HB 126 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments

HB 126 amends Utah zoning laws to treat micro-education entities (like home-based microschools) as permitted uses in all municipal zoning districts, removing barriers to their operation. It requires municipalities to process all land use applications for these entities on a first-priority basis and limits parking requirements to match those for other schools or institutional uses. The bill also clarifies that local governments cannot impose additional restrictions on micro-education entities beyond objective land use standards, such as setbacks or safety regulations. This directly affects micro-education providers seeking to operate within residential or mixed-use areas without facing undue zoning hurdles. The changes apply to Utah Code sections 10-20-304 and 17-79-305, with no new funding or fees required.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Mar 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute #1 Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 13, 2026
MODERATE
This bill updates Utah zoning laws to clarify how microschools and micro-education entities are treated by cities and counties. It ensures these small learning centers are automatically allowed in all zones, sets a hard cap of 100 students for most facilities, and outlines specific rules for converting existing buildings into microschools. The changes also standardize inspection processes and clarify that home-based microschools follow the same rules as regular homes.
Scope change
The scope expanded to explicitly include 'home-based microschools' alongside 'micro-education entities' in county regulations, whereas the city version previously only mentioned micro-education entities. The county version also added a specific exemption from proximity restrictions for community locations.
ELIGIBILITY

Added 'home-based microschools' to the list of entities subject to county land use ordinances and explicitly exempted them from proximity restrictions for community locations.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that micro-education entities operating in converted facilities must comply with state construction codes and local ordinances, with a strict limit of 100 students regardless of the building's original capacity.

Updated references to specific building code sections and impact fee statutes to ensure consistency with current state laws.

TECHNICAL

Corrected minor formatting errors, such as misplaced parentheses and inconsistent capitalization in the county version of the text.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the bill to May 6, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2026 · House Feb 4, 2026

How they voted

270
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 29
Feb 27, 2026
D Democratic6
6 Yea
100% Yea
N Forward1
1 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican22
20 Yea 2
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
46
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Mar 13, 2026
Signed into law
Governor Signed
executive
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ committee report favorable [Senate Education Committee]
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Education Committee]
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Education Committee]
upper
Feb 5, 2026
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Political Subdivisions Committee]
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Political Subdivisions Committee]
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
House/ to standing committee [House Political Subdivisions Committee]
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors