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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah requires large new data centers to report water use and communicate with local water providers
Last action · March 23, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Jill Koford and 13 others
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What This Bill Does
This law requires operators of new large data centers withdrawing 75 or more of water annually to notify water providers and report water consumption, discharge, and conservation plans to the Division of Water Rights before construction and annually thereafter starting July 1, 2026. Land use authorities must notify water and environmental agencies when reviewing new data center applications, and the state engineer may penalize operators up to $100 per day for failing to submit required reports.
Operators of large data facilities face mandatory pre-construction disclosures, annual water-use reporting requirements, and daily fines of up to $100 for non-compliance, while the state publicly discloses water withdrawal data for individual facilities.
- Large data centers require significant amounts of water for cooling server hardware, drawing increased scrutiny from state lawmakers regarding local water supplies. context
- The Utah Legislature considers bills addressing water conservation and reporting standards during its annual general sessions. 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.
Operators of large data centers
Operators must submit pre-construction notices and annual water withdrawal reports, communicate with water providers, and face daily fines of up to $100 for incomplete reporting.
Land use authorities
Municipal and county land use authorities are required to notify state water agencies and relevant water providers before approving land use applications for new large data centers.
Water providers
Retail water suppliers and water conservancy districts receive pre-construction notifications and details regarding anticipated water consumption to determine location compatibility.
Division of Water Rights
The division must receive operator reports, enforce reporting rules, impose fines for non-compliance, and publish non-aggregated water withdrawal data on its website.
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 qualifies as a large data center under this law?
What information must data center operators report to the state?
Will individual data center water use data be made public?
What are the penalties for failing to submit water use reports?
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
63 actions- Mar 23, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 11, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 11, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 57 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ concurs with Senate amendment
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House with amendments
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ motion to reconsider
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ failed
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 3, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0076S03
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Mar 3, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0076S03
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0076S03
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0076S03
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Not Considered
- Feb 24, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0076S02
- Feb 24, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 13, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0076S02
- Feb 11, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0076S02
- Feb 11, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0076S02
- Jan 30, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 29, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Jan 29, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Jan 26, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0076S01
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted/ amended
- Jan 23, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0076S01
- Jan 22, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 22, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Amendment Recommendation
- Jan 22, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0076S01
- Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0076S01
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 8, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0076
- Jan 5, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0076
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0076
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0076
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative 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 →Voting Record
House/ passed 3rd reading
Total
75
- Yes
- 72
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 3
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (1)
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 9 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Data Center Water Transparency
The state shifts from general water monitoring to specific facility-level reporting and public disclosure for large data centers withdrawing over 75 acre-feet annually.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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