Salt Lake City, Utah Short-Term Rental Market
Salt Lake City's STR rules just changed: a new July 2026 license caps rentals at 200 nights, hotel-zone only.
Quick Answer: Salt Lake City, Utah is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Salt Lake City market area is 71%. average monthly revenue in the Salt Lake City market area is $2,979. average daily rate in the Salt Lake City market area is $153. the top operator in the Salt Lake City market area is GrandRoad with 91 listings. market score is 58/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the wider Salt Lake City market, which covers 8 areas. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Salt Lake City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Salt Lake City overhauled its short-term rental rules on July 1, 2026, adopting a new Short-Term Rental Business License framework (City Code Chapter 5.13). Under the new rules, STRs are confined to zones where hotels are already allowed (Mixed-Use, Downtown and Gateway districts) rather than residential neighborhoods; each rental is capped at 200 nights per year; every stay must run at least two consecutive nights; and buildings of 10 or fewer units are limited to a single STR license (larger buildings can license up to 10% of units). Accessory dwelling units cannot be used as STRs. The annual license fee is $198 plus $342 per unit, and unlicensed operation can draw fines up to $1,000 every seven days.
StaySTRA’s Airbnb/Vrbo performance data for this area is tracked at a shared regional level with four other Salt Lake Valley suburbs (Draper, Midvale, Sandy and South Jordan) rather than uniquely for Salt Lake City; treat the following as the Salt Lake City metro area STR market, not a city-only figure.
In June 2026, the Salt Lake City metro area STR market averaged 71.1% occupancy and a $153 ADR, producing $2,979 in average monthly revenue per listing. Year over year, occupancy is up 1.4 percentage points, ADR is up 2.0%, and revenue is up 2.8%.
StaySTRA does not have listing-type, bedroom-mix, or top property-manager data broken out at the city level; that data is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Salt Lake City, so this profile omits it.
Salt Lake City itself, population 215,548, anchors a roughly $5.8 billion Salt Lake County visitor economy built on skiing (four Wasatch resorts within about 40 minutes), the Salt Palace Convention Center, and Temple Square, one of the state’s most-visited landmarks.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 66% |
| Feb | 76% |
| Mar | 73% |
| Apr | 58% |
| May | 65% |
| Jun | 73% |
| Jul | 72% |
| Aug | 67% |
| Sep | 66% |
| Oct | 61% |
| Nov | 56% |
| Dec | 65% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Salt Lake City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Salt Lake City market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Salt Lake City market as a whole, which includes Salt Lake City, so these counts are not Salt Lake City-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GrandRoad | 91 | 6,493 | ★ 4.93 |
| 2 | Evolve | 82 | 2,801 | ★ 4.64 |
| 3 | Landing | 67 | 28 | ★ 3.85 |
| 4 | RedAwning | 58 | 244 | ★ 4.71 |
| 5 | Drew Rothkopf | 57 | 4,737 | ★ 4.75 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Salt Lake City?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Salt Lake City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 56% |
| vrbo | 4.3% |
| both | 39.7% |
Home Value Trends (Salt Lake City)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Salt Lake City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Salt Lake City — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Salt Lake City historically banned short-term rentals in residential zones and enforced that ban aggressively using data-mining software. That changed on July 1, 2026, when the city began accepting applications under a new Short-Term Rental Business License framework (City Code Chapter 5.13).
Under the new ordinance, STRs remain confined to zones where hotels are already allowed (Mixed-Use, Downtown and Gateway districts); they are still not permitted in residential zones, and accessory dwelling units cannot be used as STRs. Each stay must be booked for a minimum of two consecutive nights, and a unit may be rented no more than 200 nights per year. Licensing is restricted: one nontransferable license per resident/building for buildings with 10 or fewer units, and up to 10% of units in larger buildings. The licensee must own the property, but the ordinance does not require owner-occupancy or a primary residence.
Operational requirements include at least one off-street parking space, working carbon monoxide detectors, and a local designee able to respond within two hours of a city contact. The annual license fee is $198 plus $342 per unit. Operators must post the license number on listings and keep compliance records; operating without a license can draw fines of up to $1,000 every seven days, plus suspension or revocation.
Lodging is also subject to a combined transient room and sales tax of roughly 12.95%. Enforcement is characterized as strict. For an investor, the key takeaway is that the addressable STR market in Salt Lake City is now zoning-limited to commercial/mixed-use districts, not the broader residential city.
Market Comparison
National benchmarks put the median U.S. short-term rental market at roughly 55% occupancy and a $220 ADR. The Salt Lake Valley area STR market runs well above the occupancy benchmark but below the ADR benchmark, at 71.1% occupancy and a $153 ADR in June 2026, consistent with a high-demand, value-priced market relative to national coastal averages.
The market’s regulatory environment has just tightened materially: Salt Lake City’s new Chapter 5.13 licensing framework (effective July 1, 2026) is stricter on zoning and night caps than many peer mountain-gateway cities, which typically allow STRs more broadly in residential zones.
StaySTRA does not have top property-manager listings, review counts, or ratings on file for this market; that data is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Salt Lake City, so this profile omits named-operator comparisons rather than estimate them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Salt Lake City, Utah
What changed with Salt Lake City's short-term rental rules in 2026?
Are short-term rentals allowed in Salt Lake City residential neighborhoods?
How much does a Salt Lake City STR license cost?
What is the average occupancy for the Salt Lake City area STR market?
When is peak season for short-term rentals in the Salt Lake Valley area?
Does owner-occupancy matter for a Salt Lake City STR license?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Salt Lake City?
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