Council advances short‑term rental licensing draft, adds self‑certified safety requirements

Planning and finance staff presented a draft ordinance to regulate short‑term rentals in Salt Lake City. The proposed rules require applicants to provide contact information, demonstrate legal authority to use the property, identify a local Salt Lake City contact (available within two hours to address nuisances), and complete a safety checklist. The ordinance specifies operational standards including one off‑street parking space, a 200‑night rental cap, and limits designed to preserve housing stock (one license for buildings with 10 or fewer units; 10% cap for larger buildings).

Staff described enforcement tools: civil enforcement officers issued notices and orders in non‑permitted zones with $200 per day penalties after a three‑day cure period; unlicensed operators face escalating fines and possible license suspension or revocation for repeated nuisance citations. Councilmembers discussed whether the ordinance covers room‑only rentals vs whole‑unit rentals; planning staff said zoning changes would be needed to authorize room rentals in single‑family zones.

Several councilmembers supported a stronger safety provision. After discussion the council agreed by straw poll to add an explicit self‑certification requirement that hosts maintain operational smoke and carbon‑monoxide detectors as part of the licensing checklist. Staff said the self‑certification approach is common to limit inspection workload while still establishing a clear code requirement.