Bret Howser
Community Advisor
R6 Regional Council
Bret Howser has been in ski resort community management for 22 years, first in Park City and now in Brian Head. While his background is primarily in public finance, as a Town Manager in a small gateway community, he has to do a little of everything — including occasionally walking up to strangers to let them know (as kindly as he can) that they’ve broken a law. Maybe that doesn’t make him an expert in Code Enforcement, but it does mean he has a story or two, and some lessons learned. When he’s not harassing Brian Head’s residents and guests, he loves snowboarding, hiking/backpacking, baseball, and trying to raise his four sons so they don’t become miscreants.
Session(s):
Code Enforcement Across Community Types: Lessons from Rural, Urban, and County Perspectives »
APA Utah 2026 Spring Conference: Bryce Canyon, April 9, 2026 11:30 amHow do communities of different sizes approach code enforcement, and what strategies actually work in practice? This session brings together perspectives from rural gateway communities, larger cities, and county governments to explore real-world challenges and practical solutions related to zoning and land-use enforcement. Speakers will discuss staffing limitations, short-term rental impacts, community trust, alignment with state legislation, and the difficult decisions around what gets enforced — and what sometimes does not — despite being written into code. Through comparative examples and lessons learned, attendees will gain practical insights and adaptable strategies to support fair, effective, and community-centered code enforcement.
= Keynote
