63G-3-201. When rulemaking is required.

700 words·~3 min read·/ut/title-63g/chapter-3/63g-3-201·

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

Effective 5/6/2026

(1)Each agency shall:

(a)maintain a current version of the agency's rules; and

(b)make the rules available to the public for inspection during the agency's regular business hours.

(a)An agency may take action if authorized implicitly or explicitly by statute.

(b)In addition to other rulemaking required by law, each agency shall make rules when agency action:

(i)authorizes, requires, or prohibits an action;

(ii)provides or prohibits a material benefit; and

(iii)applies to a class of persons or another agency.

(3)Rulemaking is also required when an agency issues a written interpretation of a state or federal legal mandate.

(4)Rulemaking is not required when:

(a)agency action applies only to internal agency management, inmates or residents of a state correctional, diagnostic, or detention facility, persons under state legal custody, patients admitted to a state hospital, members of the state retirement system, or, except as provided in Title 53H, Chapter 7, Part 3 , Student Civil Liberties Protection, students enrolled in a state education institution;

(b)a standardized agency manual applies only to internal fiscal or administrative details of governmental entities supervised under statute;

(c)an agency issues policy or other statements that are advisory, informative, or descriptive, and do not conform to the requirements of Subsections

(2)and

(3); or

(d)an agency makes nonsubstantive changes in a rule, except that the agency shall file all nonsubstantive changes in a rule with the office.

(a)A rule shall enumerate any penalty authorized by statute that may result from its violation, subject to Subsections (5)(b) and

(c).

(b)A violation of a rule may not be subject to the criminal penalty of a class C misdemeanor or greater offense, except as provided under Subsection (5)(c) .

(c)A violation of a rule may be subject to a class C misdemeanor or greater criminal penalty under Subsection (5)(a) when:

(i)authorized by a specific state statute;

(ii)a state law and programs under that law are established in order for the state to obtain or maintain primacy over a federal program; or

(iii)state civil or criminal penalties established by state statute regarding the program are equivalent to or less than corresponding federal civil or criminal penalties.

(6)Each agency shall enact rules incorporating the principles of law not already in the agency's rules that are established by final adjudicative decisions within 120 days after the decision is announced in the agency's cases.

(a)Each agency may enact a rule that incorporates by reference:

(i)all or any part of another code, rule, or regulation that has been adopted by a federal agency, an agency or political subdivision of this state, an agency of another state, or by a nationally recognized organization or association;

(ii)state agency implementation plans mandated by the federal government for participation in the federal program;

(iii)lists, tables, illustrations, or similar materials that are subject to frequent change, fully described in the rule, and are available for public inspection; or

(iv)lists, tables, illustrations, or similar materials that the director determines are too expensive to reproduce in the administrative code.

(b)Rules incorporating materials by reference shall:

(i)be enacted according to the procedures outlined in this chapter;

(ii)state that the referenced material is incorporated by reference;

(iii)state the date, issue, or version of the material being incorporated; and

(iv)define specifically what material is incorporated by reference and identify any agency deviations from it.

(c)The agency shall identify any substantive changes in the material incorporated by reference by following the rulemaking procedures of this chapter.

(d)The agency shall maintain a complete and current copy of the referenced material available for public review at the agency and at the office.

(a)This chapter is not intended to inhibit the exercise of agency discretion within the limits prescribed by statute or agency rule.

(b)An agency may enact a rule creating a justified exception to a rule.

(9)An agency may obtain assistance from the attorney general to ensure that its rules meet legal and constitutional requirements.

Amended by Chapter 484 , 2026 General Session