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Utah County reviews HB 456 changes to transient room tax, weighs 0.25% increase to fund trails, search-and-rescue and marketing
Summary
County staff outlined changes from HB 456 (2025) to the transient room tax (TRT), estimated $400,000 in new revenue if the county adopts a 0.25% increase before July 1, and possible uses including trail repairs, search-and-rescue support and targeted tourism marketing.
Utah County staff briefed commissioners on June 11 about changes to the transient room tax under HB 456 (2025) and the county’s options to adopt an additional 0.25 percentage point before a July 1 deadline.
County planner Ezra (staff member) told the commission the legislation, effective July 1, changes how TRT revenue may be used and allows counties of Utah County’s size to implement an extra 0.25% on hotel and similar lodging, raising the total to 4.5% and producing “about $400,000 of additional revenue annually.”
The new law simplifies eligible uses, Ezra said, making the first 2% explicitly available for tourism promotion and allowing a broader set of items to be paid from the remainder. For counties generating more than $1 million annually in TRT revenue, the law now explicitly lists trails, sanitation for county parks, emergency medical services, search-and-rescue support and law enforcement in unincorporated areas among eligible uses.
Why it matters: county staff said the changes give local officials more flexibility to address tourism-driven impacts—especially on trails and canyon infrastructure—without tapping general funds. Ezra noted the fund currently supports marketing through Explore Utah Valley, a convention center bond payment, the Freedom Festival and partnerships to market Utah Lake.
County staff identified candidate projects and cost estimates for possible TRT-funded work. Examples cited include paving a segment from 800 North to 17600 West (rough estimate $4,000,000), Provo Canyon Trail pavement rehabilitation (estimated $3,500,000) and a range of Jordan River Trail and local trail pavement projects ranging from roughly $500,000 to $2,000,000. Staff also suggested potential partnerships with the state and the Utah Lake authority for upgrades near Utah Lake State Park.
Ezra described search-and-rescue needs and volunteer costs: “all of our volunteers, they pay entirely out of pocket for all their equipment, their uniforms,” and noted the county had 17 members with some certifications and could expand training and uniform allowances with dedicated TRT funding.
Commissioner Gardner emphasized statutory limits on use, saying, “These funds can only be used for marketing tourism,” to clarify that not every local spending priority would be eligible under current law.
Staff also noted a constraint on timeline: if the commission votes to adopt the additional 0.25% before July 1, the county could begin collecting the increase on Oct. 1; adopting it after July 1 would delay implementation to the following year. Staff flagged that fire mitigation—though tied to tourism-driven fire calls—was not currently an eligible use but could be a legislative priority to pursue in a future session.
No formal vote to adopt the 0.25% was taken June 11; the presentation was a work session to inform commissioners and identify priorities for a potential future action.
The commission directed staff to continue developing specific project lists and cost estimates for possible future consideration at a subsequent meeting.
