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Tooele County Council amends code to allow nighttime hunting, aligning local rules with new state law
Summary
The Tooele County Council voted to amend Chapter 10 (Nighttime Hunting) of Title 6 (Public Safety) to permit methods allowed under recent state law changes, remove the county permit requirement and drop the dusk/dawn timing restriction. The amendment keeps local limits on vehicle-based hunting.
Tooele County Council voted to amend the county code to permit nighttime hunting methods that the state now allows, the council said at its April 2025 meeting in the Council Chambers.
The change, introduced by Councilman Thomas and seconded by Councilman Hoffman, updates Chapter 10 (Nighttime Hunting) of Title 6 (Public Safety) to “fall in line with the state” and explicitly allow methods such as infrared, night vision, handheld lights and other tools now permitted under state statute, the mover said.
The update matters because it expands the hunting tools available to local hunters while retaining local safety limits. Under the revised county code, hunting from a vehicle or using vehicle lights remains prohibited; county officials also removed the prior local requirement that hunters obtain a county permit. Council members said the amendment codifies the broader options made available by a recent state legislative change.
Councilman Thomas, who led the ordinance amendment effort, acknowledged local residents and drafters who pushed for the change, including Nate Harris and Josh Gibson, and thanked Sheriff Wimmer for agreeing a separate county permit would not be required. “This got started about a year ago,” Thomas said, noting the county reversed earlier positions after the state law passed.
Council members discussed several specific code changes: the list of species allowed for night hunting remains tied to the state code; hunting while in a vehicle or using vehicle lights is still prohibited; and the county removed the dusk-to-dawn timing phrase that had previously limited nighttime hunting to those periods. The council also noted the county ordinance does not expand or change the state’s list of eligible animals, only the allowed methods where state law now permits them.
The motion to amend Chapter 10 (recorded as 2025-05 in the meeting record) passed on a voice vote with the councilmembers present voting in favor. The council did not state an effective date for the code amendment during the meeting.
Officials said the code change is intended only to align the county’s language with the state-level changes and to preserve the local safety restrictions that the sheriff’s office recommended. No further regulatory steps or required permits were announced at the meeting.
Votes and next steps: Councilman Thomas moved the amendment, Councilman Hoffman seconded, and members present voted aye. The meeting record did not specify an effective date for the amendment.
