Pet Policy 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
- No section we read in Utah Code Chapters 17 and 22, or the city's rental chapters, caps pet money.
- § 57-22-4(5)(b) bars a fee above or outside your lease unless you rent month to month with 15 days' notice.
- Any non-refundable part of a pet deposit must be stated in writing when you pay it (§ 57-17-2).
- A refundable pet deposit returns with an itemized notice within 30 days after move-out (§ 57-17-3(2)).
- Salt Lake City's § 18.96.070 bars a rule adopted mid-lease from substantially changing your terms without your written consent.
Step by step
How it plays out
- Before applyingAsk for the cost estimateA written good faith estimate of each fixed, non-rent expense is due before an application fee is accepted (§ 57-22-4(3)(a)(i)(B)).
- When you payNon-refundable part in writingAny non-refundable part of a deposit must be stated in writing when the deposit is taken (§ 57-17-2).
- During the leaseNo new fees or rulesNo fee outside the lease unless month to month with 15 days' notice (§ 57-22-4(5)(b)); no later rule substantially changing terms without written consent (§ 18.96.070).
- After move-outBalance within 30 daysThe balance and an itemized notice are due within 30 days after you vacate and return possession (§ 57-17-3(2)).
Count it for your dates
30 days: when does it end?
What it means: The owner returns the balance of your pet deposit with a written notice that itemizes and explains each deduction. Applies to an owner holding a refundable pet deposit, which Chapter 17 covers as a deposit however denominated (§ 57-17-1); any part stated non-refundable in writing when taken (§ 57-17-2) is not returned (Utah Code § 57-17-3(2)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.
Copy and send: Before you pay any pet deposit or fee
Ask which pet sums come back
Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.
How Utah compares
Maximum pet deposit, state by state
$300No 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 Pet Policy Clause
This page is for Salt Lake City renters reading the pet paragraph of a lease, usually before they sign. A pet clause can attach money to an animal in three ways: a deposit you may get back, a one-time fee you will not, and a monthly charge billed with the rent.
Utah holds a landlord to the fee amounts written in the rental agreement, so copy every pet figure with its heading and ask which ones come back before you pay.
What renters assume
Utah caps pet deposits, so the figure a lease calls the legal maximum is the most a landlord can charge for an animal.
What is actually true
No section we read in Utah Code Chapters 17 and 22 caps pet money. What they tie it to is the lease: § 57-22-4(5)(b) bars a charge "in an amount greater than the amount agreed to in the rental agreement".
27 rows sit in the comparison further down this page, and one prints a dollar figure: Denver's $300 deposit cap. Eleven fold pet money into a general deposit ceiling.
Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Washington and Baltimore count it within one month's rent, Portland and Minneapolis within a one-month city cap, Phoenix and Detroit within 1.5 months, Atlanta within two months and Las Vegas within three.
Fifteen print no cap figure. Austin, Miami, Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City read no cap; Seattle and Charlotte no dollar cap; Newark and Milwaukee no pet-specific cap; Columbus, Kansas City, Indianapolis and Louisville no cap with a qualifier of their own.
Salt Lake City's bar is empty because our record of Utah's chapters finds no figure for pet money. A bar also cannot show the 15-day notice in § 57-22-4(5)(b) or the city's mid-lease limit in § 18.96.070.
Pet 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.
No pets are allowed in the building or on the Premises at any time. Tenants may be assessed labor cleanup charges (if applicable) for each violation. Tenants agree to an increase in the rental deposit up to the maximum allowed by law in the events of non-compliance with pet prohibitions. Reasonable accommodations accepted.
Quoted from the published opinion in Cohen v. Clark, 945 N.W.2d 792 (Iowa 2020). 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
“on the Premises at any time”
A ban printed in the lease you sign is part of the deal from the first day. In Cohen the change that mattered came later, when the landlord waived the ban for a neighbour. Salt Lake City has a sentence about changes after signing: § 18.96.070 says “no rule adopted after the commencement of any rental agreement shall substantially modify the existing terms, conditions or rules without written consent of the tenant.”
See the example
“labor cleanup charges (if applicable)”
Utah measures a charge like this against the lease that names it. § 57-22-4(5)(b) bars “a fee, fine, assessment, interest, or other cost” that is “in an amount greater than the amount agreed to in the rental agreement” or “that is not included in the rental agreement”. This one is included but carries no figure, and § 57-22-4(8) leaves room for a fee “allowed by law or stated in the rental agreement.”
See the example
“up to the maximum allowed by law”
Here the lease borrows its number from the law instead of stating one. Our record of Utah Code Chapters 17 and 22 finds no maximum on a pet deposit, a pet fee or any residential deposit for the phrase to borrow. What Chapter 17 does reach is the money once it is held: § 57-17-1 covers “deposits however denominated”, and a deposit raised for a pet is still a deposit under that chapter.
