Buying a home in Southern Utah and renting it out by the night sounds like an easy win. Zion is next door, the weather is great most of the year, and visitors keep coming. But St. George short-term rental rules are some of the strictest in the region, and the rules change once you cross into Hurricane, Washington City, Ivins, or Santa Clara. If you’re thinking about buying a nightly rental this fall, here’s where it’s actually allowed, what licenses and taxes apply, and how to protect yourself before you write an offer.
Why nightly rentals are so popular here
Demand isn’t the problem. According to the National Park Service, Zion National Park recorded 4,984,525 recreation visits in 2025, second only to Great Smoky Mountains among all national parks. The catch is that most local cities have decided nightly rentals belong in specific resort areas, not ordinary neighborhoods.
St. George short-term rental rules
St. George defines a short-term residential rental as lodging offered for 29 consecutive days or less (City Code 10-2-1). There are three main ways a property can qualify:
- Approved resort developments. The city publishes an Approved Short Term Rental Properties list (dated June 4, 2026) that names specific communities, including areas of Green Valley, Entrada, The Ledges, Bloomington Country Club Vacation Villas, Villas at Sun River, Redhawk, approved historic landmark properties, and the resort portion of Desert Color (not the whole community). Some entries are limited to certain units or plats, so check the exact address. The city also posts a map on its business licensing page.
- The Resort Overlay Zone. Under City Code 10-13D-1, nightly rentals are allowed in a resort overlay development with at least 100 dwelling units (or 50 for single-family projects under four units per acre), written consent from 100% of owners on the recorded plat, and a note on the recorded plat and CC&Rs saying short-term rentals are permitted.
- Large lots. City Code 10-17A-13 allows a single-family home to qualify only if it sits on two acres or more, fronts a major collector or arterial street (66-foot right-of-way or wider), and is at least 500 feet from another short-term rental. Very few typical subdivision lots meet all three.
Even a qualifying property needs a city business license. Under City Code 3-2V-1, the license isn’t transferable to a new owner, the property must have a local property manager available 24 hours a day, garbage has to be removed within 24 hours of guests leaving, and short-term rentals are subject to transient room tax.
Hurricane, Washington City, Ivins, and Santa Clara
Hurricane
Hurricane has closed the door on new nightly rentals in regular neighborhoods. Hurricane City Code 10-51-13 says no new or additional whole-home vacation rentals will be permitted or licensed in single-family zones. Existing licensed rentals can keep operating and renewing, and if you buy one, you must apply for a new license within 45 days of closing, finish licensing within six months, and serve a six-month probation with local management. Miss that window and you lose the right to rent it nightly. The city’s business licensing page says vacation rentals in approved Recreation Resort areas are a permitted use but still need a license (the vacation rental license fee is listed at $300), and annual fire inspections are required for any short-term rental.
Washington City
Washington City defines “short term” as 27 days or less. Nightly rentals are allowed in designated subdivisions in its residential rental short-term overlay (City Code 9-12E). The city’s short-term rental page lists approved subdivisions, including several Sienna Hills and Coral Canyon communities, Cottages at Stucki Farms, Freedom Village, Vida Sol Vacation Townhomes, and Skyline at Long Valley. Every unit needs a business license and an annual fire inspection. Outside those areas, City Code 9-14-25 requires a conditional use permit, a lot of at least 10,000 square feet, notarized approval from 75% of property owners within 500 feet, HOA board approval if there’s an HOA, and a local manager within 20 miles.
Ivins
Ivins City Code 16.12.123 prohibits rentals of less than 30 days in all residential zones, except a legal bed and breakfast inn or a mixed-use overlay zone that includes resort commercial.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara City Code 17.20.260 prohibits short-term residential properties (29 days or less) in every zone except where allowed by conditional use permit in the planned development residential district or the historic district/mixed use zone.
