Short-Term Rental Laws in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City permits short-term rentals (<30 consecutive nights) only in zones that affirmatively list short-term rental as an allowed use — generally the Mixed-Use, Downtown, and Gateway zones (e.g., D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, G-MU, MU, R-MU, CB, CG, CSHBD). All standard Residential zones (R-1, R-2, RMF, SR) prohibit STRs entirely. As of the most recent City Council guidance, SLC also does not issue STR-specific business licenses for properties in non-permitted zones, regardless of the operator's willingness to comply with safety standards — the zoning gate is binding.

SLC residential zones (R-1, R-2, RMF, SR) prohibit short-term rentals. Allowed zones include the downtown family (D-1 through D-4), Gateway-Mixed Use (G-MU), Mixed-Use (MU), Residential-Mixed Use (R-MU), and the commercial Business / General (CB, CG) districts. Confirm via the city's online zoning lookup before any acquisition — the Planning Division's FAQ is explicit that the residential-zone prohibition is not waivable.

Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.

Salt Lake City requires a business license for short-term rentals, an application process with property inspection and compliance checks, a designated local contact, and adherence to SLC noise and nuisance ordinances. Civil Enforcement (Building Services Division) actively investigates complaint-driven and proactive cases; operating in a residential zone or without a license triggers cease-and-desist orders, back-tax assessment, and per-day civil fines. The city has periodically considered tightening (and clarifying) the STR ordinance — track adopted zoning amendments via the Planning Division updates page.

Combined short-term lodging tax in Salt Lake City is approximately 12.600% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).

Salt Lake City + Salt Lake County + Utah State (state sales tax + state TRT 0.32% + Salt Lake County TRT + SLC city option — combined effective lodging tax around 12.6%; confirm current rate at checkout via Utah State Tax Commission)

Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.