Salt Lake City's zoning code currently defines "family" in three parts — related people living as a single household, unrelated people living as a single household, and a third category — with relationship-based language limiting how many unrelated people may share a home. This amendment, to section 21A.62.040, removes the relationship-based restrictions entirely.
In their place it sets a simple occupancy standard: no more than two people per bedroom, plus one additional person per dwelling unit — a limit the staff report notes is in line with building code. The change applies to every zoning district and property in the city.
The June 24 packet includes written comment on both sides. In support:
"Simplifying the code by removing relationship-based distinctions makes sense and reflects the reality of how people live today. A definition of 'family' that is no longer tied to blood or legal relationships recognizes the diversity of households in our city…" — resident comment letter, June 24 public-comment packet
And in opposition, the East Liberty Park Community Organization warns the change could convert single-family homes into de facto boarding houses:
"These unrelated groupings are not going to take place solely in anonymous high-rise apartment buildings, they are going to play out in family homes in residential neighborhoods…" — ELPCO comment letter, May 24, 2026
The Commission's "additional recommendations" attached to its approval are the thread to pull next — they will appear in the written record of decision and shape what the Council actually votes on.
| Council hearing notice | Watch the Recorder's public notices — hearing dates typically post with 2–3 weeks' lead. We flag it the day it appears. |
| The "additional recommendations" | The Commission's conditions, in the record of decision, may narrow or reshape the occupancy standard. |
| Enforcement details | Comment letters on both sides converge on one question — how per-bedroom occupancy will actually be enforced. Expect Council discussion here. |
| Who's affected first | Landlords and co-living operators citywide; buyers weighing house-hacking economics; single-family neighborhoods near universities and downtown. |