SB0201 • 2026

Shelter Animal Euthanasia Amendments

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Sen. Grover, Keith
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.

Shelter Animal Euthanasia Amendments

This bill deals with the treatment of dogs and cats in an animal shelter.

What This Bill Does

This bill deals with the treatment of dogs and cats in an animal shelter.

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
2026-03-13 Senate Secretary
Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
2026-03-13 Executive Branch - Governor
Senate/ to Governor
2026-03-12 Senate Secretary
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
2026-03-12 Senate Secretary
Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
2026-03-10 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
2026-03-10 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
2026-03-06 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ 3rd reading
2026-03-06 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ floor amendment failed
2026-03-06 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ floor amendment failed
2026-03-06 Senate Secretary
House/ passed 3rd reading
2026-03-06 House Speaker
House/ received from Senate
2026-03-06 Senate President
House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
2026-03-06 Senate Secretary
House/ to Senate
2026-03-06 Senate President
House/ to Senate
2026-03-06 House Speaker
Senate/ concurs with House amendment
2026-03-06 Senate Concurrence Calendar
Senate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
2026-03-06 Senate Secretary
Senate/ received from House
2026-03-06 Senate President
Senate/ received from House
2026-03-06 Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
2026-03-06 House Speaker
Senate/ to House
2026-03-05 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
2026-03-03 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ 2nd reading
2026-03-03 House Rules Committee
House/ 3rd Reading Calendar to Rules
2026-03-03 House 3rd Reading Calendar for Senate bills
House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
2026-03-03 House Political Subdivisions Committee
House/ comm rpt/ substituted
2026-03-03 House Rules Committee
House/ return to Rules due to fiscal impact
2026-03-02 House Political Subdivisions Committee
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-03-02 House Political Subdivisions Committee
House Comm - Substitute Recommendation
2026-03-02 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0201S02
2026-03-02 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0201S02
2026-03-02 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0201S02
2026-03-02 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0201S02
2026-02-25 House Political Subdivisions Committee
House Comm - Held
2026-02-24 House Rules Committee
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-02-24 House Political Subdivisions Committee
House/ to standing committee
2026-02-23 Clerk of the House
House/ received from Senate
2026-02-23 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 3rd reading
2026-02-23 Clerk of the House
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
2026-02-23 Clerk of the House
Senate/ to House
2026-02-20 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ 2nd reading
2026-02-20 Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ passed 2nd reading
2026-02-03 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0201S01
2026-02-03 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0201S01
2026-02-02 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted
2026-02-02 Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
2026-01-30 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0201S01
2026-01-30 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0201S01
2026-01-30 Released
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0201
2026-01-30 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
2026-01-30 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
2026-01-29 Version Sponsor
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0201
2026-01-28 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Senate/ to standing committee
2026-01-27 Senate Rules Committee
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
2026-01-27 Waiting for Introduction in the Senate
Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research
2026-01-26 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Bill Numbered but not Distributed
2026-01-26 Legislative Fiscal Analyst
LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0201
2026-01-26 Legislative Fiscal Agency
LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0201
2026-01-26 Legislative Research and General Counsel
Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed

Official Summary Text

This bill deals with the treatment of dogs and cats in an animal shelter.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

26
11-46-403
0
Shelter Animal Euthanasia Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Keith Grover
House Sponsor: Anthony E. Loubet
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill deals with the treatment of dogs and cats in an animal shelter.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms; and
provides that an animal shelter may euthanize an animal only if no reasonable alternatives
to euthanasia are available.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
ENACTS:
11-46-403
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
11-46-403
is enacted to read:
11-46-403
. Disposition of animals in an animal shelter.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Animal organization" includes both an animal rescue group and an animal shelter.
(b)
"Animal rescue group" includes a private humane society or a private animal welfare
organization.
(c)
"Animal shelter" does not include a private humane society or a private animal
welfare organization.
(2)
An animal held by or in the custody of an animal shelter that is not adopted, transferred
to another animal shelter or an animal rescue group, placed into a community cat
program as described in Part 3, Community Cat Act, or reclaimed by the animal's owner,
may be euthanized:
(a)
if no reasonable alternatives to euthanasia are available; and
(b)
in accordance with the requirements of this part.
(3)
(a)
An animal shelter may euthanize an animal:
(i)
only after:
(A)
the holding period for the animal required by Section
11-46-103
is expired;
(B)
notifying animal shelter and animal rescue groups, except as provided in
Subsection
(5)
, that have expressed an interest in receiving animals at risk of
euthanasia;
(C)
no animal shelter or animal rescue group requests the transfer of the animal
within two business days after the day on which the animal shelter makes the
notice described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)(A)
; and
(D)
no animal shelter or animal rescue group collects the animal within two
business days after the day on which the animal shelter makes the notice
described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)(A)
;
(ii)
to prevent unnecessary suffering due to serious injury or disease, in accordance
with Subsection
11-46-103(3)
; or
(iii)
if the animal is a dog that has been determined to be dangerous or vicious under
state or local law.
(b)
The time periods described in Subsections
(3)(a)(i)(C)
and
(D)
may run concurrently
with:
(i)
the holding period required by Section
11-46-103
; and
(ii)
any holding period required by an applicable local ordinance.
(4)
(a)
An animal shelter may provide the notice described in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)(B)
in
accordance with the animal shelter's established internal policies and procedures.
(b)
An animal organization is responsible for monitoring messages left for the animal
organization.
(c)
If an animal organization maintains an electronic or other digital forum in which an
animal shelter may post notices about animals available for placement, the animal
organization that maintains the forum is responsible for monitoring the forum.
(5)
(a)
Nothing in Subsection
(3)(a)(i)
requires an animal shelter to notify or release an
animal to an animal rescue group if the animal shelter knows or has reason to believe
that:
(i)
any of the animal rescue group's current directors, officers, or employees have
been convicted of a crime related to animal cruelty or neglect;
(ii)
any of the animal rescue group's current directors, officers, or employees have
pending charges related to animal cruelty or neglect; or
(iii)
the animal rescue group is constrained by court order that prevents the
organization from taking in or keeping animals.
(b)
Subsection
(5)(a)
does not impose an obligation on an animal shelter to investigate,
verify, or monitor:
(i)
the criminal history or pending criminal charges of or for a director, officer, or
employee of an animal rescue group; or
(ii)
whether an animal rescue group is subject to a court order described in
Subsection
(5)(a)(iii)
.
(6)
An animal shelter is not liable for an act or omission under this section if the animal
shelter acts in good faith based on the information available to the animal shelter at the
time of the act or omission.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
3-12-26 10:08 AM