Notice to Enter Clause
in Your Lease
How this page is sourced
Statutes verified against primary state sources
Every statute cited here was read in its published text before this page went live: on the state's own site where that site can be reached, otherwise on a republished copy of the code. Court decisions are quoted from the published opinion and linked to it, so you can read the original yourself.
Primary sourcesNot legal advice
Content verified against primary state statutes before publicationLast updated: October 2026
What it actually means, what Utah law says, what's specific to Salt Lake City - and exactly what to do. In plain English.
Quick Summary - What You Need to Know
- Utah's § 57-22-4(2) sets at least 24 hours of notice, except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement.
- Salt Lake City's § 18.96.080(C) sets 24 hours outside an emergency, with entry only from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
- Utah bars city rules inconsistent with its chapter (§ 57-22-7(1)); we take no position on how that applies.
- You may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs (§ 57-22-5(2)(c)).
- A missed state notice cannot be used to sue or to excuse your own lease duties (§ 57-22-4(9)).
Step by step
How it plays out
- Notice arrivesLandlord says they will enterAt least 24 hours' notice of plans to enter is required, except in an emergency (§ 18.96.080(C), § 18.96.080(B)).
- 24 hours laterEarliest the entry should happenBoth § 57-22-4(2) and § 18.96.080(C) set at least 24 hours; the state rule yields to the rental agreement.
- The visitDaytime visit for a listed reasonBetween 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. You may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs (§ 57-22-5(2)(c), § 18.96.080(A)).
Count it for your dates
24 hours: when does it end?
What it means: The landlord should not enter before 24 hours have passed, and the visit must fall between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. Applies to Salt Lake City owners outside an emergency; the state rule applies except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement, and § 18.96.020 leaves out uses such as transient hotel occupancy (Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.080(C); Utah Code § 57-22-4(2)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.
Copy and send: After a notice of entry came with less than 24 hours' warning, for a visit outside 8 A.M. to 10 P.M., or with no stated purpose
Ask for proper notice before entry
Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.
How Utah compares
Required entry notice, state by state
12 hrs24 hrs48 hrsNo figureGuide coming soonYou are here
See all 27 cities as a chart
Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.
Understanding the Notice to Enter Clause
This page is for Salt Lake City renters whose landlord wants to come in. Two rules answer the notice question, and both say at least 24 hours.
The state rule gives way to the rental agreement. The city rule, as we read it, states no lease exception, and it adds a daytime window.
We set them side by side without resolving how they fit. You also may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs. Keep every notice with the date and time it arrived.
What renters assume
The lease decides everything about entry, because Utah's 24-hour rule gives way to whatever the rental agreement says.
What is actually true
§ 57-22-4(2) does yield to the rental agreement. But Salt Lake City's § 18.96.080(C) sets the same 24 hours and a daytime window with no lease exception stated, and we do not resolve how the two fit together.
Twenty-seven rows sit in the comparison on this page, and 18 carry a figure. Twelve sit at 24 hours: Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Las Vegas, Columbus, Newark, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City.
Five sit at 48 hours, in Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, Washington and Louisville, and Milwaukee reads 12 hours. Oklahoma City's label says 1 day and Louisville's 2 days.
Nine rows draw no bar: Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Charlotte and Indianapolis.
Salt Lake City's bar is one figure standing for two texts. Utah's § 57-22-4(2) and the city's § 18.96.080(C) both say 24 hours, but the state section yields to the rental agreement and the city section, as we read it, states no lease exception.
A bar cannot show that difference, so read the two sections side by side.
Notice to Enter Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Salt Lake City, UT
The sample clause below is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.
Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.
Lessor hereby reserves, and the Lessee hereby grants to the Lessor or his agents, the right to enter said leased premises at reasonable times, for the purpose of making repairs or to inspect the premises, to show the dwelling to prospective tenants after notice of termination.
Quoted from the published opinion in Kalmas v. Wagner, 133 Wn.2d 210 (Wash. 1997) (en banc). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
What the 4 highlighted phrases mean
“the Lessee hereby grants”
A grant written into the lease is the kind of text Utah's state rule makes room for. Utah Code § 57-22-4(2) requires at least 24 hours prior notice of entry “Except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement”, so a paragraph like this one is read alongside the statute rather than beneath it. Salt Lake City's § 18.96.070 then says lease terms may be more favorable to the tenant than state law or city ordinance “but cannot be more restrictive”.
