[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6361269,"mediaKeyId","2171006-ccf8a397ebb8cd96ae27527e87f517a2","parentId",2171006,"title","Committee backs HB 256 to let municipalities use online listings as enforcement evidence for short‑term rentals","audioSeconds",726,"startMs",988000,"endMs",1714000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171006-ccf8a397ebb8cd96ae27527e87f517a2&start=988&end=1714","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171006-ccf8a397ebb8cd96ae27527e87f517a2/thumbnail_988000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361269/Utah/Committee-backs-HB-256-to-let-municipalities-use-online-listings-as-enforcement-evidence-for-shortterm-rentals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361269-646ad83bd8f9315dfd44407af4d1f4f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150893&Signature=TwPH9FEVP5MVN5BLYJE8Txl~Nvs~1zWnvoy0DK2kwnfX-bqymrBBOXPSIlwzaSl6wPHRQpMhdJA5ySvVfxc3iGqbReqzRrNZEtqYdi4u~BWgJo3hfv~Ei2oBrYlJgequ8~qAcwZejEK59zOSO3qkphmhofagdgxaiXPstQaZdeNoR-oxhdgU47u-U88Aux3FkbLh5IyPf76d2WQdHPyRZD679gaAjxTYz~fqBZHnM2EuZL~Sa8fzLVUv7MmCIETJ2D8R3HOnechcgOq8pZkTgRyOMoHoTUueyUXrgPFO95FVps-IBiOZ08DIEyHHMWP27CTeEtffwROh54kh2zzNHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah State Legislature","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The House Political Subdivisions Committee voted unanimously to recommend favorably House Bill 256, Municipal Zoning Amendments, which creates new enforcement tools for municipalities addressing nonconforming short‑term rentals.

Rep. Walter, sponsor of HB 256, told the committee the bill “allows a municipality or a county, if it chooses to regulate short term rentals…to use the listing on a short term rental website as evidence that that short term rental took place so long as the municipality or county has additional information.” He emphasized the proposal does not permit a listing to be the sole source of evidence for enforcement.

HB 256 also lets municipalities require that short‑term rental listings display a locally issued permit or business license number and directs cooperating short‑term rental platforms to remove listings confirmed to be nonconforming. Rep. Walter said the bill “does not restrict the operation of legal short term rentals” and does not prescribe how municipalities must structure their ordinances; it is intended to provide an additional enforcement mechanism.

Stakeholders who testified included representatives of industry and local government. Alyssa Daley of the Utah Association of Realtors thanked the sponsor and said the bill “helps balance out the interest of both private property owners and the communities that have short term rentals in them.” Jordan Hess, legislative affairs director for Washington City and an executive committee member of the Washington County Housing Action Coalition, said the measure preserves local authority, could free nightly rentals to enter the long‑term market if enforcement reduces illegal nightly rentals, and noted Washington City has 596 licensed nightly rentals.

Rep. Bennion and other committee members asked about listings and offline advertising. Rep. Bennion noted there are ways people advertise outside online platforms and suggested this area may require future attention. Rep. Walter said HB 256 was drafted in consultation with industry stakeholders, including Expedia (owner of VRBO), and the Utah League of Cities and Towns; the bill’s language reflects those discussions.

Representative Peterson moved that the committee pass HB 256 with a favorable recommendation; the committee approved the motion unanimously. The transcript records the unanimous passage but does not list individual roll‑call votes in the hearing record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Political Subdivisions Committee - January 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","House committee recommended favorably HB 256, which clarifies enforcement tools for municipal short‑term rental ordinances by allowing online listings to serve as corroborating evidence, permitting permit‑numbers on listings and enabling cooperation with platforms to remove nonconforming listings.","taxTitle","2025 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",78171,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361273,"Committee advances SB 23 after technical fixes to First Home Investment Zone tool",837,136000,973000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171006-ccf8a397ebb8cd96ae27527e87f517a2&start=136&end=973","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171006-ccf8a397ebb8cd96ae27527e87f517a2/thumbnail_136000.jpg","/articles/6361273/Utah/Committee-advances-SB-23-after-technical-fixes-to-First-Home-Investment-Zone-tool","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361273-b10485d1a6af7a2f148006ae9c93dfa6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150893&Signature=m19borpZ1NNJHSTjJN9p7DQnNw7s0v~II4uSD84Jv~BIO-vwpeOcdTi3FO91jrLkvEZQNaUuEnOVc9rZ66N67NUTp3BsZvLXhbjTY6uO0jMG8H8iDBPj2NUJu3tKxm7cPVC~9LKKYTGyMl1NAJt1hY1escjpqWhoh633u5uX~8X5yqL2DNU~yYNpxzHyJ485fg8g1XbJx1kv1Wa7FhvwSPW8jviR11Hi1W5Vc43oGQHv0yNCjdujNZ8yuDddbOUfT5TDkZp92yRnsTb2CJhRiP83wkkn42paeSJmoF5Tkj32DvXExplN7H0ofrDnrRKKmzwJB27VpxHlfKS~crW2Vg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Utah House Political Subdivisions Committee recommended favorably the first substitute to SB 23, the First Home Investment Zone amendments, after the sponsor and multiple stakeholders described the measure as a technical fix that restores the bill’s original intent.

Sen. Harper, sponsor of SB 23, told the committee the “first home investment zone” is intended to allow a community to “create an area around an intersection or around a transit improvement…put a little bit of higher density there and then shift some of that density to another area within the community for first homes,” and that the substitute corrects drafting errors that prevented implementation.

The substitute modifies how the bill measures developable area, clarifies parcel descriptions and titles, and corrects mathematical formulas used to calculate density. Sen. Harper said the language now requires that 50% of homes in a designated owner‑occupied portion of a zone must be owner occupied, and that half of those owner‑occupied homes “must be restricted for 25 years to owner occupied.” He told the committee the change will exclude nonbuildable features such as parks and roads when calculating developable acreage.

Public commenters and stakeholders voiced support and questions. Andrew Gruber, executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, called the change “a relatively simple fix” and said the council supports the sponsor’s adjustments. Carson Eilers of the Utah League of Cities and Towns said the substitute will allow municipalities to implement a tool passed last year and called it “a tool in the toolbox.” Kate Klune of the Utah Association of Realtors said the measure is one tool to address affordable housing.

At the same time, some public commenters pressed the committee for clarity about who benefits and how density is calculated. Suzanne Hansen of Layton asked whether the bill shifts authority to counties by changing references from a “municipal statistical area” to county or metropolitan statistical area definitions and questioned whether the measure would favor developers because of how acreage is counted. Sen. Harper responded that “municipal statistical area is not defined in code or in federal law. So we went to one of the terms that is actually quantifiable that you can point to in code.”

Representative Walter moved adoption of the first substitute; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote. The committee record shows the substitute’s title and body were deleted and replaced with the first substitute language described in the hearing. The committee did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript.

The committee’s favorable recommendation sends the first substitute to the next legislative stage for floor consideration.","The House Political Subdivisions Committee recommended favorably a first substitute to SB 23, which makes technical and definitional fixes to the First Home Investment Zone tool and sets owner‑occupancy and developable‑area rules intended to increase owner‑occupied housing.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee backs HB 256 to let municipalities use online listings as enforcement evidence for short‑term rentals

Committee advances SB 23 after technical fixes to First Home Investment Zone tool