See the example
“Reasonable accommodations accepted”
Utah's version of this line sits in its Fair Housing Act. § 57-21-5(4)(b) counts as a discriminatory housing practice a refusal “to make a reasonable accommodation in a rule, policy, practice, or service when the accommodation may be necessary to afford the individual equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.” Our record of that chapter does not mention animals or deposits, and the federal Fair Housing Act was not read for this page.
See the example
The no-pets clause was enforced - for the tenant who relied on it. A renter with a severe dog allergy signed first, in reliance on this clause. The landlord later waived it so a neighbour could keep an emotional support dog. The Iowa Supreme Court held that waiver was not a reasonable accommodation: the allergic tenant had priority in time, and the dog was a direct threat to her health that air purifiers and separate stairwells did not fix. She recovered on the no-pets clause and on the covenant of quiet enjoyment, and the case was sent back for damages of one month's rent. The point renters miss: an accommodation request is weighed against everyone in the building, not just against the landlord.
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 Pet Policy Clause
- A pet deposit is still a deposit under Chapter 17.
Read the law's words
Utah Code § 57-17-1 applies to owners "requiring deposits however denominated from renters leasing or renting residential dwelling units", and § 57-17-3(2) requires the balance of any deposit, with "a written notice that itemizes and explains the reason for each deduction", no later than 30 days after the renter vacates and returns possession. Section 57-17-3(1) allows a deposit to be applied to "rent, damages to the premises beyond reasonable wear and tear, other costs and fees provided for in the contract, or cleaning of the unit." - A non-refundable pet charge has to be in writing at the start.
Read the law's words
Section 57-17-2 says: "If there is a written agreement and if any part of the deposit is to be made non-refundable, it must be so stated in writing to the renter at the time the deposit is taken by the owner or designated agent." - Pet fees have to match the lease, but the renter's remedy is limited.
Read the law's words
Section 57-22-4(5)(b) says an owner may not charge "a fee, fine, assessment, interest, or other cost" that is "in an amount greater than the amount agreed to in the rental agreement" or "that is not included in the rental agreement", unless the agreement is month-to-month and "the owner provides the renter a 15-day notice of the charge." Section 57-22-4(3)(a)(i)(B) requires a written good faith estimate of "the amount of each fixed, non-rent expense" before an application fee is accepted. But § 57-22-4(9) says a renter may not use a failure to comply with subsections (2) through (7) "to excuse the renter's compliance with a rental agreement" or "to bring a cause of action against the owner", and § 57-22-4(8) says nothing in the section prohibits a fee "allowed by law or stated in the rental agreement." - Assistance animals sit in the Utah Fair Housing Act and are kept separate here from the pet money question.
Read the law's words
Utah Code § 57-21-5(4)(b) makes it a discriminatory housing practice to refuse "to make a reasonable accommodation in a rule, policy, practice, or service when the accommodation may be necessary to afford the individual equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling." Our record of Chapter 21 does not mention animals or deposits, and the federal Fair Housing Act is outside our record.
Sources include Utah Code § 57-17-1; Utah Code § 57-17-2; Utah Code § 57-17-3; Utah Code § 57-22-4(3); Utah Code § 57-22-4(5); Utah Code § 57-22-4(8); Utah Code § 57-22-4(9); Utah Code § 57-21-5(4); Utah Code § 57-20-1; Utah Code § 57-22-7; Utah Code § 57-21-2.5; Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.070 - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.
No section we read in Utah Code Chapter 17 (Residential Renters' Deposits) or Chapter 22 (the Utah Fit Premises Act) names a pet or caps a pet deposit or fee. Four Utah rules we read reach pet money:
- Deposits (§§ 57-17-1, 57-17-3). Chapter 17 covers "deposits however denominated". The balance comes back with a written notice itemizing each deduction within 30 days after you vacate and return possession. A deposit may cover rent, damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, fees in the contract, or cleaning.
- Non-refundable sums (§ 57-17-2). Any non-refundable part must be stated in writing when the deposit is taken.
- Fees (§ 57-22-4(5)(b)). An owner may not charge a fee above the amount in the rental agreement, or one not in it, unless the tenancy is month-to-month and the owner gives a 15-day notice. Under § 57-22-4(9), a renter may not use a breach of this rule to bring a cause of action against the owner.
- Assistance animals (§ 57-21-5(4)(b)). Refusing a reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal use of a dwelling is a discriminatory housing practice. No section we read in that chapter mentions animals or deposits, and this page does not cover the federal Fair Housing Act.
Read the current text of these sections before you rely on them.
What's Specific to Salt Lake City
Our record of the Salt Lake City Code finds no city cap on a pet deposit or pet fee in Chapter 18.96 (Fit Premises), Chapter 5.14 (Rental Dwellings) or Chapter 5.15 (Landlord/Tenant Initiative). The city does add § 18.96.070: "no rule adopted after the commencement of any rental agreement shall substantially modify the existing terms, conditions or rules without written consent of the tenant." Utah's § 57-20-1(1), § 57-22-7(1) and § 57-21-2.5(1) limit city rules; we take no position on how they apply. Check the current city code before relying on it.
§ 57-22-4(5)(b) bars a fee above the rental agreement's amount, or one not in it. A charge with no figure leaves nothing to check.
§ 57-17-2 requires it in writing at the time the deposit is taken. Get each pet sum labelled refundable or not before you pay.
Salt Lake City's § 18.96.070 bars a later rule from substantially modifying the existing terms without your written consent.
No section we read in Utah Code Chapters 17 and 22 caps pet money. Ask which section the figure comes from, and read it yourself.
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 § 57-17-1; Utah Code § 57-17-2; Utah Code § 57-17-3; Utah Code § 57-22-4(3); Utah Code § 57-22-4(5); Utah Code § 57-22-4(8); Utah Code § 57-22-4(9); Utah Code § 57-21-5(4); Utah Code § 57-20-1; Utah Code § 57-22-7; Utah Code § 57-21-2.5; Salt Lake City Code § 18.96.070, read on web.archive.org. Read in the Utah Legislature's own Chapter 17 file as archived by the Wayback Machine on September 9, 2026, with history notes running to Laws of Utah 2025, chapter 275, and its Chapter 22 and Chapter 21 files archived on September 9, 2026, which carry 2026 General Session history notes; le.utah.gov could not be reached directly. The Salt Lake City Code was read on American Legal Publishing as current through Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026 (2026 S-21); confirm the current text before relying on it.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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A pet charge with no amount in the lease
§ 57-22-4(5)(b) measures a fee against the amount agreed to in the rental agreement. A charge marked "if applicable" with no figure leaves that comparison open.
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A non-refundable pet sum not written down
§ 57-17-2 requires any non-refundable part of a deposit to be stated in writing when the deposit is taken, not added at move-out.
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Pet damage kept with no itemized notice
§ 57-17-3(2) requires the balance and a written notice that itemizes and explains each deduction within 30 days after you vacate.
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A new pet rule after you moved in
Salt Lake City's § 18.96.070 bars a rule adopted mid-lease from substantially modifying your terms without your written consent. Keep the dated copy.
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An accommodation request refused out of hand
§ 57-21-5(4)(b) treats refusing a reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal use of a dwelling as discrimination.
Your Rights as a Salt Lake City Tenant
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Charges that match the lease
No fee above the agreed amount or outside the rental agreement, unless you rent month to month with a 15-day notice (§ 57-22-4(5)(b)).
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A non-refundable part in writing
Any non-refundable part of a deposit must be stated in writing to you when the deposit is taken (§ 57-17-2).
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The pet deposit back within 30 days
Chapter 17 covers deposits however denominated (§ 57-17-1). The balance and an itemized notice are due within 30 days after you vacate (§ 57-17-3(2)).
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Reasonable accommodations
§ 57-21-5(4)(b) bars refusing a reasonable accommodation in a rule, policy, practice or service that may be necessary for equal use of a dwelling.
What To Do - Step by Step
Get the cost estimate before you apply
§ 57-22-4(3)(a)(i)(B) calls for a written good faith estimate of each fixed, non-rent expense before an application fee is accepted. Ask that pet charges appear on it.
Write down every pet sum on its own line
A non-refundable fee, a refundable deposit and a monthly charge are different obligations. Copy each amount from the lease with the heading printed above it.
Ask in writing which sums come back
§ 57-17-2 requires a non-refundable part to be stated in writing when the deposit is taken. Keep the landlord's written answer with the lease.
Put any accommodation request in writing
If the animal is tied to a disability, ask in writing and keep a copy. § 57-21-5(4)(b) is the Utah section to read beside the request.
Photograph the unit at both ends
A deposit may cover damage beyond reasonable wear and tear and cleaning (§ 57-17-3(1)). Dated photos of every room separate a real pet cost from a claimed one.
Count 30 days after you leave
If the balance and itemized notice have not come by day 30 after you vacate (§ 57-17-3(2)), write to the owner naming that section, then call legal aid.
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Pet Policy rules near Utah
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