UtahS.B. 1172026 General SessionSenateWALLET

Occupational and Professional Licensing Amendments

Sponsored By: Scott D. Sandall (Republican)

Signed by Governor

BusinessLabor and EmploymentOccupational and Professional Licensing

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

37 provisions identified: 15 benefits, 9 costs, 13 mixed.

Accountants lose fixed experience minimums

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah removes statutory one- and two-year experience minimums for certain certified public accountant applicants. Qualifying education includes a bachelor's or master's in accounting, or at least a bachelor's with an accounting and business concentration. Applicants still need an accepted certified transcript, accounting experience, passing exams, and any additional education required by state rules.

Counselors gain exam and supervision flexibility

Beginning July 1, 2026, a clinical mental health counselor pathway drops the additional National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. It requires an accredited rehabilitation counseling master's or doctorate, 60 semester or 90 quarter credits, and the National Counselor Examination. Video calls also count as supervisor consultation for certified social workers and associate marriage and family therapists. This also covers associate clinical mental health counselors and associate master addiction counselors. In-person, telephone, and other direct voice contact remain recognized methods.

Court reporter certification opens to more

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah court reporter applicants no longer need to be 18 or U.S. citizens. Applicants must still apply, pay the state-set fee, and show strong court reporting skills. They must pass either the Registered Professional Reporter Examination or the Certified Verbatim Reporter Examination.

Experienced chiropractors lose an extra exam

Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying chiropractors licensed elsewhere no longer need the Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic. They still need Utah's Chiropractic Law and Rules Examination. Their outside license must reflect education equivalent to Utah's requirements when obtained. They must also have practiced actively for at least two years immediately before applying. The state sets fees for both standard and outside-license applicants, without a stated amount or increase.

Some nursing graduates gain exam alternatives

Beginning July 1, 2026, graduates of nursing programs not approved by Utah gain alternative registered nurse exam pathways. They can pass a state-rule exam covering nursing practice, skills, theory, and professional ethics. Alternatively, they can show a current registered nurse license from a U.S. state, territory, Washington, D.C., or Canada. That option also requires passing the NCLEX-RN in English. Other applicable licensing requirements remain.

Acupuncture applicants need current certification proof

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah acupuncture applicants must meet current active certification requirements. The standards come from the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. Applicants must show a current certificate or other suitable proof. Utah's licensing division sets the license fee through the state's fee-setting process; the law states no amount or increase.

Addiction counselor supervisors face tighter limits

Beginning July 1, 2026, advanced substance use disorder counselors need two years of advanced-license experience to directly supervise counselors. They must also currently work in the substance use disorder field. Supervisors can oversee no more than six people unless the board and licensing division grant a written exception. This authority covers licensed substance use disorder counselors, no longer listing interns or advanced counselor licensees as supervisees.

Athlete agents face broader criminal review

Beginning July 1, 2026, athlete agent applications must disclose covered criminal records for applicants and specified people named in applications. Disclosures include guilty or no-contest pleas, convictions, and pending charges for crimes treated as felonies in Utah. Other crimes must be disclosed when substantially tied to safe or competent athlete-agent work. The state may deny registration for covered criminal conduct that seriously reflects on the applicant's fitness.

Counselor applicants face added training requirements

Beginning July 1, 2026, associate clinical mental health counselor applicants must meet the applicable clinical-supervision requirement. When federal Medicare eligibility rules require it, supervision must total at least 3,000 hours or at least two years. This is in addition to the application, education, and background-check requirements. Advanced substance use disorder counselor applicants must document at least two hours of approved suicide-prevention training. That training must occur after they finish their education requirements.

Chiropractors face revised discipline and hearings

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah revises chiropractic discipline and capacity hearings. The chiropractic misconduct section lists its own covered acts without expressly adding general statutory and rule-based misconduct definitions. The board can start a capacity hearing with reasonable cause to believe listed health conditions or behavior prevent safe practice. That hearing route applies when no listed court incapacity finding already exists. The licensing division, working with the board, can add public-protection terms to license revocation, suspension, or probation.

Safety suspensions include appeals and safeguards

Beginning July 1, 2026, a court finding of incapacity or mental illness and unsafe practice requires immediate suspension. Without that finding, the division and a board majority can pursue a capacity hearing based on reasonable cause. An immediate examination at the licensee's expense requires reasonable cause of unsafe practice and an urgent need to prevent harm. For psychologists, suspension continues during an appeal, and failure to comply with an ordered examination can cause immediate suspension. Licensees have 10 days to appeal suspension and can request review of evidence supporting restoration. Utah cannot take licensing action against psychologists solely because they seek or participate in mental health or substance abuse treatment.

