HB 347 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Artificial Turf Placement Modifications

HB 347 requires Utah school districts to notify nearby residents before installing new artificial turf on school athletic fields. Specifically, school boards must send written notice to properties within 200 feet of the installation site at least 30 days before a public meeting, including details like location, size, materials, and intended use. They must also post the notice online 60 days in advance and allow public comment at the meeting. This applies only to new installations - not repairs or replacements - and does not change environmental requirements or create new legal rights.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to simplify the notice and hearing process for installing artificial turf on school property. The substitute version removes specific environmental impact requirements and detailed radius calculations, replacing the mandatory public hearing with a requirement to simply place the project on a regular meeting agenda. It also standardizes the notification radius to a flat 200 feet and adds a provision allowing schools to discard notification lists after the project is approved.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on artificial turf installation by local education agencies, but the procedural requirements for public engagement have been significantly reduced.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the requirement to hold a specific public hearing with a requirement to place the installation on a regular meeting agenda.

Deleted detailed requirements regarding environmental effects summaries, groundwater contamination risks, and specific tree canopy coverage definitions.

Changed the notification radius from a variable calculation (100, 150, or 200 feet) based on site conditions to a fixed 200-foot radius.

Removed requirements to publish notices in newspapers and post updates on a website, keeping only the requirement to post on the LEA's website.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'athletic field' to clarify which areas the law applies to.

TECHNICAL

Added a provision allowing schools to discard the list of notified property owners after the governing board takes final action on the project.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules/ substituted [House Rules Committee]

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor