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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Utah

In Utah, a landlord must post and mail notice that left-behind property is considered abandoned, store it for 15 calendar days, and then may sell it at a public sale or donate it to charity.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Utah at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, posted and sent by first class mail
A further notice must be mailed at least 5 calendar days before any public sale.
Holding period
15 calendar days
The landlord must extend by up to 15 more days for domestic violence, extended hospitalization or the tenant's death, with documentation.
After the holding period
Sell at public sale or donate to charity
Proceeds go toward amounts the tenant owes; donation is allowed if commercially reasonable. Hazardous items, animals, garbage and perishables need not be stored.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Utah

Does a landlord in Utah have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, posted and sent by first class mail. Written notice required in Utah: yes, posted and sent by first class mail. A further notice must be mailed at least 5 calendar days before any public sale.

How long must a landlord in Utah keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Utah: 15 calendar days. The landlord must extend by up to 15 more days for domestic violence, extended hospitalization or the tenant's death, with documentation.

What can a landlord in Utah do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Utah: Sell at public sale or donate to charity. Proceeds go toward amounts the tenant owes; donation is allowed if commercially reasonable. Hazardous items, animals, garbage and perishables need not be stored.

Where do the Utah tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Utah Code 78B-6-816. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.