What Utah state law says about enforcement
Utah limits how cities can go after nightly rentals, but it doesn’t protect illegal ones. Under Utah Code 10-8-85.4 (current version effective November 6, 2025):
- A city can’t fine or prosecute someone solely for listing a short-term rental on a website like Airbnb or Vrbo.
- A city can use a listing as evidence that a rental took place, as long as it has additional information showing a violation.
- Cities can require a business license or permit before a short-term rental operates.
- A city can ask a rental website to remove a listing that violates its licensing or zoning rules, and it can share listings with the county auditor as evidence that transient room tax may be owed.
In plain terms: a listing alone won’t get you fined, but neighbor complaints, guest reviews, or tax records can add up fast. If the zoning doesn’t allow it, don’t count on state law to bail you out.
Taxes on nightly rentals in Washington County
The Utah State Tax Commission says transient room tax applies to temporary lodging for stays of less than 30 consecutive days, on top of regular sales tax. Here are the rates in effect as of October 1, 2026, from the Tax Commission’s combined sales tax rate chart and transient room tax chart:
- St. George, Ivins, and Santa Clara: 6.75% sales tax plus 6.57% transient room tax (4.50% county, 1.07% state, 1.00% municipal), or about 13.32% combined.
- Hurricane and Washington City: 7.08% sales tax (including a 0.33% fire district tax, which is new in Washington City as of October 1, 2026) plus 6.57% transient room tax, or about 13.65% combined.
So on a $1,000 booking in St. George, guests would owe roughly $133 in taxes (our math, using those published rates). Rates can change quarterly, so check the current chart.
If you book through Airbnb or Vrbo, the platform may handle much of this. Utah’s Publication 71 says marketplace facilitators must collect sales tax and sales-related taxes, including transient room tax, on the sales they facilitate. Direct bookings are on you, so you’ll need your own sales tax account. Hurricane, for example, requires a valid state tax number on its short-term rental license application.
Buyer tips before you make an offer
- Verify the exact address, not the neighborhood. Check the city’s approved list or overlay map, then confirm with the city’s planning or business licensing office. A listing that says “nightly rental allowed” isn’t proof.
- Read the HOA’s CC&Rs and rules. Under Utah Code 57-8a-209, an HOA can restrict the number and term of rentals or prohibit them in its recorded declaration, and can set a minimum lease term of six months or less by rule. Even in a city-approved area, the HOA can be stricter.
- Ask about existing licenses. In St. George, licenses don’t transfer. In Hurricane, a grandfathered whole-home rental only stays a nightly rental if you meet the 45-day application deadline.
- Run the numbers as a long-term rental too. If the rules tighten or bookings slow, can the property cover its costs on a 30-day-plus or 12-month lease? That’s your safety net.
Frequently asked questions
Can I Airbnb my house in a regular St. George neighborhood?
Usually not. Unless the home is in an approved resort development or meets the two-acre, arterial-street, and 500-foot-separation test in City Code 10-17A-13, nightly rentals aren’t allowed. Rentals of 30 days or more fall outside the city’s short-term rental definition.
Can I still buy a vacation rental in Hurricane?
Yes, in approved Recreation Resort areas, or by buying a home that already holds a valid whole-home vacation rental license and applying for your own license within 45 days of the purchase.
Can the city fine me just for listing my place online?
No. Utah Code 10-8-85.4 bars cities from punishing someone solely for listing a short-term rental. But a city can use the listing as evidence if it has other information showing a violation.
Buying an investment property in St. George?
Axiom Properties helps investors and homeowners across St. George, Hurricane, Washington City, Ivins, and Santa Clara find properties that fit their plans, whether that’s a licensed nightly rental in a resort community or a solid long-term rental. If you want help checking whether a property can legally rent nightly before you buy, reach out to Axiom Properties.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. City codes, approved-property lists, and tax rates change, so confirm current rules with the city’s planning or business licensing office, your HOA, the Utah State Tax Commission, and a licensed attorney or tax professional before you buy.
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