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Senate adopts annexation changes to ease 'island' and peninsula annexations
Summary
Lawmakers approved first substitute House Bill 362 to allow partial annexation of county islands and peninsulas that have received city services at least one year, raise approval thresholds in some cases and allow annexation to take effect after lieutenant governor's certificate.
The Utah Senate passed first substitute House Bill 362, which revises the state's rules for annexing unincorporated "islands" and peninsulas into municipalities. Senator Niederhauser explained that the bill applies only where the territory has received city services for at least a year and generally targets annexations of areas with fewer than 800 residents. The measure changes consent thresholds in some instances and allows annexation to take effect upon issuance of the lieutenant governor's certificate of annexation.
Key floor change: Amendment 5 was adopted to require both 75% of the land area and 75% of the assessed value of the land being annexed for the qualified petition (previous language referenced only land area). The sponsor said the change was intended to streamline the annexation process for residents who want to join an adjacent city without forcing the entire island or peninsula to annex.
The Senate recorded a roll-call showing 26 yes votes, 0 nay votes and 3 absent; the bill will be referred back to the House for further action.
Next steps: the bill is returned to the House. Sponsors said the goal is to provide residents served by cities a streamlined option to join that city while protecting broader property-owner interests.
