Division of Outdoor Recreation summarizes 2025 bills affecting parks, trails, taxes and appropriations

Jason Curry, director of the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, briefed the Outdoor Adventure Commission on a series of bills from the 2025 legislative session that the division says will affect recreation management, grant programs and state appropriations.

The update covered multiple House and Senate bills affecting outdoor recreation programs, taxes and liability protections. Curry told the commission the most consequential changes include a transient room tax (TRT) modification that creates a statewide 0.75 percentage-point increase and directs one-third of that new revenue to a division-administered grant program for visitor-impact costs. "It also provided in a statewide 0.75 percent increase for transient room tax," Curry said during the briefing.

Why it matters: The TRT change will create a recurring funding stream the division estimates at roughly $7,000,000 per year for grants to counties in the third through sixth class to help cover search-and-rescue, EMS, road impacts and solid waste costs tied to visitation. Curry said a five-person board will be established and the division must design application, scoring and award processes before grants are distributed.

Key items summarized by the division: - HB 439: Modifies the off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation grant program to allow upfront funding up to a percentage and expands infrastructure definitions to include items the division had sought. Curry described this as mostly administrative but helpful to implementers. - HB 200 (water/federal lands funding clarification): The bill clarifies which federal land units the state may prioritize when it deploys state funds in a federal fiscal emergency; Curry said the bill added U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facilities (including Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge) to the list of eligible recipients. - HB 456 (TRT changes): Adds local options for counties to raise TRT, creates a statewide 0.75 percentage-point increase and directs one-third of that increase to the Division of Outdoor Recreation for visitor-impact grants (roughly $7 million/year). - HB 309: Restricts access to wildlife management areas (WMAs) so that, except for specified exceptions, users must possess a hunting or fishing license to enter. Curry said the wildlife board may create exceptions and that trail advocates had expressed concern about non-hunting trail users being excluded. - HB 98: Expands outdoor recreation liability protections for private landowners engaging in unpaid recreation, adding Via Ferrata climbing to the enumerated activities. - HB 34: Establishes a process to enable state parks to consider developing additional campgrounds on federal land (USFS, BLM) under agreements with federal partners. - SB 52: Tightens vehicle and vessel registration rules to limit out-of-state registration practices (commonly cited as "Montana" registration schemes) and gives the tax commission enforcement options. - SB 2 (intent language): Adds intent language directing the division to create a list of priority areas for outdoor recreation infrastructure development.

Fiscal appropriations noted: - A two-year, $21,000,000 appropriation from restricted accounts to fund a replacement shop for boat and OHV fleet maintenance. - Funding for a ranger residence near Flaming Gorge to improve staff housing and response times.

Curry emphasized implementation work ahead: setting up the TRT-funded grant board, writing program rules and coordinating with GOEO and tourism partners. Natalie Randall of the Utah Office of Tourism participated in the briefing and was cited by Curry as a coordination partner on federal-lands funding priorities.

The commission asked for opportunities to review proposed program rules and to be informed when formal rulemaking and grant criteria are posted; Curry said staff will return with more detailed implementation timelines.

Ending: The update concluded with commissioners thanking staff for the legislative synopsis and noting additional work needed on rulemaking and grant program design before the new revenues are available.