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Utah Senate rejects trespass amendment amid enforceability and access concerns
Summary
The Utah Senate refused to pass Senate Bill 45, a measure to tighten trespass rules on private land, after an extended floor debate about enforcement, hunter access and economic impacts; the measure failed on a recorded vote.
The Utah State Senate on the floor debated Senate Bill 45, an amendment to trespass law aimed at strengthening private-property protections, but rejected the measure after senators split on whether the change would be enforceable and whether it would harm hunting-related revenue.
Senator Richard B. Tempest, the bill sponsor, said the measure was intended to protect private agricultural and ranch land from unauthorized entry. "Currently, the trespass laws are unenforceable," Tempest said during his floor remarks, arguing a statutory change was needed to respect private property.
Opponents raised practical and economic concerns. Senator Black warned the change could deter out-of-state hunters and cited a figure in committee materials estimating about $41,000,000 in related revenue, urging caution before altering the law. Several senators, including Chuck Peterson and others, described the bill as likely to create large enforcement burdens on existing agencies and to criminalize routine crossings of old fence lines in backcountry areas.
Senators debated alternatives, including using the interim to form a study committee under the Division of Wildlife Resources to seek a consensus among landowners, sportsmen and recreation interests. Senator Finlayson and others said a carefully drafted interim study and a revised bill could produce a more enforceable approach.
When the Senate called the roll, the presiding officer announced the tally and disposition: the motion failed on the floor (final tally reported on the record). The presiding officer stated the bill did not carry and would be filed.
The Senate returned to other business after the vote; members suggested follow-up interim work to reconcile competing concerns about access and private-property protection.
