🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Francis City, UT
Francis City Eyes Cap-and-Control Approach to Short-Term Rentals
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Francis City Eyes Cap-and-Control Approach to Short-Term Rentals
Francis City is preparing to rein in short-term rentals in a big way.
In an effort to preserve neighborhood integrity and respond to growing housing concerns, the Francis City Council is considering new regulations that would significantly limit the number of short-term rental (STR) units allowed within city limits. Under a proposed amendment to the city’s zoning code (Title 18), no more than 3% of the city’s rooftops could be used for STRs which currently translates to just 18 permitted units citywide.
This move comes as communities across Utah grapple with the rapid growth of platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. With roughly 23.8% of housing units in Summit County listed as STRs, officials worry the trend is pricing out local families and exacerbating a housing shortage. The concern? People are buying up affordable homes not to live in them, but to flip them into profit-making vacation rentals.
Francis City wants to push back.
The proposed ordinance does more than just cap numbers. It also mandates a 500-foot buffer between STR units making it difficult for entire neighborhoods to become dominated by transient visitors. Owners or property managers would be required to respond to complaints within one hour, and perhaps most significantly, the permit would be non-transferable, meaning a change in property ownership voids the STR permit automatically.
This ensures new buyers can’t simply inherit the right to operate a short-term rental, keeping tighter control over who gets to host.
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City officials say these updates would help balance the needs of residents with the realities of tourism. By requiring all STRs to go through a formal permit process and setting strict location rules, Francis hopes to curb neighborhood disruption while keeping the door open to responsible operators.
The Planning Commission recently gave the proposal a favorable recommendation, and the City Council was expected to discuss and potentially vote on the amendments at their July 10 meeting. If approved, the policy could set a tone for how other small towns in the region address similar pressures.
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