Utah R392-502 — The Lodging Sanitation Rule Excludes Student Housing

Citation

Utah Admin. Code R392-502, Public Lodging Facility Sanitation (Utah Department of Health and Human Services), Date of Last Change August 17, 2023. Read from the official HTML and PDF on September 24, 2026.

What It Says (Verbatim)

R392-502-3(16)(d):

“(d) For the purposes of this rule, a public lodging facility does not include:

(i) student housing such as a dormitory or boarding house operated by an educational institution;

(ii) transient housing such as employee or migrant worker living quarters regulated under Rule R392-501; or

(iii) a private residence or domicile unless it is advertised, offered, used, or kept as a place of public lodging.”

What the rule requires of the facilities it does cover:

R392-502-9(6)(a):

“(6)(a) The operator shall take effective measures to keep vermin out of the public lodging facility and to prevent their breeding or presence on the premises.”

And from the K–12 school rule, R392-200-21, complete:

“R392-200-21. Boarding and Lodging.

The governing body shall ensure that each student boarding room is constructed and operated according to the requirements of Sections R392-502-7 and R392-502-9.”

What It Means in Plain Language

Utah's lodging rule contains detailed vermin language for places people sleep: vermin-proof construction (R392-502-9(1)), effective measures to keep vermin out and screening (R392-502-9(6)), and closure of units for vermin infestation and when bed bugs are found (R392-502-17). Its definition of a public lodging facility expressly leaves out “student housing such as a dormitory or boarding house operated by an educational institution.”

The K–12 school rule borrows the lodging rule's construction and operation sections for student boarding rooms. The higher-education dormitory has no equivalent borrowing. No other current Utah administrative rule was found that governs sanitation or pests in university residence halls; the search is recorded on the What Is Not Covered page.

Who It Applies To

Public lodging facilities: hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, and similar temporary lodging for the general public. Not university student housing.

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. Read from the official rule text on September 24, 2026. The Office of Administrative Rules lists October 21, 2026 as this version's end date; the rule will be re-read after that date.