West Jordan's City Council agreed to do a study and will determine what fees would be charged landlords who do and don't participate in the program and whether the program should be added to the city.

In Sandy, where 14 percent of the 29,000 housing units in the city are rented, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a committee that includes landlords and the police has been formed to study the issue. Like West Jordan, Sandy is looking to cities that already have the program for direction on what advantages it may bring.

"When we talked to South Salt Lake and West Valley, they said they wished they had this prior to having problems," said Sandy city spokesman Nick Duerkson.

If eventually enacted, any landlord program would be designed specifically to suit the needs of Sandy, he said.

Sandy's committee is discussing whether to make its program voluntary, how to reward good landlords and how to treat convicted criminals equitably while simultaneously maintaining public safety. They also hope to address code enforcement issues such as overgrown lawns, Duerkson said.

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Contributing: Rebecca Palmer

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com