Some Provo citizens are seething over zoning laws that keep singles from renting their homes to other singles, and a petition is being circulated to change the rules for housing that is rented to people who aren't family members.

Currently, Provo city requires that if a single person wishes to rent out a property, no more than two unrelated people can live there, above and beyond the owner. The city also regulates the number of unrelated people who live in an auxiliary apartment, such as a basement apartment.

The code also stipulates, with some exceptions, that an owner must live on the property. These requirements apply in lower density residential zones.

Two groups -- ProvoCitizens.net and FortheGoodoftheWhole.net -- are beginning to circulate a petition to make it illegal to zone based on marital status, family status, ownership or educational status.

Roger Brown, spokesman for Provo Citizens, said that the current code is discriminatory to singles and students.

"It's kind of like treating singles as second-class citizens," he said.

The petition requires about 3,100 signatures to put the issue before voters in November.

If the petition is successful and the voters choose to adopt the proposed ordinance in November, then it will become the new ordinance, said Gary McGinn, Provo's director of community development.

The current city code enumerates the types of familial relationships which are acceptable, and they include siblings, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, children, parents and grandparents. Cousins are not included in that list of acceptable relatives.

According to Brown, the code has the effect of restricting a new home buyer from having more than two roommates unless they are related.

Provo City Municipal Council Chair George Stewart said he wasn't on the council or serving as mayor when these particular sections of code were adopted. One reason for the restrictions, he said, is to keep areas zoned for single-family residences from being overrun with students or crowded living arrangements.

Student-occupied neighborhoods have a very different feel than do family neighborhoods, he said: "It's the traffic and the ambiance of a neighborhood."

Brown says that the restrictions are harmful not only for young singles, but also for older widows and widowers who need to rent rooms for extra income.

Brown said that if adopted, his initiative would:

Prevent the city from telling unmarried homeowners that they can only have two roommates.

Allow four adult cousins to legally live together in zones where the restrictions currently apply.

Eliminate the requirement for owner occupancy in certain zones.

For more information on how to sign the petition, visit provocitizens.net/petitions, or call Roger Brown at (801) 356-1032.

Nathan Johnson can be reached at 344-2543 or at njohnson@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D2.