# Utah H.B. 16: Solar Power Plant Amendments Utah H.B. 16, Solar Power Plant Amendments, is a 2026 General Session House bill sponsored by Colin W. Jack (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-25 (Governor Signed) (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB16-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah H.B. 16 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Solar Power Plant Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-12-04 - Last action: 2026-03-25, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Colin W. Jack (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Electricity, Energy, Public Utilities, Clean Energy, Public Utilities and Technology, Utilities Siting and Permitting - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 10 (182 yes, 28 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Solar operators must consult wildlife officials: cost, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, solar plant owners or operators must consult wildlife officials about possible impacts on affected land. They must consult either the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The law sets no consultation fee or funding amount. - Less state aid for farmland solar: cost, low. Utah limits state aid for solar plants with conditional use permits issued after May 6, 2026. Covered plants exceed 1 megawatt and produce electricity for sale. Aid includes state tax credits, grants, subsidies, loans, and other financial incentives. No aid is available on federally designated prim… - Solar owners must secure cleanup funding: cost, low. Solar plants with conditional use permits issued after May 6, 2026, must have financial backing for cleanup and land restoration. Backing must cover estimated costs minus reasonable salvage value and be placed with the local jurisdiction or landowner. Allowed forms include bonds, parent-company gua… - Solar builders face local permit rules: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, solar builders need conditional use, grading, building, and all other required local permits before construction. Applications must explain how the location and design meet applicable standards. Before permits are issued, owners must submit site, development, and cleanup plan… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Colin W. Jack (Republican), House - Cosponsor: David P. Hinkins (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-20 | House | House/ concurs with Senate amendment | pass | 61 | 6 | | | 2026-02-18 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-18 | Senate | Senate/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 20 | 6 | | | 2026-02-05 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd reading | pass | 21 | 7 | | | 2026-02-05 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-30 | Senate | Senate Comm - Amendment Recommendation | pass | 5 | 0 | | | 2026-01-30 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 4 | 0 | | | 2026-01-23 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 61 | 8 | | | 2026-01-23 | House | House/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-21 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 10 | 1 | | ## Actions (43) - 2026-03-25: Governor Signed - 2026-03-16: House/ to Governor (House) - 2026-03-16: House/ received enrolled bill from Printing (House) - 2026-03-12: House/ enrolled bill to Printing (House) - 2026-03-12: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-02-24: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-02-24: Bill Received from House for Enrolling - 2026-02-20: House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling (House) - 2026-02-20: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-02-20: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-02-20: House/ concurs with Senate amendment (House) - 2026-02-19: House/ placed on Concurrence Calendar (House) - 2026-02-19: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-02-18: Senate/ to House with amendments (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Senate/ passed 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate/ placed on 3rd Reading Calendar table (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate/ 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate/ passed 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate/ 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-02: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-02-02: Senate/ comm rpt/ amended (Senate) - 2026-01-30: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-01-30: Senate Comm - Amendment Recommendation - 2026-01-28: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-01-23: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-01-23: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-01-23: House/ floor amendment (House) - 2026-01-23: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-01-22: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-01-22: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-01-21: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-01-20: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-01-20: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-01-14: House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (House) - 2026-01-14: House/ received bill from Legislative Research (House) - 2025-12-04: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-12: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0016.pdf) - Substitute #2, 2026-02-06: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016S02.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-02-05: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016S01.pdf) - Amended 2/2/2026 11:02:286, 2026-02-02: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0016_2026-02-02_11-18-29.pdf) - Amended 1/30/2026 10:01:881, 2026-01-30: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0016_2026-01-30_10-22-38.pdf) - Introduced, 2025-12-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0016.pdf) - [Substitute #2 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016S02.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016S01.pdf) - [Amended 2/2/2026 11:02:286 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0016_2026-02-02_11-18-29.pdf) - [Amended 1/30/2026 10:01:881 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0016_2026-01-30_10-22-38.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0016.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB220-2026GS) - [Utah bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah/bills) - [Utah state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB16-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).