HB 13 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Municipal Services Fees and Political Subdivision Lien Amendments

HB 13 allows Utah municipalities to place a legal lien on property for unpaid water, sewer, or utility-related service fees after providing written notice of the debt and intent to lien. It authorizes cities to charge interest and a one-time administrative penalty on overdue payments. The bill directly affects property owners who fall behind on these utility bills, giving municipalities a new tool to collect outstanding fees. Key provisions require clear billing notices, define "utility" services, and update lien procedures without creating new government spending.

Bill status failed 2 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Jan 2026

House Failed

Feb 2026

Governor

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill expands a city's ability to collect unpaid water and sewer bills by allowing them to place a legal lien on a property after providing specific notices. It also clarifies how cities can charge interest and penalties on these debts and updates definitions related to utility services and billing.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope to explicitly authorize municipalities to place political subdivision liens on property for past due water, sewer, and utility-adjacent service fees, whereas previous laws focused more on general municipal services.

ENFORCEMENT

Added authority for municipalities to place a political subdivision lien on a customer's property for unpaid water, sewer, or utility fees.

REQUIREMENT

Established a two-step notice process requiring the city to notify the customer of the debt first, then notify them of the intent to file a lien at least 60 days later.

Updated rules for calculating interest on past due fees to match property tax lien rates and clarified the calculation of administrative penalties.

Added requirements for cities with significant numbers of customers outside their borders to post rate maps online and establish advisory boards.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'service', 'utility-adjacent service', and 'utility' to clarify which fees can trigger a lien.

Floor votes · House Feb 9, 2026

How they voted

32–39

Failed · 4 other

Total votes 75

Feb 9, 2026

D Democratic14

14 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican61

18 Yea 39 Nay 4

63% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 9, 2026

Vote failed

House Vote: fail (32-39-4)

house

Jan 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ lifted from calendar sent to standing comm [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor