17-60-302. Initiating a petition to move a county seat -- Certification of petition signatures -- Removal of signature -- Limitation.

547 words·~2 min read·/ut/title-17/chapter-60/17-60-302

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Effective 5/25/2026

(a)A voter may file a petition to move the county seat with the county legislative body of the county in which the voter lives if the petition is signed by a majority of voters in the county, calculated by the number of active voters, as defined in Section 20A-7-501 , in the county.

(b)The first page of a petition described in this section shall include the following statement in at least the same size type as the majority of the other statements on the page:

"WARNING TO SIGNERS WITH PRIVATE VOTER REGISTRATION RECORDS

If you sign this petition, your voter identification number and the date you signed may be publicly disclosed. This disclosure may occur even if you are an at-risk voter with a voter registration record that has been classified as a private record."

(c)If the county legislative body receives a petition that complies with this section, the county legislative body shall submit the question of moving the county seat to the county's voters:

(i)if the county legislative body receives the petition at least 180 days before the next general election, at the next general election; or

(ii)if the county legislative body receives the petition fewer than 180 days before the next general election, at the general election following the next general election.

(a)Within three business days after the day on which a county legislative body receives a petition under Subsection

(1), the county legislative body shall provide the petition to the county clerk.

(b)Within 14 days after the day on which a county clerk receives a petition from the county legislative body under Subsection (2)(a) , the county clerk shall:

(i)use the procedures described in Section 20A-1-1002 to determine whether the petition satisfies the requirements of Subsection

(1);

(ii)certify on the petition whether each name is that of a registered voter in the county; and

(iii)deliver the certified petition to the county legislative body.

(a)An individual who signs a petition under this section may have the individual's signature removed from the petition by, no later than three business days after the day on which the county legislative body provides the petition to the county clerk, submitting to the county clerk a statement requesting that the individual's signature be removed.

(b)A statement described in Subsection (3)(a) shall comply with the requirements described in Subsection 20A-1-1003(2) .

(c)The county clerk shall use the procedures described in Subsection 20A-1-1003(3) to determine whether to remove an individual's signature from a petition after receiving a timely, valid statement requesting removal of the signature.

(4)The election shall be conducted and the returns canvassed in all respects as provided by law for the conducting of general elections and canvassing the returns.

(5)In accordance with Utah Constitution, Article XI, Section 2, a proposition to move the county seat may not be submitted in the same county more than once in four years, or within four years after the day on which a proposition to move the county seat is submitted to the voters.

Amended by Chapter 102 , 2026 General Session