Draper homeowners who rent properties on Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar platforms would need a city license and must meet new operating standards under an ordinance headed to public hearing Tuesday, July 21.
The City Council will take public comment and could vote on the proposal at 7 p.m. at Draper City Hall, 1020 E. Pioneer Road, according to a notice posted by City Recorder Nicole Smedley on the city's website and the Utah Public Notice Website.
The ordinance would amend Draper City Municipal Code Titles 6 and 9 to require all short-term rentals to be licensed and permitted and to add associated standards. The city has not publicly released the full text of the draft ordinance, so specific details on license fees, occupancy limits, noise rules, or local-contact requirements are not yet available.
Five months in the making
Staff planner Todd Taylor first brought the short-term rental discussion to the council in a study session on Tuesday, February 17. The Draper Planning Commission held public hearings on the text amendment (application 2026-0090-TA) on Wednesday, April 23, and again on Thursday, May 28.
The council held additional study sessions on Tuesday, May 19, and Tuesday, June 2. At the June 2 session, council members discussed concerns about disruptive gatherings at rental properties, according to an OpenUtah meeting summary.
The item reached the council as a formal public hearing on Tuesday, June 9, designated Ordinance #1721. But the council continued it to "a date uncertain," postponing any vote.
The July 9 notice now sets the hearing for July 21.
Regional context
Draper's move comes as cities across the Wasatch Front tighten short-term rental oversight. Salt Lake City began requiring business licenses for short-term rental listings on Tuesday, July 1. Statewide, the number of short-term rental units grew by nearly 40% between 2021 and 2023, according to the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. As of 2023, Salt Lake County had nearly 5,000 short-term rental units, about 1.1% of the county's housing stock.
A Draper-specific count of short-term rentals operating in the city has not been published.
How to weigh in
Residents can attend the July 21 hearing at 7 p.m. at Draper City Hall. Those who want to review the proposal or submit written comments before the hearing can contact Todd Taylor at (801) 576-6510 or [email protected]. The full public notice is posted at draperutah.gov/news and at utah.gov/pmn.
