Public Lands Watering Rights Amendments
HB 47 amends Utah law to modify how livestock watering rights are managed on public lands. It removes the requirement for livestock operators to obtain "livestock water use certificates" by deleting related language from the code, directly affecting ranchers and livestock permit holders using public grazing lands. The bill updates definitions (like "beneficial user" and "public land") and clarifies procedures when federal agencies reduce grazing permits. Key changes include amending Sections 73-2-14 and 73-3-31 to eliminate processing for water use certificates and streamline administrative steps. This focuses on simplifying water rights administration for livestock operations without altering water allocation or funding.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
Signed into Law
Mar 2025
Introduced Jan 21, 2025
Signed Mar 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Enrolled
·
5 edits
·
Mar 20, 2025
MODERATE
This bill clarifies how Utah handles water rights for livestock on public lands, repeals the requirement for livestock water use certificates, and establishes new rules for when water rights may be forfeited if grazing is reduced. It also updates definitions and procedures for Public Water Reserve No. 107 claims.
Scope change
The bill applies to all livestock watering rights on public lands managed by federal or state agencies, with specific protections for beneficial users and public land agencies.
REQUIREMENT
Eliminated the requirement for livestock water use certificates and the associated fee, simplifying the process for beneficial users to prove their water rights.
ELIGIBILITY
Clarified that public land agencies cannot require water rights to be transferred to them as a condition for grazing permits, protecting private water users' rights.
ENFORCEMENT
Established a process where water rights may be held in trust by the state engineer if federal grazing reductions threaten partial forfeiture of water rights.
DEFINITION
Updated definitions to clarify what constitutes 'public land' and who qualifies as a 'beneficial user' of water rights on public lands.
TECHNICAL
Corrected formatting errors and reorganized sections for clarity while maintaining the same substantive provisions.
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
35
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Mar 20, 2025
Signed into law
Governor Signed
executive
Feb 20, 2025
Legislature · Passed
House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
legislature
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate/ committee report favorable
upper
Feb 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Jan 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
House/ committee report favorable
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
lower
Jan 21, 2025
Committee
House/ to standing committee
lower
Jan 21, 2025
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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