See the example
“at reasonable times”
Salt Lake City puts clock hours on this phrase. Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.080(C) says that, except in case of emergency, the owner gives the tenant at least 24 hours' notice of plans to enter, and it confines entry to the hours from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Our record of § 57-22-4(2) is about how much notice comes first, and it does not reach the hour of the visit itself.
See the example
“for the purpose of making repairs or to inspect the premises”
Repairs are where Utah puts duties on the renter as well. § 57-22-5(2)(c) says a renter may not “unreasonably deny access to, refuse entry to, or withhold consent to enter” the unit for the purpose of making repairs. A renter who serves a notice of deficient condition must also, under § 57-22-6(2)(b)(iv), give the owner permission to enter to make corrective action. Compare the purposes in this clause with the city's own lists in § 18.96.080(A) and (D).
See the example
“to show the dwelling to prospective tenants”
Showings are on the city's list too. § 18.96.080(A) says a tenant “shall not unreasonably withhold consent” to entry to exhibit the unit to prospective purchasers, tenants or work people, so a showing clause like this one is read against that duty and the city's notice and hours. On the state side, § 57-22-4(9) says a renter may not use an owner's failure to give the subsection (2) notice to excuse the renter's own compliance with the rental agreement, or to bring a cause of action against the owner.
See the example
The clause held - because the landlord followed the statute. The agent gave the notice the state's landlord-tenant act requires before entering to show the unit, so the tenants “had no reasonable expectation other than that entry for inspection would occur” and the brief entry was not unreasonable. The court was careful about what the clause bought: it and the statute together grant only a limited right to inspect.
How this state's law treats this clause
One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.
Utah Law on Notice to Enter Clause
- The state figure is in § 57-22-4(2): "Except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement, an owner shall provide the renter at least 24 hours prior notice of the owner's entry into the renter's residential rental unit." The opening words let a written or oral rental agreement set a different arrangement, so read the entry paragraph of the lease alongside the statute.
Read the law's words
Section 57-22-4(9) also says a renter may not use an owner's failure to comply with Subsection (2) "to excuse the renter's compliance with a rental agreement" or "to bring a cause of action against the owner". - Salt Lake City's ordinance reads differently.
Read the law's words
Section 18.96.080(A) says a tenant "shall not unreasonably withhold consent" to entry to make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, or to show the unit to prospective purchasers, tenants or work people; § 18.96.080(B) allows entry without consent in an emergency; and § 18.96.080(C) sets at least 24 hours' notice and an entry window of 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Section 18.96.070 adds that rules, regulations or lease terms may be more favorable to the tenant than state law or city ordinance "but cannot be more restrictive". - The renter has duties too.
Read the law's words
Utah Code § 57-22-5(2)(c) says a renter may not "unreasonably deny access to, refuse entry to, or withhold consent to enter the residential rental unit to the owner, agent, or manager for the purpose of making repairs to the unit", and a renter who serves a notice of deficient condition must, under § 57-22-6(2)(b)(iv), "provide the owner permission to enter the residential rental unit to make corrective action". - Scope differs between the two layers.
Read the law's words
Utah Code § 57-22-2(5) defines a residential rental unit as a renter's principal place of residence and excludes facilities in a boarding or rooming house or similar facility, a mobile home lot, and recreational property rented on an occasional basis. Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.020 excludes residence at a detention, medical, geriatric, educational, counseling or religious institution, occupancy by a purchaser under a contract of sale, fraternal or social organization housing, transient hotel or motel occupancy (single room occupancy units stay covered), and occupancy by an owner of a condominium unit.
Sources include Utah Code § 57-22-4(2); Utah Code § 57-22-4(9); Utah Code § 57-22-5(2)(c); Utah Code § 57-22-6(2)(b)(iv); Utah Code § 57-22-2(5); Utah Code § 57-22-7(1); Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.080; Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.020; Salt Lake City Code § 18.50.050(C) - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.
Utah's entry rules sit in Utah Code Chapter 57-22:
- § 57-22-4(2) Notice. “Except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement, an owner shall provide the renter at least 24 hours prior notice of the owner's entry into the renter's residential rental unit.” So read your lease's entry paragraph beside the statute.
- § 57-22-4(9) A limit. A renter may not use a missed notice “to excuse the renter's compliance with a rental agreement” or “to bring a cause of action against the owner”.
- § 57-22-5(2)(c) Your side. You may not unreasonably deny access, refuse entry or withhold consent to enter for repairs. If you serve a notice of deficient condition, § 57-22-6(2)(b)(iv) says you must give the owner permission to enter to make corrective action.
