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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Regulates Local Public Safety and Broadband Fees While Authorizing New Transportation Utility Fees
Last action · March 24, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Karen Peterson and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
This bill prohibits cities and towns from charging general public fees for broadband and public safety services, with specific exceptions, while establishing a formalized process for municipalities and counties to impose a .
Local governments must repeal certain existing public safety and broadband fees by July 1, 2027, unless specific financing bonds or agreement exemptions apply, while gaining authority to establish dedicated s subject to strict accounting and public hearing requirements.
- The Utah State Legislature meets annually in a general session to pass laws affecting state and local governance, taxation, and administrative procedures. 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.
Municipalities and Counties
Local governments must repeal prohibited broadband and public safety fees, establish strict fund segregation for new transportation utility fees, and conduct mandatory annual reviews.
Residential and Commercial Utility Customers
Ratepayers may see the elimination of certain general public safety and broadband fees while potentially becoming subject to structured transportation utility fees based on trip generation.
Telecommunications Providers
Broadband providers are subject to prohibitions on general city broadband fees and specific right-of-way management fee limitations.
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
Can my city still charge a general fee for police or fire protection?
What can a transportation utility fee be used for?
Do transportation utility fees last forever once enacted?
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
37 actions- Mar 24, 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 3, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 31 earlier actions
- Mar 3, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Feb 27, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 20, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 18, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 18, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 5, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 3, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Feb 2, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0425
- Feb 2, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0425
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0425
- Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0425
- Jan 29, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 29, 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Local Utility Fees
The legislation establishes a uniform framework across both cities and counties for transportation utility fees while strictly curtailing ad-hoc public safety and broadband fees.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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