Utah tenant screening laws

Before you accept an application fee or any other payment from a prospective tenant, disclose in writing a good faith estimate of the rent and of each fixed non-rent expense, the type of each use-based non-rent expense, the date the unit should be available, the criteria you will use to decide eligibility (including criminal history, credit, income, employment and rental history), and how the applicant can get money back (Utah Code § 57-22-4(3)).

• You may make the estimate disclosure in a rental application, a deposit agreement or a written summary (Utah Code § 57-22-4(3)(b)).
• If the rental agreement's amounts differ from the estimate, or it adds a use-based expense you did not disclose, the applicant may demand the money back in writing within five business days after receiving the agreement, as long as the applicant has not signed it or moved in. You must then return all of it within five business days after you receive the demand (Utah Code § 57-22-4(4)).
• The Fit Premises Act does not set a maximum application fee (Utah Code ch. 57-22).

Utah's Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to refuse to rent, to set different terms, or to publish or use an application form that expresses a preference, because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, source of income, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity (Utah Code § 57-21-5).

• Source of income includes federal, state or local assistance, including rental assistance and rent supplements (Utah Code § 57-21-2(25)).
• Allow reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense and reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for a person with a disability. For a modification you may, where reasonable, require the tenant to restore the interior at move-out. Restoration must except reasonable wear and tear (Utah Code § 57-21-5(4)).
• Renting a single-family home is exempt if the owner holds an interest in no more than three single-family homes for sale or rent, has not sold two or more homes the owner was not living in within 24 months, uses no broker, and uses no discriminatory ad or application form. Renting a room in an owner-occupied home of four or fewer units is exempt except for the advertising rule (Utah Code § 57-21-3(1), (3)).
• You may still turn down an applicant who cannot meet the lease's terms, including its financial obligations (Utah Code § 57-21-3(6)).
• Since May 6, 2026, a private landlord may designate a boarding house, shared rental or other group-living accommodation where residents share a bedroom or bathroom as single-sex housing and limit it by biological sex at birth, unless that would violate federal law or a condition of federal funding (Utah Code § 57-21-5(6)(b); Utah Code § 57-21-2(24)).
• Coercion, threats, interference and reprisal over fair housing rights are also prohibited (Utah Code § 57-21-7).
• The Utah Labor Commission explains that a disability accommodation can be requested during the application process and need not use special wording, a written request or a particular form. Evaluate requests individually and respond promptly; when a requested change is unreasonable, discuss effective reasonable alternatives (Utah Labor Commission: accommodation requests).
• For a qualifying assistance animal, the Commission says to use the accommodation process rather than ordinary pet restrictions. Do not impose pet deposits or fees; uniformly charged general damage deposits and responsibility for actual animal damage still apply. The agency also says an assistance animal needs no special certification (Utah Labor Commission: assistance animals).