(1) To accomplish the purposes of this chapter, a county shall prepare and adopt a comprehensive, long-range general plan:

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Terms Used In Utah Code 17-27a-401

  • Affected entity: means a county, municipality, special district, special service district under Title 17D, Chapter 1, Special Service District Act, school district, interlocal cooperation entity established under Title 11, Chapter 13, Interlocal Cooperation Act, specified property owner, property owner's association, public utility, or the Department of Transportation, if:
         (3)(a) the entity's services or facilities are likely to require expansion or significant modification because of an intended use of land;
         (3)(b) the entity has filed with the county a copy of the entity's general or long-range plan; or
         (3)(c) the entity has filed with the county a request for notice during the same calendar year and before the county provides notice to an affected entity in compliance with a requirement imposed under this chapter. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • Executive: when used to describe the powers, duties, or functions of a person or body elected as the county executive or a person appointed as the county manager or administrative officer, refers to:
         (2)(a) the power and duty to carry laws and ordinances into effect and secure their due observance; and
         (2)(b) those powers, duties, and functions that, under constitutional and statutory provisions and through long usage and accepted practice and custom at the federal and state level, have come to be regarded as belonging to the executive branch of government. See Utah Code 17-50-101
  • General plan: means a document that a county adopts that sets forth general guidelines for proposed future development of:
         (20)(a) the unincorporated land within the county; or
         (20)(b) for a mountainous planning district, the land within the mountainous planning district. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • Land: includes :
         (18)(a) land;
         (18)(b) a tenement;
         (18)(c) a hereditament;
         (18)(d) a water right;
         (18)(e) a possessory right; and
         (18)(f) a claim. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • Moderate income housing: means housing occupied or reserved for occupancy by households with a gross household income equal to or less than 80% of the median gross income for households of the same size in the county in which the housing is located. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • Mountainous planning district: means an area designated by a county legislative body in accordance with Section 17-27a-901. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • Official map: means a map drawn by county authorities and recorded in the county recorder's office that:
         (49)(a) shows actual and proposed rights-of-way, centerline alignments, and setbacks for highways and other transportation facilities;
         (49)(b) provides a basis for restricting development in designated rights-of-way or between designated setbacks to allow the government authorities time to purchase or otherwise reserve the land; and
         (49)(c) has been adopted as an element of the county's general plan. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • State: includes any department, division, or agency of the state. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
  • Unincorporated: means the area outside of the incorporated area of a municipality. See Utah Code 17-27a-103
     (1)(a) for present and future needs of the county;
     (1)(b)

          (1)(b)(i) for growth and development of all or any part of the land within the unincorporated portions of the county; or
          (1)(b)(ii) if a county has designated a mountainous planning district, for growth and development of all or any part of the land within the mountainous planning district; and
     (1)(c) as a basis for communicating and coordinating with the federal government on land and resource management issues.
(2) To promote health, safety, and welfare, the general plan may provide for:

     (2)(a) health, general welfare, safety, energy conservation, transportation, prosperity, civic activities, aesthetics, and recreational, educational, and cultural opportunities;
     (2)(b) the reduction of the waste of physical, financial, or human resources that result from either excessive congestion or excessive scattering of population;
     (2)(c) the efficient and economical use, conservation, and production of the supply of:

          (2)(c)(i) food and water; and
          (2)(c)(ii) drainage, sanitary, and other facilities and resources;
     (2)(d) the use of energy conservation and solar and clean energy resources;
     (2)(e) the protection of urban development;
     (2)(f) the protection and promotion of air quality;
     (2)(g) historic preservation;
     (2)(h) identifying future uses of land that are likely to require an expansion or significant modification of services or facilities provided by an affected entity; and
     (2)(i) an official map.
(3)

     (3)(a)

          (3)(a)(i) The general plan of a specified county, as defined in Section 17-27a-408, shall include a moderate income housing element that meets the requirements of Subsection 17-27a-403(2)(a)(iii).
          (3)(a)(ii)

               (3)(a)(ii)(A) This Subsection (3)(a)(ii) applies to a county that does not qualify as a specified county as of January 1, 2023.
               (3)(a)(ii)(B) As of January 1, if a county described in Subsection (3)(a)(ii)(A) changes from one class to another or grows in population to qualify as a specified county as defined in Section 17-27a-408, the county shall amend the county’s general plan to comply with Subsection (3)(a)(i) on or before August 1 of the first calendar year beginning on January 1 in which the county qualifies as a specified county.
          (3)(a)(iii) A county described in Subsection (3)(a)(ii)(B) shall send a copy of the county’s amended general plan to the association of governments, established pursuant to an interlocal agreement under Title 11, Chapter 13, Interlocal Cooperation Act, of which the county is a member.
     (3)(b) The general plan shall contain a resource management plan for the public lands, as defined in Section 63L-6-102, within the county.
     (3)(c) The resource management plan described in Subsection (3)(b) shall address:

          (3)(c)(i) mining;
          (3)(c)(ii) land use;
          (3)(c)(iii) livestock and grazing;
          (3)(c)(iv) irrigation;
          (3)(c)(v) agriculture;
          (3)(c)(vi) fire management;
          (3)(c)(vii) noxious weeds;
          (3)(c)(viii) forest management;
          (3)(c)(ix) water rights;
          (3)(c)(x) ditches and canals;
          (3)(c)(xi) water quality and hydrology;
          (3)(c)(xii) flood plains and river terraces;
          (3)(c)(xiii) wetlands;
          (3)(c)(xiv) riparian areas;
          (3)(c)(xv) predator control;
          (3)(c)(xvi) wildlife;
          (3)(c)(xvii) fisheries;
          (3)(c)(xviii) recreation and tourism;
          (3)(c)(xix) energy resources;
          (3)(c)(xx) mineral resources;
          (3)(c)(xxi) cultural, historical, geological, and paleontological resources;
          (3)(c)(xxii) wilderness;
          (3)(c)(xxiii) wild and scenic rivers;
          (3)(c)(xxiv) threatened, endangered, and sensitive species;
          (3)(c)(xxv) land access;
          (3)(c)(xxvi) law enforcement;
          (3)(c)(xxvii) economic considerations; and
          (3)(c)(xxviii) air.
     (3)(d) For each item listed under Subsection (3)(c), a county’s resource management plan shall:

          (3)(d)(i) establish findings pertaining to the item;
          (3)(d)(ii) establish defined objectives; and
          (3)(d)(iii) outline general policies and guidelines on how the objectives described in Subsection (3)(d)(ii) are to be accomplished.
(4)

     (4)(a)

          (4)(a)(i) The general plan shall include specific provisions related to an area within, or partially within, the exterior boundaries of the county, or contiguous to the boundaries of a county, which are proposed for the siting of a storage facility or transfer facility for the placement of high-level nuclear waste or greater than class C radioactive nuclear waste, as these wastes are defined in Section 19-3-303.
          (4)(a)(ii) The provisions described in Subsection (4)(a)(i) shall address the effects of the proposed site upon the health and general welfare of citizens of the state, and shall provide:

               (4)(a)(ii)(A) the information identified in Section 19-3-305;
               (4)(a)(ii)(B) information supported by credible studies that demonstrates that Subsection 19-3-307(2) has been satisfied; and
               (4)(a)(ii)(C) specific measures to mitigate the effects of high-level nuclear waste and greater than class C radioactive waste and guarantee the health and safety of the citizens of the state.
     (4)(b) A county may, in lieu of complying with Subsection (4)(a), adopt an ordinance indicating that all proposals for the siting of a storage facility or transfer facility for the placement of high-level nuclear waste or greater than class C radioactive waste wholly or partially within the county are rejected.
     (4)(c) A county may adopt the ordinance listed in Subsection (4)(b) at any time.
     (4)(d) The county shall send a certified copy of the ordinance described in Subsection (4)(b) to the executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality by certified mail within 30 days of enactment.
     (4)(e) If a county repeals an ordinance adopted under Subsection (4)(b) the county shall:

          (4)(e)(i) comply with Subsection (4)(a) as soon as reasonably possible; and
          (4)(e)(ii) send a certified copy of the repeal to the executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality by certified mail within 30 days after the repeal.
(5) The general plan may define the county’s local customs, local culture, and the components necessary for the county’s economic stability.
(6) Subject to Subsection 17-27a-403(2), the county may determine the comprehensiveness, extent, and format of the general plan.
(7) If a county has designated a mountainous planning district, the general plan for the mountainous planning district is the controlling plan.
(8) Nothing in this part may be construed to limit the authority of the state to manage and protect wildlife under Title 23A, Wildlife Resources Act.
(9) On or before December 31, 2025, a county that has a general plan that does not include a water use and preservation element that complies with Section 17-27a-403 shall amend the county’s general plan to comply with Section 17-27a-403.

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