- § 57-22-2(5) Scope. The chapter covers a renter's principal place of residence. It leaves out boarding or rooming houses and similar facilities, mobile home lots, and recreational property rented on an occasional basis.
§ 57-22-7(1) says a city or county may not adopt an ordinance “that is inconsistent with this chapter”. Salt Lake City's rule reads differently on the lease exception, and we take no position on how § 57-22-7 applies to it.
Read the current text of § 57-22-4 on le.utah.gov before you rely on it.
What's Specific to Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.080(C) requires, outside an emergency, at least 24 hours' notice of plans to enter, with entry only between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. § 18.96.080(D) allows no other access except a court order, repairs you requested or the city ordered, or abandonment under Utah Code § 78B-6-814. § 18.96.070 says lease terms may be more favorable to you “but cannot be more restrictive”. Enforcement runs through § 18.96.120.
Our record of Chapter 18.96 and § 18.50.100 finds no tenant damages remedy for entry without notice.
It should. Note the figure and compare it with the 24 hours that both the state and the city set.
Compare them with the city's 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. window. A clause naming hours gives you a written term to point to.
The state and city rules treat a lease exception differently, and we do not resolve how they fit. Raise the wording before you sign.
§ 18.96.080(B) allows entry without consent in an emergency. Wording that leaves that label to the landlord alone is worth questioning.
Sources
The law this guide relies on, and where to read it. Statutes change, so confirm the current text before you act on it.
- Utah Code § 57-22-4(2); Utah Code § 57-22-4(9); Utah Code § 57-22-5(2)(c); Utah Code § 57-22-6(2)(b)(iv); Utah Code § 57-22-2(5); Utah Code § 57-22-7(1); Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.080; Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.020; Salt Lake City Code § 18.50.050(C), read on web.archive.org. The Utah Legislature's page for § 57-22-4, saved by the Internet Archive on 18 October 2023, prints the version effective 5/5/2021 with the history line Amended by Chapter 98, 2021 General Session, and the Legislature's Title 57, Chapter 22 index saved on 9 September 2026 still lists that version; FindLaw's copy marked current as of January 1, 2025 carries the same text.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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A visit set for late at night
A notice for a visit before 8:00 A.M. or after 10:00 P.M. falls outside the city window. Question it in writing.
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A visit with no stated purpose
Outside an emergency and your consent, § 18.96.080(D) lists only four other grounds for access. Ask in writing what each visit is for.
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A lease that waives notice
§ 57-22-4(2) yields to the rental agreement, but § 18.96.080(C) states no lease exception and § 18.96.070 says lease terms cannot be more restrictive. Read both before signing.
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Refusing every repair visit
Both the state and the city say you may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs. Propose a time instead of a flat no.
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Counting on damages for a missed notice
§ 57-22-4(9) bars suing over a missed state notice, and our record of the city chapter finds no tenant damages remedy. Log it and object in writing.
Your Rights as a Salt Lake City Tenant
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Notice under state law
§ 57-22-4(2): at least 24 hours prior notice of an owner's entry, except as otherwise provided in the rental agreement.
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Notice and set hours in the city
§ 18.96.080(C): at least 24 hours' notice of plans to enter, outside an emergency, with entry between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M.
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A closed list of other access
§ 18.96.080(D): no other right of access except a court order, repairs you requested, repairs the city ordered, or abandonment.
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Notice before a city inspection
§ 18.50.050(C): a minimum of 24 hours' notification of a building official's inspection in the listed situations, including where you have not already authorized entry.
What To Do - Step by Step
Check that the rules reach your home
The state covers your principal place of residence. § 18.96.020 leaves out uses such as transient hotel occupancy. Settle that first.
Read your entry clause
Search the lease for enter, entry or access. Compare what it says, including any hours it names, with both rules.
Keep every notice with its time
Save texts, emails and portal messages with the date and time each one arrived.
Allow repair visits on reasonable terms
Reply in writing and propose a time inside the 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. window rather than a flat no.
Log each visit
Write down the date, the time, who came in, what they did and how long it took. City enforcement runs through § 18.96.120, so bring the log to it.
Read the current text, then get help
Read § 57-22-4 on le.utah.gov yourself, then take your lease and your log to a Salt Lake City legal aid office or tenant attorney.
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Notice to Enter rules near Utah
The same clause in the nearest states we cover.
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