# Utah S.B. 15: County Forms of Government Amendments

Utah S.B. 15, County Forms of Government Amendments, is a 2026 General Session Senate bill sponsored by Ronald M. Winterton (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-17 (Governor Signed) (as of 2026-10-14).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB15-2026GS
- 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. 15
- State: Utah
- Session: 2026 General Session
- Title: County Forms of Government Amendments
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-12-04
- Last action: 2026-03-17, Governor Signed
- Sponsor: Ronald M. Winterton (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Counties, Political Subdivisions (Local Issues), Form of Local Government
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (86 yes, 20 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Fewer county changes need voter approval: cost, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, county lawmakers can amend an optional government plan already in effect by a two-thirds vote. Switching county executives or legislative bodies between full-time and part-time status no longer requires voter approval. Changes dividing powers between executive and legislative…
- Counties gain options but face limits: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, counties with at least 225,000 people can propose full-time commissions under an expanded county commission plan. Optional plans must propose a government form allowed for the county’s class. First- through fourth-class counties can choose a county commission, expanded commis…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Ronald M. Winterton (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mike L. Kohler (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-05 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 51 | 20 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 8 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-20 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension | pass | 27 | 0 |   |

## Actions (27)

- 2026-03-17: Governor Signed
- 2026-03-11: Senate/ to Governor (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- 2026-02-09: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
- 2026-02-09: Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
- 2026-02-05: Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Senate/ received from House (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: House/ to Senate (House)
- 2026-02-05: House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate (House)
- 2026-02-05: House/ passed 3rd reading (House)
- 2026-02-05: House/ 3rd reading (House)
- 2026-01-30: House/ 2nd reading (House)
- 2026-01-30: House/ committee report favorable (House)
- 2026-01-29: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- 2026-01-26: House/ to standing committee (House)
- 2026-01-21: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House)
- 2026-01-21: House/ received from Senate (House)
- 2026-01-20: Senate/ to House (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (Senate)
- 2026-01-07: Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research (Senate)
- 2025-12-04: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2026-03-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0015.pdf)
- Introduced, 2025-12-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0015.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/SB0015.pdf)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0015.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-SB15-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).