In light of Murray City’s change to its short term rental ordinance, Riverton officials decided to revisit theirs. 

After discussion, the Riverton City Council chose to keep its current ordinance suggesting extra education and enforcement with those not in compliance. 

Mayor Trent Staggs brought the item before the council in February after receiving several complaints from residents. 

“The complaints I’ve mostly heard are just too many residents jammed in (to the property),” Staggs said. 

Riverton’s current short-term rental code states rentals cannot last more than 30 days and can only be rented out 150 days of the year, while the owner must live on the property a minimum of 185 days, just over half the year. 

City code does not require what is known as “hosted sharing” where the primary resident must live on site for the duration of a guest’s stay. But the home must be registered with the city and receive a conditional use permit from the planning commission which looks at the owner’s business model, available street parking and the location’s viability, explained City Attorney Ryan Carter. 

“(The commission) might exact some conditions on the property regarding lighting” or anything else that can be considered a nuisance, he said. 

If properties are causing enough trouble to get the city’s attention, Carter said, they often find they are operating without a permit and work to bring them into compliance. 

Carter said Murray’s model, passed in January of this year, is unique relative to other city ordinances in Salt Lake County. Murray requires the resident to live onsite throughout the stay and carries no limits on the number of days per year it can be rented out. 

“Can do back-to-back rentals year-round as long as someone lives there,” he said. 

Councilmember Spencer Haymond said he likes short-term rentals, having used them himself, and appreciates the ability for a homeowner to make extra income. But he understands the dilemma. 

“I constantly have that battle between caring for the neighbor and making sure they don’t live in a hotel district, but at the same time, the people have the right to do with their property what they want,” he said. 

The issues often heard by Councilmember Troy McDougal with short-term rentals is parking and after-hours activities. He said having the homeowner requirement of living there half the year helps mitigate that since they have a “vested interest in the community.”

“When we went through this ordinance…I think we found the perfect balance that works well,” he said. “The question now is of enforcing and communicating.”

McDougal preferred to leave the ordinance as is, as did Councilmember Tish Buroker, who emphasized the important part “is whether or not it’s enforceable.” 

“As long as you have that hook that you’ve got to live there a certain number of days each year, you’ve got an enforceable ordinance,” she said.  λ