Key Takeaways

  • Salt Lake City’s July 1 ordinance bans single-night stays and caps annual occupancy at 200 nights
  • Orem has 529 STRs operating illegally while the council chooses between two competing regulatory frameworks
  • Orem’s Planning Commission review and council vote will decide whether unlicensed operators gain legal standing

Salt Lake City just became one of the more precisely regulated short-term rental markets in the Mountain West, and it happened the same week its southern neighbor couldn’t agree on a rulebook at all.

Salt Lake City’s new ordinance, reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, took effect July 1. STRs must be booked for a minimum of two nights, cannot be occupied more than 200 nights per year, and must provide at least one off-street parking space.

The annual fee runs $198 plus $342 per unit, and single-night stays are prohibited entirely, a deliberate move against party house operators.

Orem’s STR policy still unresolved as 529 unlicensed listings operate

Thirty miles south in Orem, the council is working through two competing frameworks: owner-occupied only, or non-owner-occupied with strict regulations.

STRs are technically prohibited under existing city code, yet an estimated 529 are already running. City attorney Jake Summers is drafting both versions for Planning Commission review before a council vote.

Related: AirDNA midyear data shows U.S. short-term rental market stabilizing

“This is a very regulatory-intense process, especially if the council adopts something involving the legacy,” according to Orem Mayor Karen McCandless, speaking at a recent work session.

Enforcement alone would cost between $141,000 and $210,000 in new personnel. The contrast between the two cities reflects a pattern emerging across Western metros — urban cores tightening licensing while neighboring suburbs scramble.

Operators listing Utah County properties on platforms like VRBO or using AirDNA analytics to evaluate the market face radically different compliance paths depending on which side of a city line their property sits.

Orem’s Planning Commission vote, and the council decision that follows, will settle whether those 529 operating units get a legal path forward or a shutdown notice.