Utah County Commission approves revisions to event insurance risk categories

At its May 7 meeting, the Utah County Commission approved revisions to the county’s event insurance standards, moving a long list of event types from “negligible” to “low” risk and reclassifying Jazzercise classes as “medium” risk, then directed staff to update the policy language and provide on-site training for certain activities.

The changes affect how the county requires event organizers to carry insurance for events held on county property or under county permits. Commissioners said the rewrite is intended to make risk categories consistent across similar event types and to avoid imposing insurance requirements on routine business meetings.

Commissioner Garner said she did not want to require organizers to “pay for an insurance policy if they're just hosting a business meeting,” and asked staff to ensure consistency so professionals or small meetings would not be unintentionally burdened. Commissioner Beltran read the list of specific event types to be reclassified and proposed the motion to implement the edits, which was seconded and approved with no opposition.

Under the approved changes, the commission moved many event types formerly listed as negligible to low risk, including anniversary parties, autograph events, baby showers, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, belly dancer events, birthday parties, book signings, bridal showers, face painting, first communions, gender-reveal parties, graduations, retirement parties, social receptions, speaking engagements and voter registration events. The commission also approved Tom’s recommendation to list Jazzercise classes as medium risk and asked that the policy use the word “medium” consistently rather than alternating with “moderate.”

Commissioners asked staff to add an operational step for Jazzercise-type classes: on-site training or inspection before class organizers can be cleared under the medium-risk designation. The commission specifically directed staff to make the agreed wording changes and to reflect the moved categories consistently in the event-insurance standards document.

The motion to adopt the edits was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote. The chair called for public comment after the vote and then proceeded to other agenda business.

The decision changes how event applicants may be asked to demonstrate insurance coverage when reserving county facilities or applying for permits and clarifies county expectations for classes or activities that involve physical movement or a sustained public gathering.

Next steps: staff will update the written event-insurance standards to reflect the reclassifications, correct inconsistent terminology (medium vs. moderate), and incorporate on-site training requirements for certain classes; no further timeline for implementation was stated at the meeting.