HB0063 • 2026

Livestock Watering Amendments

Agriculture

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Rep. Chew, Scott H.
Last action: 2026-03-25
Official status: Governor Signed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Livestock Watering Amendments

This bill addresses water used for livestock watering.

What This Bill Does

This bill addresses water used for livestock watering.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-25 Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
Governor Signed
2026-03-12 Clerk of the House
House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
2026-03-12 Executive Branch - Governor
House/ to Governor
2026-03-11 Clerk of the House
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
2026-03-11 Clerk of the House
House/ enrolled bill to Printing
2026-03-06 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Bill Received from House for Enrolling
2026-03-06 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
2026-03-05 House Speaker
House/ received from Senate
2026-03-05 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
2026-03-04 Senate Rules Committee
Senate/ 3nd Reading Calendar to Rules
2026-03-04 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
2026-03-04 Senate President
Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2026-03-04 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
2026-03-04 House Speaker
Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
2026-03-04 House Speaker
Senate/ to House
2026-02-19 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 3rd reading
2026-02-19 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2026-02-19 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar Table
Senate/ placed on 3rd Reading Calendar table
2026-02-19 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ uncircled
2026-02-18 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
2026-02-18 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ circled
2026-02-17 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate/ committee report favorable
2026-02-17 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
2026-02-12 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-02-05 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate/ to standing committee
2026-02-04 Senate Rules Committee
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-02-03 House 3rd Reading Calendar for House bills
House/ 3rd reading
2026-02-03 Senate Secretary
House/ passed 3rd reading
2026-02-03 Senate Secretary
House/ to Senate
2026-02-03 Waiting for Introduction in the Senate
Senate/ received from House
2026-01-26 House 3rd Reading Calendar for House bills
House/ 2nd reading
2026-01-26 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
House/ comm rpt/ amended
2026-01-23 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
House Comm - Amendment Recommendation
2026-01-23 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-01-21 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
House/ to standing committee
2026-01-20 House Rules Committee
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-01-14 Clerk of the House
House/ received bill from Legislative Research
2026-01-14 Clerk of the House
House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
2026-01-05 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0063
2026-01-05 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0063
2025-12-22 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Bill Numbered but not Distributed
2025-12-22 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0063
2025-12-22 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0063
2025-12-22 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed

Official Summary Text

This bill addresses water used for livestock watering.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

15
73-5-18
73-5-18
3
Livestock Watering Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Scott H. Chew
Senate Sponsor: Scott D. Sandall
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill addresses water used for livestock watering.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
provides for sub-basin livestock watering claims.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
ENACTS:
73-5-18
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
73-5-18
is enacted to read:
73-5-18
. Sub-basin livestock watering claims.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Large pond" means a pond for livestock watering that is larger than a small pond.
(b)
"Livestock" means a domestic animal raised or kept for profit or personal use.
(c)
"Small pond" means a pond for livestock watering that has a volume equal to or less
than two acre feet.
(d)
"Sub-basin livestock watering claim" means a water right recognized to be used to
water livestock from existing surface water sources in a geographically defined
sub-drainage boundary approved by the state engineer.
(e)
"Water right holder" means a person who holds the right to use water:
(i)
(A)
evidenced by a means identified in Section
73-1-10
; or
(B)
under an approved application to appropriate or for a change of use of water;
(ii)
for livestock to consume:
(A)
directly from the water source; or
(B)
from an impoundment into which the water is diverted; and
(iii)
including the associated uses of the water related to the raising and care of
livestock.
(2)
(a)
A person may submit a sub-basin livestock watering claim by filing:
(i)
a diligence claim under Section
73-5-13
;
(ii)
a corrected diligence claim under Section
73-5-13
;
(iii)
a change application under Sections
73-3-3
and
73-3-8
; or
(iv)
a statement of claim under Section
73-4-5
.
(b)
In addition to being subject to the requirements related to a claim or change
application described in Subsection
(2)(a)
, a person filing a sub-basin livestock
watering claim shall:
(i)
identify the boundary of the sub-basin that:
(A)
consists of a sub-drainage area; and
(B)
is limited in size so as to not impair an existing water right;
(ii)
file a map depicting the sub-basin described in Subsection
(2)(b)(i)
; and
(iii)
obtain the state engineer's approval of the boundary identified under Subsection
(2)(b)(i)
.
(c)
Requirements related to a claim or change application described in Subsection
(2)(a)

may include:
(i)
advertising under Section
73-3-6
;
(ii)
filing of protests under Section
73-3-7
;
(iii)
proof of beneficial use;
(iv)
requirements related to nonuse and forfeiture under
73-1-4
; and
(v)
other requirements imposed by statute or rule.
(3)
(a)
A person may base a sub-basin livestock watering claim only:
(i)
for private land owned by the person or public land for which the person has a
grazing permit; and
(ii)
on historically documented livestock watering rights when the water use is
initiated before and continues consistently since the enactment of the state water
law governing the use.
(b)
The state engineer may not authorize a sub-basin livestock watering claim without
the written consent of the beneficial user.
(c)
A person may not claim a proposed beneficial use level under this Subsection
(3)
that
exceeds the historical use by the water right holder within the sub-basin livestock
watering claim. A sub-basin livestock watering claim may not increase the water
right holder's beneficial use.
(d)
A water right holder is responsible to limit the depletion of water, through livestock
watering or pond evaporation, to the depletion limit established in the sub-basin
livestock watering claim.
(4)
A water right holder may not move water from one sub-basin to another sub-basin if
moving the water would impair another person's water right.
(5)
Except for a well or large pond:
(a)
a sub-basin livestock watering claim includes the use of water from any surface
water source within the sub-drainage area as a point of diversion for the water right;
and
(b)
a water right holder may, but is not required to, specifically identify individual points
of diversion within the sub-drainage area.
(6)
(a)
Within a sub-basin livestock watering claim area, a water right holder:
(i)
may construct a small pond without filing a change application; and
(ii)
may construct a large pond only after a change application is approved.
(b)
A large pond shall meet applicable dam safety requirements for obtaining a dam
permit.
(c)
A person may not construct a pond, regardless of size, in an area not covered by a
sub-basin livestock watering claim without receiving approval of a change
application.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
3-6-26 10:18 AM