Grazing Permits Amendments

5
53C-5-101
53C-5-102
0
Grazing Permits Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Tiara Auxier
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill addresses grazing on school and institutional trust lands.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
requires the director of the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA)
to prioritize multiple use and sustained yield in the management of school and
institutional trust lands (trust lands);
prohibits the director of SITLA from issuing permits for the non-use of trust lands if the
trust lands may be used for grazing; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53C-5-101
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 302
53C-5-102
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 1994, Chapter 294
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53C-5-101
is amended to read:
53C-5-101
. Management of range resources.
(1)
The director is responsible for the efficient management of all range resources on lands
under the director's administration, consistent with the director's fiduciary duties of
financial support to the beneficiaries.
(2)
The director shall:
(a)
prioritize the principles of multiple use and sustained yield in the management of
trust lands; and
(b)
base management of trust lands on sound resource management principles.
(2)
This management shall be based on sound resource management principles.
Section 2. Section
53C-5-102
is amended to read:
53C-5-102
. Grazing permits -- Treatment of permits on federal lands required
by the state.
(1)
(a)
The director may issue grazing permits on trust lands under terms and conditions
established by rules of the director.
(b)
Those terms shall be based
The director shall base the terms of a grazing permit
on
the fair market value of the
permit
grazing use of the trust lands
.
(c)
The director may not issue a permit for the non-use of trust lands if grazing is a
viable use of the trust lands.
(2)
(a)
Upon selecting, exchanging, or otherwise acquiring lands of the United States, the
director shall honor, for the remainder of the applicable term, all leases, permits, and
contracts, and the related terms and conditions of user agreements on United States
lands, including permitted stocking rates, grazing fee levels, access rights, and all
existing activities that currently or historically have dictated an understanding of
usage between the land user and the federal government.
(b)
Improvements of the permittee or lessee to the land shall be honored by the state in
the acquisition of federal lands.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
1-26-26 10:01 AM