# Utah H.B. 591: Nuisance Amendments Utah H.B. 591, Nuisance Amendments, is a 2026 General Session House bill sponsored by Colin W. Jack (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-25 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB591-2026GS - 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. 591 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Nuisance Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-20 - Last action: 2026-03-25, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Colin W. Jack (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Nuisances, Judicial Operations, Sunsets and Repealers, Civil Litigation - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 8 (150 yes, 30 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 20 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Lower criminal penalties for home violations: benefit, medium. Cities and counties generally cannot impose criminal penalties above an infraction for violations involving a person's pet or home use. Higher penalties remain allowed for a private nuisance threatening health, safety, or welfare. They also remain allowed after three previous fines involving the sa… - Ignoring nuisance orders brings daily penalties: cost, medium. Knowingly violating a court judgment or order stopping a public or private nuisance is a class B misdemeanor. The person also faces a $50 civil penalty for each day the nuisance continues in violation of the order. The daily civil penalty is added to the criminal exposure. - New limits on nuisance lawsuits: mixed, medium. Beginning May 6, 2026, Utah replaces its former nuisance laws with a new statutory system. People other than the Attorney General generally cannot bring nuisance suits based on common law rather than statutes. Claims that arose or were pending in court before that date remain allowed. The Attorney… - Residents face strict public nuisance claims: mixed, medium. Private parties can sue over public nuisances tied to foreseeable conduct, controlled activity, or neglect of a former owner's continuing nuisance. Without the defendant's conduct, the nuisance must disappear or the plaintiff's cleanup costs must fall by at least 25%. Plaintiffs must prove a specia… - Farm neighbors face tighter lawsuit limits: mixed, medium. Farms gain protection from private nuisance claims brought by people who do not legally possess the affected property. Claims are also barred beyond one-half mile or more than one year after the farm starts or fundamentally changes. Ownership or size changes, breaks of up to three years, government… - Households get clearer drug-fume claims: mixed, medium. Beginning May 6, 2026, households can sue over fumes from unlawful drug activity drifting into their homes. Possible defendants include the person creating the fumes and renters who permit or fail to control them. Plaintiffs need not prove sole possession or use; knowing joint participation or evid… - New tests for neighborhood nuisance claims: mixed, medium. A private nuisance arises from property use that harms a neighbor's health, safety, or property use, or is indecent or offensive. Listed examples include frequent party houses, unsafe buildings, prostitution, gambling, unlawful gunfire, and drug or tobacco nuisances. Tobacco smoke must enter a resi… - Property holders get nuisance court remedies: mixed, medium. A private nuisance plaintiff must hold a legal interest in property harmed by the nuisance or suffer reduced personal enjoyment. A winning plaintiff can receive damages, repairs, security measures, court orders, authorized eviction, and reasonable legal costs. Plaintiffs must show their claim is mo… - Smoke waivers limit household nuisance claims: mixed, medium. Beginning May 6, 2026, a written smoking disclosure and signed acknowledgment and waiver can bar a tobacco nuisance claim. The rental, lease, purchase agreement, or property covenant must warn that smoking is allowed elsewhere and smoke may drift inside. Renters can sue a landlord only if their con… - Unsafe properties can trigger immediate eviction: mixed, medium. County or city attorneys, counties, county residents, and businesses operating in the county can seek eviction to stop an unsafe place. Plaintiffs must show the required facts are more likely true than not. Courts must weigh irreparable harm, harm to the person evicted, public interest, and likely… - Protected farms get shields and fee rules: mixed, medium. Inside agriculture protection areas, public and private nuisance suits are barred for activity following nuisance-related laws or sound farm practices. Local nuisance ordinances cannot apply to normal farm operations or operations following sound practices there; legal compliance creates a presumpt… - Horse owners face reclaiming deadlines: mixed, low. Abandoned horses remain condemned public menaces, but are no longer declared public nuisances. The definition covers unbranded horses and related animals running on open range, branded animals missed for the prior year's tax assessment, and foals with qualifying dams. Open range is non-private land… - Range users face access and fee rules: mixed, low. Group shooting-range use is recognized as lawful under the cited firearm laws. Firearms remain restricted in school buildings, but statutory exceptions and direct access through a range's outdoor entrance are allowed. Fences, structures, or gates cannot be used for the purpose of blocking a range's… - Bird production areas gain lawsuit protection: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, public and private nuisance suits cannot target lawful nuisances normally associated with migratory