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Better Utah Bill Tracker
2026 Interim Session

H.B. 597

Signed into Law

Alcohol Amendments

HB0597S01 (Substitute)

Sen. Jerry W Stevenson
Rep. Jefferson S. Burton
View on le.utah.gov
H.B. 597Signed into Law

Alcohol Amendments

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What This Bill Does

This bill amends provisions relating to alcohol.

Key Provisions

This bill:

  • provides that the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority is a local authority under Title 32B, Alcoholic Beverage Control Act;
  • provides that a driver license issued by a foreign country or a driver license card is a valid proof of age;
  • enacts provisions relating to the local consent of a local authority when the commission issues a license;
  • amends provisions related to a designated conveyance area;
  • lowers the number of rooms for a facility to qualify as a hotel;
  • provides that a restaurant licensee is only required to verify proof of age if the individual appears to be 35 years old or younger;
  • amends provisions requiring that a person verify whether an individual is an interdicted person;
  • repeals requirements related to the scanning device a licensee shall use when verifying proof of age;
  • amends provisions to allow the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (department) to round up or round down the price of liquor when a customer pays with cash;
  • requires that the department coordinate with law enforcement before beginning a disciplinary action;
  • places the internal audit division of the department under the control of the director of the department;
  • provides that the Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission (commission) may propose internal audit policies and recommend changes to the division's internal audit plan;
  • amends provisions relating to the commission's authority to deny a license;
  • removes the requirement that a liquor storage area be locked at all times;
  • provides the conditions under which a patron may transport an alcoholic beverage from a bar establishment to a restaurant establishment;
  • amends the percentage requirement of alcohol to food that a licensee shall maintain;
  • describes the language that the department shall require in each off-premise beer retailer display;
  • requires that the department make a report to the Legislative Management Committee regarding the language the department requires that an off-premise beer retailer display;
  • increases the number of reception center licenses that the commission may issue;
  • removes the notice requirements relating to issuing an event permit;
  • amends the definition of "beer"; and
  • makes technical changes.

Plain-Language Summary

AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.

Utah's alcohol laws are updated by this bill in dozens of ways, ranging from small technical fixes to more substantive policy changes. Among the most significant changes: the bill lowers the minimum number of hotel rooms required for a venue to qualify for a hotel liquor license, allows patrons to carry an alcoholic drink from a bar into an adjoining restaurant, reduces the alcohol-to-food sales ratio that restaurant licensees must maintain, raises the age threshold at which staff must check ID from appearing under 21 to appearing 35 or younger, removes the requirement that liquor storage areas be kept locked at all times, eliminates specific requirements about what kind of scanning device licensees must use to verify age, and expands the number of reception center licenses the state can issue. The bill also formally recognizes foreign country driver's licenses as valid proof of age and allows the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services to round prices up or down when customers pay cash for liquor.