Utah legislation · 2026 General Session
Utah HB18: Public Land Access Amendments
Status: Failed, March 6, 2026
This bill addresses access to wildlife management areas.
What the bill says
From the introduced text, December 4, 2025:
0 Public Land Access Amendments 2026 GENERAL SESSION STATE OF UTAH Chief Sponsor: Nelson T. Abbott Senate Sponsor: LONG TITLE Committee Note: The Judiciary Interim Committee recommended this bill. Legislative Vote: 9 voting for 3 voting against 4 absent General Description: This bill addresses access to wildlife management areas. Highlighted Provisions: This bill: - repeals requirement that under certain circumstances an individual is required to hold authorization to hunt or fish to access wildlife management areas; and - makes technical and conforming amendments. Money Appropriated in this Bill: None Other Special Clauses: None Utah Code Sections Affected: AMENDS: 23A-6-402 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 116 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah: Section 1. Section 23A-6-402 is amended to read: 23A-6-402 . Right of access to lands for hunting, trapping, or fishing reserved to public -- Exceptions. (1) Except as provided in Section 65A-2-5 , there is reserved to the public the right of access to lands owned by the state, including those lands lying below the official government meander line or high water line of navigable waters, for the purpose of hunting, trapping, or fishing. (2) When a department or agency of the state leases or sells land belonging to the state lying below the official government meander line or …
Sponsors
- Nelson Abbott (R, 57) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : House/ filed
- : House/ strike enacting clause
- : House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- : House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- : House/ received bill from Legislative Research
- : LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0018
- : LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0018
- : LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0018
- : LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0018
- : Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
Subjects: Wildlife, Natural Resources, Fishing, Hunting
Common questions
- What is HB18?
- HB18 is a bill in the Utah Legislature (2026 General Session): Public Land Access Amendments.
- What does HB18 do?
- This bill addresses access to wildlife management areas.
- What is the status of HB18?
- Failed as of March 6, 2026. Latest action: House/ filed (March 6, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB18?
- Nelson Abbott (R, 57).
- Where is the official record for HB18?
- On the Utah Legislature website: https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/HB0018.html
Source: official Utah record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.