Utah Landlord-Tenant Laws
Local rent regulation in Utah
Utah law bars counties, cities, and towns from controlling rents or fees on private residential property unless the Legislature expressly approves, and leaves local zoning, building, and planning authority intact.
Cited to Utah Code § 57-20-1 · Verified August 12, 2026 · Full Utah rent-increase rules →
Utah landlord-tenant laws by topic
Utah security deposits
Utah sets no cap on residential security deposits, but a landlord must return the deposit balance — with an itemized written explanation of any deductions — within 30 days after the renter vacates and returns possession of the unit.
Utah rent increase notice
Utah has no statute requiring advance notice of a rent increase — the 15-day convention comes from Utah Code 78B-6-802(1)(b)(i), under which a month-to-month tenancy can be ended by notice served at least 15 calendar days before the end of the rental period, so a landlord proposing higher rent is effectively offering new terms the tenant can refuse by leaving.
Utah late fees
Utah caps residential late fees at the greater of 10% of the monthly rent or $75 — so $75 is the floor of the cap, not its ceiling, and on a $2,000 lease the maximum late fee is $200 (Utah Code 57-22-4(5)(a), enacted by HB 68 in 2021).
Utah entry notice
Utah landlords must give at least 24 hours' notice before entering a rental unit — but only if the lease doesn't say otherwise, because the statute expressly yields to the rental agreement (Utah Code 57-22-4(2)).
Utah eviction process
To evict a tenant in Utah, serve the right written notice - three business days to pay or vacate for unpaid rent, three calendar days to cure or vacate for another lease violation, 15 calendar days to end a month-to-month tenancy - then, only after the notice period expires uncured, file an unlawful detainer complaint in district court, where the summons gives the tenant just three business days to appear.
Utah application & screening fees
Utah does not cap rental application or screening fees, but it does regulate the moment the money changes hands: before accepting an application fee or any other payment from a prospective renter, an owner must disclose in writing a good-faith estimate of the rent and of each fixed non-rent expense, the type of each use-based non-rent expense, the day the home is scheduled to be available, the criteria the owner will use to judge eligibility, and how to get the money back.
Utah deposit interest
Utah requires no interest on a residential security deposit, and its deposit chapter is short enough to make the absence unmistakable.
Utah habitability & repairs
Utah requires an owner to keep a rented home fit for human habitation and in line with local ordinances and board-of-health rules, and to maintain common areas, electrical systems, plumbing, heating, hot and cold water, and any air conditioning system in operable condition.
Utah lease termination
A Utah landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy by serving notice at least 15 calendar days before the end of the rental period, and the notice must tell the tenant to leave when that period expires.
Utah mobile home park laws
Utah's Mobile Home Park Residency Act (Utah Code Title 57, Chapter 16) governs lot tenancies in any community with two or more mobile home spaces: a park may end a tenancy only for the causes the act lists, an increase in lot rent or fees cannot be enforced until 60 days after notice is mailed, and a park must give nine months' notice by first-class mail before a change in land use forces residents out.
Utah Fair Market Rents (FY 2027) — HUD's benchmark rents for every Utah metro area and county.
How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Utah Legislature site (le.utah.gov): the versioned section content files behind the xcode pages for Utah Code 57-17-1 through 57-17-5, 57-22-2, 57-22-3, 57-22-4, 57-22-7, 57-20-1, 78B-6-802, and 10-8-85.5, plus the chapter tables of contents for Title 57 Chapters 17 and 22 (negative checks). Every key figure re-read on law.justia.com's 2025 Utah Code mirror and matched verbatim: the 30-day deposit return clock and its vacate-plus-return-of-possession trigger, the five-business-day cure window and $100 civil penalty with the 57-17-3(3) notice prerequisite, the late-fee cap ('the greater of 10% of the rent agreed to in the rental agreement; or $75'), the 24-hour entry-notice default and its 'except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement' carve-out, the 57-22-4(9) no-cause-of-action clause, the 15-calendar-day month-to-month termination notice of 78B-6-802(1)(b)(i), and the 57-20-1 rent and fee control prohibition. Bill attributions and statuses verified against le.utah.gov's own bill-status JSON endpoint and enrolled/introduced bill texts: 2021 HB 68 (Ch. 98, late-fee cap and entry notice, eff. 5/5/2021), 2025 HB 480 (Ch. 275, electronic deposit returns, eff. 5/7/2025), 2026 HB 591 (Ch. 401, nuisance-only changes to 78B-6-802, eff. 5/6/2026). 2026 General Session (adjourned sine die March 2026, no carryover) checked: HB 478 (rent-increase/fee notice) and HB 516 both died 'House/ filed' 3/6/2026; no enacted 2026 law touches the four topics.