# Utah S.B. 117: Occupational and Professional Licensing Amendments Utah S.B. 117, Occupational and Professional Licensing Amendments, is a 2026 General Session Senate bill sponsored by Scott D. Sandall (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-17 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB117-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah S.B. 117 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Occupational and Professional Licensing Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-09 - Last action: 2026-03-17, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Scott D. Sandall (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Business, Labor and Employment, Occupational and Professional Licensing - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 7 (138 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 37 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Accountants lose fixed experience minimums: benefit, medium. 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 nee… - Counselors gain exam and supervision flexibility: benefit, medium. 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… - Court reporter certification opens to more: benefit, medium. 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 Exam… - Experienced chiropractors lose an extra exam: benefit, medium. 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 mus… - Some nursing graduates gain exam alternatives: benefit, medium. 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.… - Certified contact lens fitters gain flexibility: benefit, low. 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… - Licensed providers cannot block consumer complaints: benefit, low. 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: benefit, low. 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: benefit, low. 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… - Covered pharmacy interns get longer licenses: benefit, low. 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: benefit, low. 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… - Health provider reviews focus on safety: benefit, low. 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 condu… - New review rules for opioid prescribers: benefit, low. 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 re… - Prescribers gain broader database access options: benefit, low. 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 practitio… - School psychologists gain authorized practice settings: benefit, low. 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. - Acupuncture applicants need current certification proof: cost, medium. 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 t… - Addiction counselor supervisors face tighter limits: cost, medium. 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 divisi… - Athlete agents face broader criminal review: cost, medium. 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 disclose… - Counselor applicants face added training requirements: cost, medium. 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, edu… - Pharmacists face tighter drug compounding limits: cost, low. 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… - Longer waits for criminal-record licensing reviews: cost, low. 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 di… - More applicants face criminal background checks: cost, low. 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 mus… - Three licensing transition provisions end: cost, low. 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 replacemen… - Pharmacies face screening and operating rules: cost, low. 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 wi… - Chiropractors face revised discipline and hearings: mixed, medium. 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 believ… - Safety suspensions include appeals and safeguards: mixed, medium. 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 rea… - Therapist extern licenses exclude social workers: mixed, medium. 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 therapis… - Drug dispensing expands with stronger discipline: mixed, low. 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… - Eyebrow waxing counts as licensed cosmetology: mixed, low. 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: mixed, low. 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 welf… - Polygraph applicants face job ability standards: mixed, low. 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 cur… - Behavioral health coaches support supervised treatment: mixed, low. 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 treatme… - Prescribers get revised overdose alert rules: mixed, low. 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 w… - Addiction counselors get revised supervision rules: mixed, low. 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 mas… - Broader oversight of mental health credentials: mixed, low. 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… - Therapists share a combined licensing board: mixed, low. 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 r… - Engineering fund keeps more state money: mixed, low. 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 and cosponsors - Sponsor: Scott D. Sandall (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: A. Cory Maloy (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-11 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 67 | 0 | | | 2026-02-04 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 10 | 0 | | | 2026-01-23 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-23 | Senate | Senate/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 27 | 0 | | | 2026-01-22 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd reading | pass | 25 | 0 | | | 2026-01-21 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 5 | 0 | | | 2026-01-21 | Senate | Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 4 | 0 | | ## Actions (34) - 2026-03-17: Governor Signed - 2026-03-03: Senate/ to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-02-13: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-02-13: Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling - 2026-02-12: Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling (Senate) - 2026-02-12: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-02-11: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-02-11: House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate (House) - 2026-02-11: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-11: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-05: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-02-05: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-02-04: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-03: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-01-26: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-01-26: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-01-23: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Senate/ passed 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-01-23: Senate/ 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Senate/ passed 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Senate/ 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-01-21: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-01-21: Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-01-20: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-01-19: Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research (Senate) - 2026-01-09: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0117.pdf) - Substitute #2, 2026-01-22: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117S02.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-01-21: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-01-09: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117.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/SB0117.pdf) - [Substitute #2 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117S02.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0117.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-SB117-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).