bird production areas. The nuisance must occur inside the production area and must not violate federal or state law. The law removes the former complete defense in civil and cr… - Governments get defined nuisance cleanup powers: mixed, low. Government entities and legally authorized officers can stop public nuisances without removing the right to bring statutory nuisance suits. Government lawsuits must link the nuisance to a person's conduct, controlled activity, or neglect of a former owner's continuing nuisance. Without that conduct… - Public nuisance rules protect several activities: mixed, low. An unlawful act or omission can count as a public nuisance when it meets the private nuisance test. Other tests cover public decency, public roads or waters, and specified harms affecting at least three people. The definition excludes normal farm and infrastructure-materials activities conducted wi… - Shooting ranges retain strong noise shields: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, qualifying Utah ranges and their users are protected from noise nuisance suits. A range must predate noise rules or comply with the rules from its opening, without substantially harming public health or safety. Noise following nationally recognized standards and operating pra… - Night construction permits require nuisance review: mixed, low. For department nighttime construction with a local noise permit, local authorities must review the private nuisance effects. They must determine that those effects can be reasonably reduced. The requirement covers activities directly related to and necessary for the permitted project. - Carbon storage gains conditional nuisance protection: mixed, low. Carbon dioxide lawfully injected and stored in a reservoir does not count as a public or private nuisance under the new chapter. The board must find, and the operator must show, that leakage cannot exceed the lower of 1% or the EPA-recommended standard. Operators cannot add substances that could we… - Factories and mines gain nuisance shields: mixed, low. Factories operating more than three years, without being nuisances when they opened, are protected from private claims based on changed nearby land uses. Protection ends if the factory increases the problem or operates negligently or improperly; local ordinances declaring or abating that protected… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Colin W. Jack (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Brady Brammer (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension | pass | 21 | 6 | | | 2026-03-06 | House | House/ concurs with Senate amendment | pass | 47 | 14 | | | 2026-03-04 | Senate | Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 6 | 0 | | | 2026-03-04 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 7 | 0 | | | 2026-02-27 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 60 | 9 | | | 2026-02-25 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 9 | 1 | | ## Actions (41) - 2026-03-25: Governor Signed - 2026-03-17: House/ to Governor (House) - 2026-03-17: 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 - 2026-03-11: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-11: Bill Received from House for Enrolling - 2026-03-11: House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling (House) - 2026-03-11: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-10: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-03-10: Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House (Senate) - 2026-03-10: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ concurs with Senate amendment (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ placed on Concurrence Calendar (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ to House with amendments (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ floor amendment (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-03-04: Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-03-02: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-02-27: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-02-27: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-27: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-02-26: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-02-25: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-24: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-02-24: House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (House) - 2026-02-20: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-02-20: House/ received bill from Legislative Research (House) - 2026-02-20: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-12: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0591.pdf) - Amended 3/6/2026 23:03:447, 2026-03-06: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0591S03_2026-03-06_23-08-30.pdf) - Substitute #3, 2026-03-05: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S03.pdf) - Substitute #2, 2026-03-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S02.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-03-03: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-20: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0591.pdf) - [Amended 3/6/2026 23:03:447 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_HB0591S03_2026-03-06_23-08-30.pdf) - [Substitute #3 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S03.pdf) - [Substitute #2 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S02.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0591.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [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-HB591-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).