Discriminatory Housing

What is Housing Discrimination?

In Salt Lake County, the Recorder's office keeps important records about properties. Unfortunately, some homes in the county were built and established with documents that had racist and discriminatory rules about who could live there.

If you're a homeowner in Salt Lake County and you discover discriminatory language in your property record, you may bring a notarized statement (you can find it at the link below) to the Salt Lake County Recorder’s office. We will file it with your property records for free, clearly stating that the unjust parts are no longer valid, according to Utah Code Section 57-21-6.1.

It's important to note that filing this statement doesn't remove or erase the old documents. Instead, it's recorded in the public record along with a reference to the original document. The goal is to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect in our community.

Resources

Restrictive Covenant Amendment Template

Discriminatory Housing FAQ

Not sure if your home has a discriminatory housing practices covenant? The Salt Lake County Recorder's Office can help you find out. Use one of the options below to find out.

Option 1 

As part of an on-going project, the Salt Lake County Recorder's Office has identified racial covenants on all homes in the subdivisions listed below. This is not a complete list of subdivisions with racial covenants due to the on-going nature of the project. This list will be updated weekly. If you live in, or are buying, a home in one of these subdivisions, then your home has a racial covenant.

Belview Gardens Subdivision
Canyon View
Colonial Hills
East Millcreek Heights
Hollywood Gardens
Mountair Acres Addition # 2
Mountair Acres Addition # 3
Mountair Acres Addition # 4
Progress Heights 2nd Addition
St Mary Hills Plat A
St Mary Hills Plat B
St Mary Hills Plat D
Victory Vlge
Zion Park

If you would like to request a copy of the covenants recorded on one of these subdivisions, please email your request and the name of the subdivision to Property Watch, PropertyWatch@slco.org

Option 2 

If your subdivision is not listed above, there is still a chance your home has a racial covenant because the research project is an on-going project. In this case, you can email your street address and/or parcel number to Property Watch, PropertyWatch@slco.org, and request a check for racial covenants. If a racial covenant is found on your property, the response will include a copy of the covenant.

Salt Lake County residents can use this template form to renounce a racial covenant per HB 374.

Follow the steps below to complete and record the form:

On page 1, provide your name and mailing address in the upper left-hand corner.
On page 3, follow the instructions on the form to enter your Tax Parcel Number and the Legal Description of your property.
Sign and notarize the form -- Please note forms must be signed and notarized before they are given to the Salt Lake County Recorder's office. The recorder's office does not provide notary services. Per Utah law, notaries will require you to present a valid form of photo ID (driver's license, state ID card, or passport.) Notaries can be found at most banks and credit unions, but they may charge a fee.
The original completed, signed, and notarized form can be either mailed or brought in-person to the Salt Lake County Recorder's Office. If the recorder's office receives your document by mail, they will return it by mail to the address given in the upper left-hand corner of page 1 after recording is completed.

If you have questions about this process or want to request more information, please contact Property Watch at the Salt Lake County Recorder's Office:

Email: PropertyWatch@slco.org

Phone: 385-468-8145

Resources