In-depth analysis

Should you buy an STR in St. George in 2026?

Conditionally. St. George’s underlying story — Utah’s fastest-growing metro, Zion-and-Bryce gateway tourism, year-round outdoor recreation, retirement / second-home migration from California — is strong. The challenges are saturation (Tier B) and zoning (much of the residential interior closed to non-owner-occupied STRs).

ADR around $164 and occupancy around 55% put St. George in the middle of the desert-Southwest pack — below Sedona, comparable to Moab on RevPAR but with materially lower acquisition cost.

Regulation: where the city stands

City of St. George Vacation Home (VH) overlay zone is where most non-owner-occupied STRs can legally operate. Residential zones outside the VH overlay are largely closed.
Owner-occupied home-sharing (Type 1) has more flexibility city-wide.
Washington County (unincorporated and other municipalities including Hurricane, Springdale, Ivins) has its own rules.
Lodging tax stacks at roughly 13% (state 4.85% + Washington County + city transient room tax).

See the City of St. George planning & zoning information for current overlay maps.

The market by the numbers

Metric	St. George	Moab	Sedona
ADR	$164	$208	$268
Occupancy	55%	58%	64%
RevPAR	~$90	~$121	~$172

St. George’s lower RevPAR reflects both lower ADR and a more saturated supply base than Moab or Sedona.

Submarkets that matter

Old Town St. George / Downtown — walkable, character housing, mixed VH overlay availability.
Bloomington / Bloomington Hills — established residential, mostly closed to non-owner-occupied STR.
Coral Canyon / Sun River (planned-community pockets) — newer subdivisions, HOA restrictions common.
Hurricane / La Verkin (adjacent, Washington County) — Zion-route inventory, different jurisdiction, often more permissive.
Ivins / Snow Canyon corridor — premium location adjacent to state park, mostly residential zoning.

The 3 mistakes buyers make here

Buying outside the VH overlay and expecting an exception. It rarely happens at the city level.
Underwriting July occupancy at peak rates. Summer is hot — really hot — and occupancy dips, not peaks, in deep summer.
Confusing the Zion narrative with St. George numbers. Springdale captures Zion-gateway premium; St. George is 45 miles away.

What to do next

Verify VH overlay + ADR claims in /comp-analyzer/.
Market score: /market-score/.
Financing: /dscr-loan-calculator/.
Year-one cash: /year-1-cash-needs/.

Not investment advice. Vacation Home overlay status is the gating issue — confirm before offer.

Last reviewed 2026-05-07 · Estimated — community-sourced · Population 95,342