Salt Lake City passes new ordinance seeking to crack down on unruly parties

SALT LAKE CITY — Having lived near the University of Utah for about four decades now, Esther Hunter was used to dealing with parties until about five years ago.

The types of college parties that spilled into her neighborhood suddenly seemed louder and rowdier, leading to concerns that she and her neighbors raised with city leaders.

“The parties have gone crazy, and they are extreme,” said Hunter, chair of East Central Neighborhood Council, as she supported a new city ordinance that seeks to curb “unruly” gatherings.

Members of the Salt Lake City Council voted Tuesday to approve the new ordinance, which increases penalties for parties, gatherings or events on private properties that “disturb the public peace, safety and welfare of the community,” and shifts the penalties to property owners.

“What we’re doing is closing a loophole,” said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez, whose district includes the East Central neighborhood, shortly before the vote.

The measure was approved as the city has dealt with an increasing number of loud parties, matching what Hunter described.

Salt Lake police issued 46 loud party citations last year, which was nearly twice as many as in 2023 and about five times as many as they handed out in 2022, according to data outlined in a city memo. There have already been 31 citations issued this year, surpassing all of 2023.

“Late-night parties, excessive noise, property damage and unsafe gatherings have become too common, affecting our ability to enjoy our homes and feel secure in our communities,” said Jonathan Ramras, who lives near Rice-Eccles Stadium, as he described the situation to the City Council.

Shared spaces like the 1200 East median near the university have also attracted large gatherings that have become a nuisance in the neighborhood, he added. Others described parties that attracted hundreds of people, lingering into the early morning hours with excessive noise and other concerns.

They said it became frequent enough that some of their neighbors moved out.

Over 80% of the citations issued since 2022 have been directed to loud parties held at rental properties, but there has been a more recent uptick in loud parties at owner-occupied housing. Most of the owner-occupied citations over the past four years have been handed out this year.