Bills Passed

H.B. 40 Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act Amendments, Rep. Peterson
This bill restructures the licensing requirements for trades in the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act. Important changes (Section begins on line 1633): The Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) shall continue to establish and maintain the Construction Business Registry and will ensure it is publicly accessible on a website indexed by the name of the licensed contractor qualifier (defined in lines 515-521); the name of the licensed contractor’s licensed business; the license the contractor holds; and any other appropriate identifier. DOPL will create a process for licensed contractors to provide the contact information they want included in the Construction Business Registry before their entry. DOPL may also establish a fee for entering this contact information to offset the costs of creating, administering and maintaining the registry. DOPL also has rulemaking authority regarding the establishment and maintenance of the registry. 

H.B. 65 Construction Code Amendments, Rep. Peterson
This bill amends/updates the State Construction Code to align with the International Building, Energy Conservation, Existing Building, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Residential, and Swimming Pool & Spa Codes. It also removes water heater regulations in certain areas and takes effect on July 1, 2026.

H.B. 396 Public Project Subcontractor Amendments, Rep. Burton 
The bill applies to contractors working on public projects. It enacts a workers’ compensation insurance attestation requirement, under which employers seeking zero-estimated-exposure insurance policies must sign a statement warning that fraudulent omissions or misrepresentations by employees constitute a criminal offense. It requires subcontractors (of any tier) to provide to the general contractor and property owner: a list of current W-2 employees; the names and license numbers of any second-tier subcontractors used on the project; the estimated number of labor hours for their portion of the project; and written notice of a subcontractor’s zero estimated exposure policy (if they have one). The GC and property owner must retain this information for three years. Subcontractors are required to provide the following to DOPL upon request: a photo ID from each employee on the construction site; the name of each current employee; and the professional license number of the employee (if they have one). The bill authorizes the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to fine employers for worker misclassification or other noncompliant actions and authorizes DOPL to make audit recommendations to the State Tax Commission. This bill contains a coordinating clause with H.B. 40. 

H.B. 508 State Facilities Modifications, Rep. Brooks
This bill modifies a number of provisions related to state funding of and requirements for capital facility projects, particularly those within the Utah System of Higher Education. Importantly, it exempts construction contracts administered by the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) from statutory performance and payment bond requirements, but authorizes the division to require these bonds when it is deemed necessary to protect the division from financial loss or performance risk. According to line 882, this bill does not appear to eliminate a person’s right of action if a payment bond is in place. Due to the passage of S.B. 164, this bill will have broad impacts, as all public school construction projects will now be overseen by DFCM. This bill takes effect on May 6, 2026. 

S.B. 164 School Construction Amendments, Sen. Wilson
This bill gives the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DCFM) permitting, inspection, construction approval and construction oversight authority for public schools. DFCM can create a fee schedule to recover costs of oversight activities and can delegate oversight authority to qualified school districts. DFCM must make rules covering square footage, safety, costs, building standards and facility assessments. DFCM must consult with the fire marshal, school construction liaison on educational programming, school district representatives and construction professionals. It outlines educational facility planning requirements for local education agencies (LEAs), including periodic reporting requirements. It stipulates different construction delivery methods for LEA projects under $3 million, and those exceeding $3 million and $5 million (lines 700-746). DFCM will publish maximum allowable fees for certain services, with a request process for exceptions (lines 749-772). DFCM will maintain a library of school construction templates, an online document and compliance tracking system, and a qualified contractor and vendor registry. LEAs must submit historical project information and documentation to the division upon request (beginning line 1012) and must adhere to standardized cost reporting requirements (beginning line 1066). This bill requires consultation with the state security chief on mandatory safety and security standards and requires training/technical assistance programs. It creates enforcement and penalty requirements, including administrative penalties up to $25,000 and mandatory compliance audits. This takes effect on July 1, 2026, with full compliance required on January 1, 2027.

S.B. 195 Workforce Development, Sen. Millner
This bill authorizes the governor to delegate approval authority for eligible workforce programs (defined beginning on line 395) to the Utah Board of Higher Education (The Board), particularly for consideration regarding participation in the federal Workforce Pell Grant program. The Department of Workforce Services may provide wage record data to The Board, and The Board may enter into interstate agreements. This bill provides governmental immunity and classifies certain student data as protected records which an individual can be found guilty of a class B misdemeanor for offering or accessing without authorization. It also creates the Statewide Youth Apprenticeship Governance Council to coordinate youth apprenticeship programs across state agencies and education providers and stipulates reporting requirements for the council (line 259). This takes effect May 6, 2026.

Bills Not Passed

H.B. 245 Construction Wage Standard Act, Rep. Clancy
This bill would have created a state-level “prevailing wage” system for public construction projects by requiring contractors to pay a county-specific minimum wage to qualifying employees and imposing criminal and civil penalties (a class B misdemeanor and/or court-ordered fines) on noncompliant employers. Employees could also have been awarded injunctive relief, wage recovery with interest, and court costs/attorneys’ fees in wage-standard lawsuits. This bill failed on the third/final reading in the House (25 Yeas, 46 Nays). 

H.B. 294 Employer Verification Amendments, Rep. Auxier
This bill would have amended provisions of the Private Employer Verification Act (E-Verify) and required companies with more than 125 employees to comply. It would have subjected a person using fraudulent ID documentation or the ID documentation of another person to obtain employment to criminal prosecution. This bill was returned to Rules by the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee after failing to pass a Motion to Recommend and never reached a second reading in the Senate. 

H.B. 344 Construction Consultant Amendments, Rep. Miller
This bill would have removed the licensing requirement for a person who only provides or offers to provide a list of subcontractors or suppliers, and it provides a coordination clause with H.B. 40. This bill was returned to Rules by the House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee, was only heard once on the House Floor, and never reached the Senate.  

H.B. 433 Professional Licensing Amendments, Rep. Wilcox
This bill would have modified oversight of the Office of Professional Licensure Review (The Office). It defined “harm” and would have required The Office to review and respond to inquiries from legislators and non-legislators regarding proposed or existing regulations subject to capacity and resource constraints. It would also have required The Office to identify and notify the legislators who represent individuals who submit inquiries. The Office would have had to consider and document any “harm” when conducting reviews, and whether regulating an occupation could mitigate it. In its annual report for the Business and Labor Interim Committee, The Office would have had to include each response to inquiries from legislators and non-legislators. This bill was sent to Rules after being placed on the Senate 2nd Reading calendar and was not heard for the second reading.

S.B. 178 Right to Work Amendments, Sen. Blouin
This bill would have repealed Title 34, Chapter 34, Utah Right to Work Law, which would have lifted restrictions on collective bargaining. This bill was not considered in the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee and was later sent to Rules. 

S.B. 179 Wage Amendments, Sen. Blouin
This bill would have required employers to include information about wages/other compensation in job listings, increased the minimum wage to $20 per hour, prohibited the Labor Commission from establishing a lower minimum wage, and required the commission to adjust the minimum wage for inflation at least once per year. This bill was not considered in the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee and was later sent to Rules.

S.B. 188 Construction Trades Education Amendments, Sen. Escamilla
This bill would have added the Utah Masonry Council to the list of organizations that may offer continuing education for a contractor licensee. This bill was held by the Senate Business and Labor Committee and later sent to Rules.