Relocation Assistance Amendments

More relocation help for farms and businesses

Beginning May 6, 2026, Utah raises the restart aid cap from $50,000 to $75,000 for displaced farms, nonprofits, and businesses. Aid covers actual, reasonable, necessary costs to restart at a new site after a government agency acquires their property. Agency rules define covered costs; a lower federal or agency cap does not replace Utah's cap, but a higher federal cap applies. Beginning July 1, 2027, the Department of Transportation adjusts the cap each July 1 using the prior year's limit. It adds that limit multiplied by the Consumer Price Index percentage change determined by the State Tax Commission, or zero if negative. The department must publish the adjusted cap by January 30 each year and send it to the Property Rights Ombudsman. Eligible displaced people can instead choose a fixed payment of $1,000 to $75,000 in place of payments under agency rules. That option excludes sites whose only business is renting property to others, and all recipients must qualify under federal relocation law. Agencies can combine federal, state, and local money, using federal payment conditions when federal funds are used. Without federal funding, agencies can still pay aid, but total aid cannot exceed what federal funding would have allowed.