Utah airport reforms hangar lease policy

The process began in early 2025, when the city of St. George introduced a draft Non‑Commercial Hangar Leasing Policy for St. George that drew criticism from airport users, who said the proposal was released with limited notice and scheduled for council action within days, leaving little time for technical review or legal consultation.

Pilots and tenants organized through the Southern Utah Aviation Association (SUAA) sought assistance from AOPA. In March, AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster joined dozens of stakeholders to present formal public comments to city leadership, requesting that the city postpone the vote and revise the policy to address core concerns.

• Public comments submitted to the city raised a range of objections. Several hangar owners noted that they had invested significant personal funds in airport facilities and said the proposed lease terms created uncertainty regarding long‑term use and property rights.
• Safety concerns were also raised. Pilots objected to lease language requiring aircraft movements on timelines that did not reflect real‑world maintenance delays, experimental build schedules, or other operational realities. Aviation business owners cautioned that the draft policy could foster an adversarial relationship between the city and airport tenants, urging the creation of an ongoing airport advisory group to incorporate pilot expertise.

After reviewing public comments, the city delayed implementation and continued to hold discussions with airport users, but concerns persisted. Stakeholders documented their objections and when dialogue with city officials continued without fully resolving the airport stakeholder objections, the SUAA sought relief by filing an informal complaint under FAR Part 13 —alleging that the draft policy constituted economic discrimination and was woefully lacking in transparency as expected by FAA policy.

By late 2025, St. George adopted a substantially revised hangar lease policy. Tenants said the revised version clarified lease terms, eased or removed several of the provisions that had drawn the strongest objections, and was far more workable than the original proposal.

In January, the FAA's Northwest Mountain Regional Airports Division and Northwest Mountain Office of the Regional Administrator determined no violation of Grant Assurance 22a (economic nondiscrimination) based on the specifics of the case—noting the draft policy was not yet in force and that the sponsors' action merited further collaboration. However, from the St. George airport users' perspective, their use of the Part 13 complaint process had a catalytic effect that helped to maintain momentum on the topic and encouraged continued engagement by and with city officials to address and resolve the airport's stakeholder concerns.

Schuster said the process showed how early policies can evolve when users stay engaged. "The SUAA stakeholders are to be commended. They reached out to me IMMEDIATELY after they were informed of the city council meeting to occur, seemingly rushing passage of the largely unvetted Non-Commercial Hangar Leasing Policy, stayed in constant contact throughout the process, and advised me when their concerns had been resolved, a textbook example about how advocacy between AOPA and their members is a team sport."

For general aviation communities elsewhere, the St. George experience shows how coordinated public input, supported by AOPA and informed by the FAA's Part 13 compliance process, can influence airport policy when proposed changes affect safety, access, and private investment.