guests can see it.
070 under subsection G. Together these conditions mean Lehi treats short-term rentals as an owner-occupied home-sharing use, not a license for absentee investors to run a rental purely as a business, and the annual re-verification closes the gap where an owner moves out but keeps renting under the original approval.
Violations & Fines
Renting out a property as a short-term rental without proving primary residency, or continuing to operate after moving out and letting the annual re-verification lapse, is grounds for the city to deny or refuse to renew the business license under Section 12.240.F, which also requires the applicant to resolve any valid complaints before renewal. Operating without a current license is a Development Code violation enforced as a class C misdemeanor under Section 34.010.D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a short-term rental in a house I don't live in?
Do I have to reprove I live in the rental every year?
What if I move out but still want to rent my old house short-term?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lehi
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