Utah Code § 57-22 § 57-22-7
Limitation on counties and municipalities.
Operative Text
Limitation on counties and municipalities. (1) A county or municipality may not adopt an ordinance, resolution, or regulation that is inconsistent with this chapter. (2) (a) Subsection (1) may not be construed to limit the ability of a county or municipality to enforce an applicable administrative remedy with respect to a residential rental unit for a violation of a county or municipal ordinance, subject to Subsection (2)(b). (b) A county or municipality's enforcement of an administrative remedy may not have the effect of: (i) modifying the time requirements of a corrective period, as defined in Section 57-22-6; (ii) limiting or otherwise affecting a tenant's remedies under Section 57-22-6; or (iii) modifying an owner's obligation under this chapter to a tenant relating to the habitability of a residential rental unit. (3) A municipality with a good landlord program under Section 10-1-203.5 may not limit an owner's participation in the program or reduce program benefits to the owner because of renter or crime victim action that the owner is prohibited under Subsection 57-22-5.1(10) from restricting or penalizing.
Utah Code Ann. § 57-22-7 establishes that local governments — counties and municipalities — cannot pass ordinances, resolutions, or regulations that conflict with Utah's Residential Rental Practices Act. While local governments retain the ability to enforce their own administrative remedies for local code violations, those enforcement actions cannot shorten corrective-period timelines, undercut tenant remedies, or reduce an owner's habitability obligations as set by state law. Additionally, municipalities that operate a 'good landlord program' under state law cannot penalize a property owner's participation in that program because of protected actions taken by renters or crime victims.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 57-22-7, property owners can rely on the fact that local ordinances cannot override the statewide standards for corrective periods, habitability obligations, or tenant remedies established by the Residential Rental Practices Act. Compliant operators generally stay informed about both state and local requirements, understanding that where a local rule conflicts with state law, the state standard governs. Owners participating in a municipal good landlord program should also be aware that their standing in such a program cannot be reduced solely because a tenant or crime victim exercised rights that the owner is prohibited from restricting under § 57-22-5.1(10).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 57-22-7 protects tenants by ensuring that local government enforcement actions cannot be used to shorten the corrective periods or limit the remedies that state law — particularly § 57-22-6 — provides to renters. If a county or municipality attempts to enforce a local ordinance in a way that appears to undermine those state-law protections, tenants may have grounds to raise that conflict as a defense or to seek guidance from a tenant-rights organization familiar with Utah housing law. Tenants who are also crime victims should be aware that § 57-22-7(3) prevents municipalities from penalizing a landlord's good-landlord-program status based on protected renter or crime-victim conduct, which indirectly reinforces the protections found in § 57-22-5.1(10).
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 16, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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