Utah House approves tighter rules for automatic license-plate readers

The Utah House on Feb. 25 approved second substitute House Bill 468, a framework setting security, authorized uses and auditing requirements for automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) systems used by governmental entities. The bill passed the House 64-2.

Supporters said the bill balances public-safety uses with privacy protections by requiring vendors and agencies to implement specific security measures, limiting authorized uses, and requiring periodic audits and public reporting. Representative Siara Chevrier, sponsor of HB 468, said the measure “creates a framework that ensures governmental entities can responsibly leverage ALPR technology while implementing safeguards to protect civil liberties, prevent misuse, and maintain public confidence.”

The House adopted House Amendment 3, offered by Representative Robert Gwen, which clarifies that the bill recognizes certain well-established law‑enforcement exceptions to search‑warrant requirements — for example, consent and exigent‑circumstance searches — so those existing practices remain available to investigators when legally justified. Gwen described the amendment as a negotiated clarification developed with the bill sponsor, the chief privacy officer and law enforcement representatives.

Debate on the House floor emphasized three recurring concerns: cybersecurity of ALPR vendor systems, limits on how long plate data can be kept, and independent oversight. Chevrier pointed to past incidents outside Utah — including a 2019 vendor breach and examples of misconfiguration that exposed live feeds — as justification for the statute’s security and audit requirements. Representative Albrecht and others said the technology provides concrete help to law enforcement on long, rural highway corridors and supported the bill on that basis.

The measure requires vendors supplying ALPR systems to state and local governmental entities to include encryption and other security controls; it restricts non‑public uses and requires agencies to conduct audits and publish compliance reports to increase transparency. The bill’s author and supporters said the requirements are meant to reduce incidents of misuse, breaches and wrongful detentions caused by false positives.

HB 468 passed the House and will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration. The House first adopted the amendment and then voted on final passage; both steps were approved on the floor.

Procedural note: the amendment to HB 468 was adopted on the floor before final passage. The final tally on the bill was 64 yes votes and 2 no votes.