Cedar City Airbnb Rules & Investment Guide (2026)

Cedar City rules apply only inside City limits. County addresses and nearby communities can follow different processes.

• Confirm the address is inside Cedar City before relying on City licensing rules.
• Match the parcel, owner, structures, and physical address in City and Iron County records.
• Confirm current zoning and lawful residential use with Cedar City Building and Zoning.
• Keep written jurisdiction and zoning responses with the acquisition file.

Cedar City requires a Residential Short-Term Rental Business License for compensated stays of 30 consecutive days or less.

• Confirm the dwelling and proposed use qualify under current Chapter 23 rules.
• Submit each rental address, bedroom count, lodging sales-tax number, insurance proof, and local representative information.
• Provide the required parking diagram and complete the City inspection process.
• Renew annually and reconfirm requirements before changing the property or operation.

The application coordinates licensing, parking, safety, tax, insurance, and local-contact information.

• Use the current City application and fee schedule rather than an archived copy.
• Document 9-foot by 18-foot parking stalls and confirm compliance with Ordinance 26-V-5.
• Prepare for the onsite parking review identified in the City code.
• Confirm the current fee, January renewal date, and any late charges directly with Business Licensing.

The code sets occupancy, local-response, residential-use, nuisance, and advertising expectations.

• Cap occupancy at two guests per bedroom plus four guests per home unless the City confirms a different current rule.
• Maintain a local representative who can respond to complaints within 24 hours.
• Prohibit nuisance, noise, and uses that are not incidental to normal residential occupancy.
• Keep rental advertising, house rules, and operating procedures aligned with the approved property.

Utah treats lodging of less than 30 consecutive days as taxable temporary lodging, subject to applicable sales and transient room taxes.

• Obtain the lodging sales-tax number required by the City application.
• Confirm the current combined rate for the exact property location using Utah Tax Commission tables.
• Determine which taxes a marketplace collects and which remain the operator’s responsibility.
• Reconcile booking statements, taxable charges, exemptions, returns, and payments each filing period.

License approval does not replace zoning, building, fire, parking, or construction review.

• Verify legal bedrooms, exits, additions, conversions, and prior work before underwriting capacity.
• Install and maintain smoke detectors for bedrooms and corridors and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor.
• Confirm whether planned repairs or alterations require permits before work begins.
• Keep inspection, permit, and completion records with the property file.

Iron County and Cedar City records support parcel, ownership, valuation, permit, and improvement review.

• Match assessor and recorder records to the seller, legal description, parcel, and address.
• Compare approved structures and bedrooms with the property’s current condition.
• Search applicable construction-registry and City permit records for documented work.
• Use title and legal professionals to review deeds, liens, easements, and unresolved issues.

Flood exposure, wildfire conditions, winter weather, utilities, and site access vary by parcel.

• Check the City FEMA flood-zone viewer and current federal flood information for the parcel.
• Review drainage, grading, access, roof, heating, pipes, and emergency planning during inspection.
• Obtain property-specific insurance indications for the intended short-term-rental use.
• Model deductibles, exclusions, downtime, repairs, and utility costs instead of using market averages.

City approval does not override HOA rules, CC&Rs, leases, insurance terms, or loan restrictions.

• Review recorded restrictions and current HOA documents before the contingency deadline.
• Obtain written insurance confirmation for the proposed occupancy and business use.
• Confirm lender and lease terms allow the intended short-term-rental operation.
• Treat public approval and private authorization as separate underwriting gates.

Build revenue and cost assumptions from property-specific evidence and conservative scenarios.

• Estimate legal capacity, available nights, rates, and booking volume from comparable evidence tied to the property.
• Model seasonality, cleaning, utilities, repairs, management, taxes, insurance, reserves, and downtime.
• Stress-test lower demand, higher costs, approval delays, weather interruptions, and a long-term-rental fallback.
• Do not substitute market-wide revenue, occupancy, tourism, or appreciation claims for property diligence.

Official sources checked September 28, 2026. Rules, forms, rates, and workflows can change. Reconfirm every requirement before acquisition or operation.

• Cedar City residential STR application
• Cedar City Chapter 23 business regulations
• Cedar City ordinances
• Cedar City Building and Zoning
• Cedar City maps
• Cedar City construction registry guidance
• Iron County GIS
• Iron County Assessor
• Iron County Recorder
• Utah transient room taxes
• Utah lodging tax Publication 56
• Utah sales and use tax rates
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center