The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah estimates there were more than 6,400 short-term rentals (STRs) in Summit County in 2023.
And according to Councilmember Chris Robinson, only about 1,200 of those have the required business license.
“And our hands have been tied with the tools that we could otherwise use to track down those that are not in compliance,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour.”
House Bill 256, “Municipal Zoning Amendments,” gives counties and cities a more powerful tool.
It lets them use online listings on sites like Airbnb and VRBO “as evidence that a short-term rental took place.” Then code enforcement officers could issue a violation, providing they had “additional information” supporting their decision.
“We are seeking clarification on what that supporting information is because, currently, we're allowed to use guest reviews or statements as evidence that they rented it as part of our enforcement efforts, and so we'd like to be able to maintain that in the new legislation,” Deputy Summit County Manager Janna Young told councilmembers Jan. 29.
HB256 is sponsored by St. George Republican Rep. Neil Walter, and it needs approval from the House Political Subdivisions Committee before it goes to the whole House.
If passed, Summit County staff believe it would be easier to collect the transient room tax that, in theory, all hotels and rentals must pay. It’s a major source of revenue for Summit County and its cities that funds tourism, recreation, cultural, convention or airport facilities.
Summit County Manager Shayne Scott said it would be a way to contact rental owners in the event of a “disaster.”
“If we could get every short term rental in the county with a business license, we'd at least know who's here and who's coming,” he told KPCW last June.
The county is focusing on licensing until it’s ready to release more comprehensive regulations.
Two years ago, councilmembers considered a moratorium on issuing short-term rental licenses. Critics say STRs contribute to housing unavailability and unaffordability for workers and would-be full-time residents.
Following pushback from real estate and lodging industry organizations, the council backed off a ban.
Councilmembers still resolved to do something: a subcommittee is drafting the regulations.
“There have been a lot of committee meetings,” County Clerk Eve Furse said during the Nov. 20, 2024, council meeting. “One of the consistent issues is trying to understand what is the problem we're trying to solve, and there's not a lot of consensus on that.”
Last August, local and regional Realtors lobbied the Summit County and Park City councils in a joint meeting not to ban short-term rentals outright. They say similar measures in other mountain towns brought down property values.
Councilmembers Tonja Hanson and Roger Armstrong got the short-term rental subcommittee appointments this year.
Freshman Councilmember Megan McKenna, who spoke favorably about a moratorium two years back, didn’t, but she may vote on any ordinance the subcommittee comes up with.
