Bill > HB0422

This bill amends Utah municipal law to explicitly define and protect open houses, preventing local governments from creating regulations that treat open houses differently from standard residential uses. The bill defines an "open house" as an event held by a homeowner, potentially in collaboration with real estate agents, architects, builders, or developers, to showcase a home and its surrounding landscape. Specifically, the legislation prohibits municipal governing bodies from passing ordinances that regulate open houses in a manner distinct from regular residential activities. If a municipality attempts to create such differential regulations, those ordinances would be considered automatically void. The bill also includes provisions protecting municipal officers from criminal prosecution if they enforce an ordinance they reasonably believed was valid, and provides a defense against punitive damages for officials who act in good faith or rely on legal counsel when enforcing ordinances. The bill is set to take effect on May 7, 2025, with a provision for earlier implementation if approved by a two-thirds majority in the state legislature and meeting specific conditions related to gubernatorial approval.

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https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0422.html