Therapist extern licenses exclude social workers

Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying marriage and family therapy and clinical mental health counseling applicants receive temporary extern licenses. Applicants must apply, pay a fee, and hold a relevant master's or doctorate with a coursework gap defined by rule. They must work as supervised therapist employees and have no pending or active therapy-related discipline in any jurisdiction. The license ends when the requested license is issued or after three years, unless extended for good cause. Social worker applicants are no longer included in this pathway.

Certified contact lens fitters gain flexibility

Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying fitters no longer need a pre-July 1, 2000 agreement and two years of direct supervision. They can fit contact lenses without an optometry license while holding current American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners certifications. Existing rules require a permanent business location, personal fitting without delegation to unqualified people, and no lens giveaways as premiums. Fitters cannot perform refraction or over-refraction tests or claim skill in testing eyes. Patients need an unexpired prescription or a qualifying optometrist or ophthalmologist eye exam within six months; prescription copies stay on file at least seven years.

Licensed providers cannot block consumer complaints

Licensed providers cannot stop or try to stop customers, patients, or other consumers from making complaints to licensing or regulatory authorities. This includes attempts through contract terms or other means. The law treats these acts and attempted acts as unprofessional conduct.

Addiction counselor practicums lose hour minimum

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah removes the statutory 200-hour practicum minimum for substance use disorder counselor applicants. Applicants must still complete a supervised practicum as part of their substance use disorder education program.

Beauty students gain flexible training options

Beginning July 1, 2026, licensed cosmetology and barbering schools can teach up to 50% of each program online. Online lessons must meet standards from an applicable nationally recognized accrediting group. Legacy cosmetology/barbering license holders can also count 600 cosmetology hours toward the 1,200 hours required for master esthetics.

Covered pharmacy interns get longer licenses

Beginning July 1, 2026, covered pharmacy intern licenses can last up to two years instead of one. This applies only to licenses issued under Utah Code Subsection 58-17b-304(6)(b). Covered interns can hold their license longer before needing renewal.

Training permit supervision follows state rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah sets limited training permit supervision levels by rule instead of requiring specified direct supervision. The pathway requires state evaluation of the applicant, a Utah job offer, and the employer's promise to provide supervision. Supervisors must hold a good-standing license in the same classification. State rules also set how long supervisors must have held that license.

Health provider reviews focus on safety

The law replaces the moral-turpitude reporting standard with conduct substantially tied to a health provider's safe or competent work. Covered written reports must reach Utah's licensing division within 60 days after the event. Review-related liability protection also covers people and groups conducting, joining, or sponsoring qualifying provider reviews. Covered reviews include relevant mental or physical conditions and behavior listed in state law.

New review rules for opioid prescribers

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah must select extra opioid prescribing review publications by rule, consulting the Medical Licensing Board. Prescribers flagged by these reviews must receive an offer of education, but participation stays voluntary. The prescription database tutorial and test no longer require basic controlled-substance prescribing knowledge. They still cover the database's purpose, access, use, and applicable law. They must be designed for completion within 20 minutes when every answer is correct on the first try.

Prescribers gain broader database access options

Beginning July 1, 2026, authorized electronic systems can provide controlled-substance prescription records, not just opioid records. Utah must audit compliance and suspend or revoke access for violations. Designated employees receive access after required written notice; employees of the practitioner's business require notice from both. The law removes the express requirement to give each designated employee a unique password. Prescribers also gain an emergency exception defined by state rule for required database checks, alongside existing database and internet outage exceptions.

School psychologists gain authorized practice settings

Licensed school psychologists can practice in settings authorized by the Utah State Board of Education. This replaces the prior restriction limiting practice to employment. Practice outside board-authorized settings remains prohibited.

Pharmacists face tighter drug compounding limits

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah tightens a drug-compounding restriction for pharmacists and pharmacy interns. Compounding counts as misconduct when manufacturers commonly offer the prescribed dosage form, strength, and quantity. The law removes the additional requirement that the manufactured form be regularly available. This limits when patients can receive compounded versions of those products.

Longer waits for criminal-record licensing reviews

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah has up to 90 days to issue a written criminal-record licensing determination. The clock starts when the licensing division receives a completed application for that review. The prior deadline was 30 days. The determination answers whether the person's criminal record disqualifies them from licensure.

More applicants face criminal background checks

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah adds applicants covered by Sections 58-49-4 and 58-89-104 to its background-check framework. They must submit fingerprints and consent to state and federal checks for covered applications, renewals, and returns to practice. Dietitians seeking Utah compact privileges must also complete criminal checks and disclose criminal history requested by the state. Those dietitians must meet any additional background-check standards set by state rule.

