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HB 327UTAHSession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Utah regulates automatic license plate readers, sets 150-day data retention limits, and bans facial recognition by agencies

Original title: License Plate Reader Amendments

Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsor: Kristen Chevrier

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Official description

This bill amends requirements for the use of automatic license plate readers and processing of license plate data.

Why it matters

The measure establishes strict statutory boundaries on government surveillance by capping how long license plate records can be stored, creating accuracy and third-party evaluation mandates for reader vendors, and establishing criminal misdemeanor penalties for unauthorized use.

Background
  • Automatic license plate readers are high-speed camera systems used by law enforcement and government agencies to capture vehicle tags and location timestamps, prompting legislative debates over civil liberties and data privacy. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Law Enforcement Agencies

Law enforcement agencies face explicit limits on using license plate readers, must adhere to warrant requirements for continuous tracking and private entity data access, and must maintain online policies.

Directly affected

License Plate Reader Providers

Vendors must meet strict accuracy thresholds, secure independent third-party evaluations, ensure data encryption, and face attorney general enforcement and penalties for noncompliance.

Directly affected

Governmental Entities

State and local entities using plate readers must comply with a 150-day data deletion rule, conduct internal audits, post public notices on government websites, and restrict data sharing.

Directly affected

Utah Residents

Residents benefit from statutory privacy protections that prohibit facial recognition use, restrict long-term tracking without a warrant, and mandate the deletion of vehicle location data after 150 days.

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

How long can the government keep my license plate data?
Governmental entities must delete or destroy license plate data within 150 days of capture, unless the data is needed as evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation, a civil enforcement action, or consists of anonymized aggregate data kept for planning and statistical purposes.
Can law enforcement use license plate readers to track my daily travels?
No. Law enforcement cannot track a vehicle's continuous movements for more than 72 hours unless they obtain a state or federal warrant based on probable cause connecting the vehicle, driver, or registered owner to an active criminal investigation.
Can private companies buy or profit from government-captured license plate data?
No. License plate data captured by a governmental entity is a , cannot be shared with nongovernmental entities, and providers are prohibited from selling or profiting from it.
What accuracy standards must license plate reader equipment meet?
Systems sold to governmental entities must maintain at least 90% character-level and full-plate accuracy, and keep false positive and error rates at or below 10% across video and image conditions.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

19 actions
  1. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ filed
  2. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ strike enacting clause
  3. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules
  4. Mar 3, 2026House
    House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
  5. Feb 23, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0327S01
  6. Feb 20, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0327S01
Show 13 earlier actions
  1. Feb 19, 2026House
    House Comm - Not Considered
  2. Feb 18, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0327S01
  3. Feb 18, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0327S01
  4. Feb 12, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  5. Jan 28, 2026House
    House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
  6. Jan 28, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0327
  7. Jan 28, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0327
  8. Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  9. Jan 23, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  10. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0327
  11. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0327
  12. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  13. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill 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

Kristen ChevrierHouse · District 54RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Comprehensive Codification of Plate Reader Rules

The bill repeals older fragmented sections under Title 41 and consolidates all automatic license plate reader rules into a unified new act under Title 77.

Utah Code

Connected Entities

Kristen Chevrier, Utah, Division of Purchasing and General Services and 3 more
PersonKristen Chevrier“Chief Sponsor of the bill”Map →
locationUtah“State enacting the legislation”Map →
OrganizationDivision of Purchasing and General Services“Recipient of third-party system accuracy evaluations”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Transportation“State department responsible for special use permits and transportation rules”Map →
OrganizationState Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice“Commission tasked with receiving provider reports and reporting to the Legislatu”Map →
OrganizationUtah Inland Port Authority“Entity permitted to use license plate readers for supply chain efficiency under ”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz45
    Current news / social attention level

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