The 2025 General Session of the Utah State Legislature concluded on March 7, bringing valuable legislative changes for Utah’s agricultural community. Now that the deadline has passed for the Governor to sign or veto bills, we wanted to provide summaries of five key bills that will shape the future of farming and ranching in Utah.

 

H.B. 47 - Public Lands Water Rights Amendments

This bill, championed by Representative Carl Albrecht and Senator Derrin Owens, enhances safeguards for ranchers by establishing strict criteria for federal agencies’ claims to Public Water Reserve (PWR) No. 107 claims and requiring agencies to obtain written consent from beneficial users before filing change applications. By removing processes from a 2014 statute that federal agencies misused, this bill provides grazers greater control over changes to their livestock watering rights.

 

H.B. 237 - Rollback Tax Amendments

This legislation, sponsored by Representative Casey Snider and Senator Scott Sandall, significantly changes how rollback taxes are handled when land no longer qualifies under the Farmland Assessment Act and the Urban Farming Assessment Act. Counties are now authorized to retain and use 100% of rollback tax revenue to preserve open space and agricultural land. Funds not spent within 10 years must be transferred to the statewide LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund, creating a dedicated mechanism to protect farmland. 

 

H.B. 342 - Animal Composting Amendments

This bill, introduced by Representative Mike Kohler and Senator Derrin Owens, clarifies that farms or ranches composting animal mortality or offal waste from their own livestock are not classified as commercial waste facilities. This change benefits farmers and ranchers by allowing them to manage animal waste through composting while providing processors with an additional waste management option.

 

H.B. 421 - Grazing Amendments

This legislation, offered by Representative Logan Monson and Senator Scott Sandall, adds a new requirement for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) before purchasing or acquiring a grazing permit. DWR must now obtain approval from local land use authorities, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). This additional oversight ensures multiple stakeholders have input on grazing permit acquisitions.

 

S.B. 113 - Traffic Code Amendments

This bill, advanced by Senator Scott Sandall and Representative Scott Chew, establishes a rebuttable presumption of driver negligence in cases involving open-range livestock drifting onto highways. It improves ranchers’ ability to recover damages when livestock are injured or killed in vehicle collisions, providing critical protections for Utah’s ranching community.

 

The Utah Farm Bureau Federation is pleased with the outcomes of the 2025 General Session and will continue working with lawmakers to implement these and other new laws effectively. For a full recap of the bills affecting agriculture from the 2025 General Session, please click HERE, or visit the Policy Update page.