Three licensing transition provisions end

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah repeals Sections 58-49-5 and 58-49-6. These concern certification of people already qualified and people qualified in other jurisdictions. It also repeals Section 58-60-511, covering licensing and experience transitions. The repeal provision does not identify replacement pathways, so individual effects depend on other licensing requirements.

Pharmacies face screening and operating rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, pharmacy applicants must ensure their pharmacist-in-charge consents to and completes a criminal background check. A pharmacy manager must complete it instead when no pharmacist-in-charge is required. Pharmacies must follow operating standards set by the licensing division with the pharmacy board. The division can also shorten or extend pharmacy-chapter license terms by up to one year to stagger renewals. These provisions specify neither the operating standards' details nor a renewal-fee change.

Drug dispensing expands with stronger discipline

Beginning July 1, 2026, eligible Utah optometrists can qualify as dispensing practitioners at licensed dispensing practices. State law must authorize them to prescribe and administer drugs in professional practice. Physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, and physician assistants face professional discipline for violations of the dispensing rules that apply to them.

Eyebrow waxing counts as licensed cosmetology

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah expressly includes eyebrow waxing to shape eyebrows within cosmetology practice. This confirms the service is within cosmetologists' licensed work. A person providing it as cosmetology practice must hold a cosmetology license.

Licensees face revised safety and monitoring rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah revises when unsafe practice can lead to license action. The person must lack reasonable skill or safety because of illness, a condition, or behavior listed in state law. That condition or behavior must show a threat or potential threat to public health, safety, or welfare. Licensees can also enter monitoring contracts through a state referral for diagnostic monitoring, not just a substance use disorder.

Polygraph applicants face job ability standards

Beginning July 1, 2026, deception detection examiner, intern, and examination administrator applicants face revised fitness standards. The law replaces disqualification based on habitual drunkenness or drug addiction or dependence. Applicants are disqualified when a mental or physical condition currently prevents them from performing required duties. Disqualification also applies for behavior listed in the law's specified unprofessional-conduct provision.

Behavioral health coaches support supervised treatment

Behavioral health coaches can help draft treatment plans under a mental health therapist's general supervision. They can provide evidence-based interventions from treatment manuals for mild-to-moderate symptoms or disorders defined by division rule. A therapist must assess the client before treatment and review and sign the treatment plan. These interventions also need prior, documented approval from a licensed health care facility or human services program.

Prescribers get revised overdose alert rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah must act after receiving a qualifying hospital report of poisoning or overdose involving prescribed controlled substances. The licensing division must use the prescription database to try to identify each possible prescriber. It must alert each identified practitioner within five business days, replacing the three-business-day deadline. Alerts replace the prior requirement to provide the hospital report and database information.

Addiction counselors get revised supervision rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's licensing division and board may approve exceptions to in-person substance use disorder counselor supervision. Supervisors must still provide at least one hour of direct supervision per 40 hours of client care and remain available for consultation. The law defines master addiction counselor practice as mental health therapy using generally recognized substance use disorder and addiction counseling methods. Master addiction counselors must practice under an advanced substance use disorder counselor or a substance use disorder counselor.

Broader oversight of mental health credentials

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's licensing division can discipline certificate holders under the mental health therapist licensing chapter. Actions include denying issuance or renewal, suspension, restrictions, probation, reprimands, and cease-and-desist orders under the law's disciplinary procedures. Utah may also share current, significant investigation information when the Counseling Compact or Social Work Licensure Compact requires transmission. The state's government-records sharing law does not limit that authority, and individual licensees have no new reporting duty.

Therapists share a combined licensing board

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's Physical and Occupational Therapy Licensing Board oversees both professions. Its eight seats include three physical therapists, one physical therapist assistant, two occupational therapists, and one occupational therapy assistant. One seat represents the public. The reorganization itself does not change individual license eligibility or benefits.

Engineering fund keeps more state money

Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's engineer and land surveyor education and enforcement fund can retain more money. Its fiscal year-end retention limit rises from $100,000 to $200,000. Any year-end balance above $200,000 must go to the state's General Fund.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Scott D. Sandall
Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

A. Cory Maloy
Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 138 • No: 0

House vote • 2/11/2026

House/ passed 3rd reading

Yes: 67 • No: 0

House vote • 2/4/2026

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation

Yes: 10 • No: 0

Senate vote • 1/23/2026

Senate/ substituted

Yes: 0 • No: 0