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House approves new trespass law for hunting and fishing; bill creates written‑permission rule and on‑the‑spot citation authority
Summary
House Bill 60, revising hunting and fishing trespass and posting rules, passed the Utah House 64–9 after floor debate. The bill tightens posting definitions, allows on‑the‑spot citations if hunters lack written permission, and assigns education duties to the Division of Wildlife Resources.
The Utah House passed House Bill 60 on Jan. 16 with a recorded tally of 64 votes in favor and 9 opposed, forwarding the measure to the Senate. The bill revises trespass and posting rules for hunting and fishing, creates an enforceable posting standard and makes written permission the required authorization for hunting on posted private property.
Sponsor Representative Melvin R. Brown described the bill as the result of a multi‑year study and collaboration among landowner and wildlife groups. He told the House the legislation rewrites posting requirements to be more defensible in court and allows officers to cite hunters who lack written permission: "If the landowner has met the posting requirement, and... he is going to allow that trespass activity on his land, then he must grant this with written permission," Brown said, explaining that a written permission or 'hunting by permission' card will allow enforcement.
Members asked detailed questions about the definitions of 'properly posted,' how roads and trails are treated under the new standard, whether state or leased lands are covered, and the role of 'hunting by permission' cards. Representative Stevens and others sought clarity about changes to painting and signage and where postings are required (entries and corners rather than continuous fencing). The sponsor and legal counsel said the bill aims for a minimum, defensible standard that avoids specifying exact spacing that would be hard to enforce.
Representative Howard successfully offered an amendment to add the word "or state" after "private" in a posting provision to clarify that individuals may not falsely post land they do not own or legally control; debate included concern about legal complexity for state‑leased school sections but the amendment passed. After debate and amendment votes, the House reported 64 affirmative and 9 negative votes and passed the amended bill to the Senate for further consideration.
