Short-Term Rental Permits in Grand County, Utah

Unincorporated Grand County: a Short Term Rental Permit, not just a zoning check

Every property owner who wants to operate a short-term rental in unincorporated Grand County must apply for a Short Term Rental Permit through the county's Department of Community Development -- this is a distinct permit application, not something that's automatically bundled into a parcel's existing zoning designation. Permit fees are calculated per person based on the unit's stated occupancy capacity, at a rate of $25 per person. If the parcel doesn't already carry the applicable overlay designation for nightly rental (see the hub's coverage of the county's shift to three narrower use-specific overlays), a separate, one-time Overnight Accommodations Overlay (OAO) permit fee of $500 applies before the Short Term Rental Permit itself can be approved -- that fee is assessed by the Planning & Zoning Department specifically for properties within an OAO district that have not previously operated as a nightly rental.

As of this review, Andrew Jackson serves as Grand County's Planning & Zoning Director and is the named point of contact for OAO permit questions. Given how actively the county has been revising this system (see the hub on the three-overlay restructuring and the Land Use Code audit), confirm current fee amounts, the application form, and processing timelines directly with Community Development before budgeting a purchase around short-term rental income.

Violations escalate fast: warning, then $500, then $1,000, then the permit itself

Grand County enforces its short-term rental rules with a defined, escalating penalty structure rather than a single flat fine. A first violation draws a warning. A second violation carries a $500 fine. A third violation carries a $1,000 fine. A fourth violation results in revocation or suspension of the rental permit itself. That structure matters directly for a buyer: it means a property's short-term rental permit is not a one-time approval you can then operate indefinitely without further compliance -- ongoing violations (of occupancy limits, noise, parking, or any other permit condition) can end in losing the ability to rent the unit at all, not just a fine.

This enforcement structure exists against a backdrop of real strain on the system: county commissioners have weighed a moratorium on new short-term rental licenses after identifying close to 500 units reportedly operating without one. If you're buying specifically for short-term rental income, ask Community Development directly whether any moratorium on new permits or new OAO designations is currently in effect, since the county has shown it's willing to pause new approvals while it works through backlog and policy questions.

Moab city limits run an entirely separate, stricter rulebook

Everything above applies to unincorporated Grand County -- it does not apply inside the City of Moab. Moab's own municipal code generally bars short-term rentals in most residential zones outright, with nightly rental effectively confined to certain commercial or resort-type zones and a limited set of pre-existing, legally established operations grandfathered in. A parcel's proximity to Moab, or even its Moab mailing address, tells you nothing about which jurisdiction's rules actually apply -- that depends entirely on whether the parcel sits inside the incorporated city limits or in the surrounding unincorporated county. Confirm which jurisdiction governs a specific parcel with the Grand County Recorder or Assessor before assuming either rulebook applies.