17-61-301. Annexation of portion of county to adjoining county -- Petition -- Certification of petition signatures -- Removal of signature -- Election -- Ballot.

611 words·~3 min read·/ut/title-17/chapter-61/17-61-301

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Effective 5/25/2026

(a)Except as provided in Section 17-61-306 , a voter who desires to have initiating county territory in which the voter resides included within the boundary of an adjoining county, the voter may petition the county legislative body of the initiating county and the county legislative body of the annexing 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."

(a)A petition under Subsection

(1)shall be:

(i)signed by a majority of the voters residing in the portion of the initiating county proposed to be included within the boundaries of an annexing county; and

(ii)presented before the first Monday in June of a year during which a general election is held.

(b)The number of voters residing in a portion of the county is the same as the number of active voters, as defined in Section 20A-7-501 , for that area.

(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 of an initiating county receives a petition from the county legislative body under Subsection (3)(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

(2);

(ii)certify on the petition whether each name is that of a voter in the portion of the initiating county that is proposed to be annexed; 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 (4)(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.

(a)If the county clerk of the initiating county determines that the petition meets the requirements of Subsection

(2), the county clerk of the initiating county and the county clerk of the annexing county shall ensure the petition is submitted to the voters of the respective counties at the next regular general election as described in this Subsection

(5).

(b)Except as otherwise provided, the election shall be held, the results canvassed, and returns made under the provisions of the general election laws of the state.

(c)The ballot language to be used in an election held under this Subsection

(5)shall be:

For annexing a portion of ____ county to ____ county.

Against annexing a portion of ____ county to ____ county.

Amended by Chapter 102 , 2026 General Session