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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah lowers foreign ownership threshold for land restrictions and authorizes daily fines for non-responsive entities
Last action · March 24, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Candice Pierucci and 39 others
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What This Bill Does
Utah lowers the foreign ownership threshold defining a restricted entity from 51% to 25%, requires the Department of Public Safety to issue inquiry letters on suspicious land deals, and authorizes $500 daily fines for entities that fail to respond within 30 days. The measure takes effect on May 6, 2026.
Real estate purchasers and foreign-linked corporate entities face stricter disclosure mandates, a lower threshold for land ownership restrictions, and financial penalties for ignoring state inquiries into property transactions.
- Utah previously enacted land ownership restrictions targeting foreign entities under Chapter 13 of Title 63L. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Restricted Foreign Entities
Entities falling under the revised 25% ownership or control criteria face outright prohibitions on acquiring land interests, mandatory alienation of existing prohibited interests, and daily fines for failing to respond to state inquiries.
County Recorders
County recorders must create public records of violations, provide disclosure forms for land purchasers regarding foreign military service, and forward those completed forms to the Department of Public Safety.
Land Purchasers
Individuals purchasing land must disclose whether they served in the military of a restricted foreign entity, with failure to do so classified as a third-degree felony.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a restricted foreign entity under the updated law?
What happens if an entity receives an inquiry letter from the Department of Public Safety?
What are the penalties for purchasing land on behalf of a restricted foreign entity?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
38 actions- Mar 24, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Feb 26, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 32 earlier actions
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Feb 20, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 20, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Feb 20, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 20, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 19, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 10, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 9, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ amended
- Jan 28, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 28, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Amendment Recommendation
- Jan 27, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 26, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 26, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0291
- Jan 22, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0291
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 20, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0291
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0291
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 35 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Lowering of Foreign Ownership Threshold
The state has tightened its definition of restricted foreign entities by reducing the subsidiary ownership threshold from a majority control of 51% down to a substantial minority interest of 25%.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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