Who knew?  I’m finding there are land use provisions in bills that, by their title and main purpose, don’t seem to have anything to do with land use!  Plus, another LUDMA provision bill just came out too.

Here are the bills that, if passed, will have some effect on land use planning and administration:

HB76 – Data Center Water Transparency Amendments – this bill has a provision in it, not in LUDMA (which is getting to be a pet peeve of mine, how are local planners supposed to find and know about all these provisions scattered around in state code?) that requires a Land Use Authority (not the city or county per se), before approving a land use application for a data center, to notify the Division of Water Rights, the Division of Water Quality, and the local water provider, of the application (lines 134-138).

HB126 – Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments – this bill would modify the provisions in LUDMA having to do with micro-education facilities, that were added a couple of years ago.  It allows for more kinds of things the local entity can require and review for in approving a facility, but still makes clear that they are a permitted use in all local ordinances.

HB215 – Political Subdivision Landscaping Authority – this bill has to do with vegetation in the wildland-urban interface area for potential wildfires (that is another whole issue that planners may have to get involved with – where the line is to be drawn for properties to be included in the WUI areas – see HB41).  This bill restricts local landscaping and vegetation regulations from prohibiting the removal vegetation on properties in the WUI area when the owners are attempting to create defensible spaces for wildfire purposes.

Okay, and now this bill which just came out yesterday – HB400 – Landscaping Water Amendments – this bill would modify the section adopted a couple years ago into LUDMA dealing with water efficient landscaping – 10-20-619.  It would require local entities within the Great Salt Lake Basin to “adopt, maintain, and enforce a land use regulation that requires water efficient landscaping for new development”  by November 1, 2027.  The local jurisdiction must report to the Division of Water Resources the actions they take to adopt or modify such regulation.

More to come, stay tuned!