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Provo does allow short term rentals, but only in a handful of zoning districts, and almost none of them are neighborhoods where people live in single-family homes. If your house is on a residential street, the answer is almost certainly no. This guide covers what Utah law lets the city do, what Provo's code requires, and what to check before you list anything.
Provo requires a short term rental business license and allows short term rentals (stays under about a month) only in eight zones: DT1, DT2, SC3, GW, WG, FC1, FC2 and PIC. Operating one in any agricultural or residential zone is unlawful under Provo City Code 6.33.020. Utah law lets the city require a license and ask platforms like Airbnb to pull listings that break the rules.
Yes, in a narrow set of places. Provo's short term rental chapter, City Code 6.33, makes it unlawful to keep or operate a short term rental in any agricultural or residential zone. The city's FAQ lists the only zones where it is allowed: DT1, DT2, SC3, GW, WG, FC1, FC2 and PIC. Look up your parcel's zone with Provo Development Services before you spend money on furniture or a listing.
Provo's city code site and permit pages block our automated reader, so we could not read the code text ourselves. The details in this guide come from the city's published short term rental license materials as reported by a Provo short term rental guide and a search of the code, and from Utah Code, which we did read on le.utah.gov. Confirm every number below with the city at (801) 852-6400 before you act on it.
In practical terms, a spare room, a basement apartment or a whole house in a typical Provo neighborhood cannot be a licensed Airbnb. The ordinance is aimed at downtown-style and commercial districts, not at the streets near BYU where most homeowners and landlords live. Older reporting put Provo's listing count in the hundreds, but that number is from 2019 and we did not find a current one.
The state rule is Utah Code 10-8-85.4, last amended in 2025 and effective November 6, 2025. It defines a short term rental as a residential unit, or any part of one, offered for fewer than 30 consecutive days. Under that definition, a month-to-month tenant is not a short term rental guest, and a three-night Airbnb stay is.
The law limits the city in one place and arms it in several. A city cannot enact or enforce an ordinance that prohibits you from listing a short term rental on a rental website, and it cannot fine you only for the act of listing. But the city can require you to get a business license or permit before you operate, and it can use a listing as evidence that a rental took place if it has other information that you broke a local rule.
The city also cannot regulate the platforms themselves. What it can do is send a platform a notice, naming the listing URL and the reason, asking for removal when the rental violates business license or zoning rules. Separately, if the city imposes transient room tax, it can hand listings to the county auditor as evidence that you owe it. A 2025 bill, House Bill 256, took effect May 7, 2025 and gives cities more room to use platform listings when they investigate unlicensed rentals.
Provo treats a short term rental as a commercial business license with a short term rental classification, not the ordinary rental dwelling license that long-term landlords use. The city's license page lists $125 for a new application. A published guide to the city's process reports that the application goes through Provo's online portal, takes about two weeks, and that Development Services confirms the zone first. The same guide says the fee is not refunded if the zoning check fails, so check the zone before you pay.
The documents the city asks for: the Provo short term rental application, proof of ownership such as the deed or county land records, a copy of liability insurance with the policy number, a Utah sales tax license and business entity registration, and a federal EIN. Owners who live outside Utah need a registered agent. If you are setting up an LLC to hold the property, see our Utah LLC registration guide, and for the sales tax account see the Utah sales tax license guide.
Zoning is the step that decides everything. The same code chapter reportedly caps short term rentals at 10 percent of the units in a multifamily building where they are allowed. The cap and any distance rule for the local manager are items to confirm at the counter, because the final text may differ from drafts the council reviewed in 2024.
State law lets cities and counties charge transient room tax on lodging stays shorter than 30 consecutive days, and Utah Code 10-8-85.4(7) specifically lets a city pass your listing to the county auditor if you may owe it. A short term rental also generally collects sales tax, which is why Provo asks for a Utah sales tax license with the application.
We did not confirm a current combined rate. Published guides give different numbers for the state, county and city shares, and the state raised part of its rate in 2025. Check the Utah State Tax Commission rate lookup for your address, and call the Commission at 801-297-2200 or 1-800-662-4335. If a platform such as Airbnb collects some of the tax for you, confirm exactly which taxes it remits, because that varies by platform and by tax.
Each row below is sourced as described above. Confirm with Provo before relying on it.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Governing rule | Provo City Code Chapter 6.33, Ordinance 2024-19, adopted April 16, 2024 |
| Allowed zones | DT1, DT2, SC3, GW, WG, FC1, FC2, PIC |
| Residential or agricultural zones | Unlawful under 6.33.020 |
| License | Commercial business license, short term rental classification |
| New application fee | $125 per the city's license page |
| Definition of short term | Under 30 consecutive days (Utah Code 10-8-85.4) |
| Can the city ban listing on Airbnb? | No. It can require a license and send takedown notices for violations |
| Who to call | Provo Development Services, (801) 852-6400 |
Provo can treat an active listing as part of its evidence, and it can send Airbnb or VRBO a takedown notice naming your listing. We could not confirm a fine schedule for unlicensed operation, so do not trust any dollar figure you see online for penalties until the city gives you one in writing. A published guide also reports that licenses can be suspended or revoked for false application information or for use outside the license terms.
Beyond the city, check your insurance and your property deed. A standard homeowner or landlord policy may not cover paying overnight guests, and many HOAs and some neighborhood deed restrictions ban short term rentals outright. Our Utah County business insurance guide covers the policy side. If you cannot get a license at your address, a month-plus lease to a tenant or a rental in a nearby city with different rules are the usual fallbacks, and each city sets its own.
A licensed host in a downtown-style zone is selling to the same visitors who fill Provo for BYU events, concerts and a weekend in the area. Airbnb and VRBO will send most of the demand, but a direct channel keeps repeat guests off the platform fee. A Google Business Profile helps; see the Google Business Profile guide.
We also sell local advertising, so weigh this as a vendor quote. Provo FOMO is a daily Utah County newsletter with about 3,100 subscribers. A one-issue closing ad costs $99 and a top-of-issue spot costs $199 per issue; details on the advertise page. It fits a host who wants local guests for friends and family visiting residents, and it does not fit a unit that sits mostly on the national platforms. For other options, see where to advertise in Utah County at our comparison.
