This bill addresses provisions related to the Department of Natural Resources and related regulated areas.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
This wide-ranging Department of Natural Resources bill updates rules for boats, water rights, and other natural resource programs across the state. On invasive species, it broadens protections beyond zebra and quagga mussels to cover all "invasive mussels," including the recently spreading golden mussel, and creates new requirements for boat rental businesses (boat liveries), such as ensuring renters complete an annual invasive species education course and prohibiting falsified decontamination records; it also exempts nonmotorized vessels, inflatable motorboats, and government-owned vessels from certain fees and requirements. On water rights, the bill allows the Department of Natural Resources to help fund litigation over the state's water interests, removes an outdated cap on low-interest loans for secondary water metering, lets the state engineer keep records electronically instead of only on paper, and changes how water rights are handled when a mineral royalty contract or lease is violated or ends. The bill also expands the Utah Geological Survey's oversight board, updates the survey's duties, replaces the term "buffalo" with "bison" in state park law, and repeals both the section funding the Watershed Restoration Initiative and the Alternative Energy Development Tax Credit Act.
Current version: HB0125S03 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 20
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 19
House Floor Vote
Feb 25
Senate Rules
Mar 4
Senate Committee
Mar 3
Senate 2nd Reading
Mar 6
Senate 3rd Reading
Mar 6
House Concurrence
Mar 6
Governor Signed
Mar 25
IntroductionJan 20
House Rules
House CommitteeFeb 19
House Floor VoteFeb 25
Senate RulesMar 4
Senate CommitteeMar 3
Senate 2nd ReadingMar 6
Senate 3rd ReadingMar 6
House ConcurrenceMar 6
Governor SignedMar 25
This bill addresses provisions related to the Department of Natural Resources and related regulated areas.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
This wide-ranging Department of Natural Resources bill updates rules for boats, water rights, and other natural resource programs across the state. On invasive species, it broadens protections beyond zebra and quagga mussels to cover all "invasive mussels," including the recently spreading golden mussel, and creates new requirements for boat rental businesses (boat liveries), such as ensuring renters complete an annual invasive species education course and prohibiting falsified decontamination records; it also exempts nonmotorized vessels, inflatable motorboats, and government-owned vessels from certain fees and requirements. On water rights, the bill allows the Department of Natural Resources to help fund litigation over the state's water interests, removes an outdated cap on low-interest loans for secondary water metering, lets the state engineer keep records electronically instead of only on paper, and changes how water rights are handled when a mineral royalty contract or lease is violated or ends. The bill also expands the Utah Geological Survey's oversight board, updates the survey's duties, replaces the term "buffalo" with "bison" in state park law, and repeals both the section funding the Watershed Restoration Initiative and the Alternative Energy Development Tax Credit Act.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Governor Signed
Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
House/ to Governor
Executive Branch - Governor
House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
Clerk of the House
House/ enrolled bill to Printing
Clerk of the House
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Clerk of the House
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM