SB 258: Preliminary Municipalities Live

Passed in 10 days. Two bills to change it failed.

The Legislature passed SB 258 in 10 days in 2024. Since then, two bills to stop or reform it passed the House and did not pass the Senate. Seven requests are on the state list.

Ten days in 2024

The Senate got SB 258 on February 20, 2024. The Legislature passed the final version on March 1, the last night of the session. The House adopted that version on its floor the same day. No House committee heard the bill.

  1. 20Feb
    Day 0, an event
  2. 21Feb
    Day 1, an event
  3. 22Feb
    Day 2
  4. 23Feb
    Day 3
  5. 24Feb
    Day 4
  6. 25Feb
    Day 5
  7. 26Feb
    Day 6, an event
  8. 27Feb
    Day 7
  9. 28Feb
    Day 8
  10. 29Feb
    Day 9
  11. 1Mar
    Day 10, an event

What changed in those 10 days

Chief sponsor: Sen. Curtis S. Bramble. House floor sponsor: Rep. James A. Dunnigan. Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 534. Sources: SB 258 bill status, with each version of the bill, the committee minutes, and the vote records on le.utah.gov.

Every bill since

These bills changed Part 5 or would have changed it. Two of them changed only cross-references. The bills that would have stopped or reformed the law did not pass.

Bills about preliminary municipalities, 2024 to 2026
BillSponsorWhat it didResult
SB 258 (2024)Sen. Curtis S. BrambleCreated preliminary municipalities as a pilot that ends on January 1, 2031.Passed
HB 368 (2025)Rep. Stephen L. WhyteCorrected cross-references to the annexation law.Passed
HB 540 (2025)Rep. Mike L. KohlerWould have stopped new requests.Passed the House 53 to 19. The Senate never voted on it.
HB 510 (2026)Rep. Tiara AuxierWould have required 18 months of work with the county before a request.Passed the House 68 to 0. Failed in the Senate, 14 to 12, with 3 absent.
HB 557 (2026)Rep. Casey SniderCorrected one cross-reference.Passed
HB 592 (2026)Rep. Mike L. KohlerWould have set a cutoff date for new requests.Not heard in committee

A draft 2027 bill from Rep. Tiara Auxier went to the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee on June 17, 2026. It keeps the pilot. It adds 18 months of work with the county before a request, a 10% open space rule, and a 30% cap on short-term rentals. Read the draft

The 2026 reform fell one vote short

HB 510 would have required the owners to work with the county for 18 months before they could file a request. The House passed it 68 to 0.

In the Senate on March 6, 2026, 14 senators voted yes, 12 voted no, and 3 were absent. The Utah Constitution requires a majority of all 29 senators to pass a bill, which is 15 votes. The Senate recorded the bill as failed.

  • Yes, 14
  • No, 12
  • Absent, 3

Sources: Senate vote record, HB 510, and Utah Constitution, Article VI, Section 22

Timeline

From the bill to the end of the pilot. The marker shows today.

  1. The Legislature passes SB 258, 10 days after the Senate got it. Source for March 1, 2024
  2. The governor signs SB 258. Source for March 21, 2024
  3. The law takes effect. The first request, now Echo Canyon, comes in the same day. Source for May 1, 2024
  4. HB 540, which would have stopped new requests, ends with the session. It passed the House and got no Senate vote. Source for March 7, 2025
  5. Echo Canyon in Grand County becomes the first preliminary municipality. Source for June 9, 2025
  6. The City of Nine Springs study in Morgan County fails the 5% test. Source for October 14, 2025
  7. Two groups file a complaint in the Seventh District Court. It asks the court to declare Part 5 unconstitutional and Echo Canyon an unconstitutional entity. Source for February 10, 2026
  8. HB 510, a reform, fails in the Senate, 14 to 12, after it passed the House 68 to 0. Source for March 6, 2026
  9. A draft 2027 reform bill goes to the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee. It keeps the pilot. Source for June 17, 2026
  10. The Wasatch County Council votes 7 to 0 to ask for repeal. Source for September 2, 2026
  11. The state releases the Wasatch Highlands feasibility study. Source for September 11, 2026
  12. The Kane County Commission votes 3 to 0 to ask for repeal. Source for September 15, 2026
  13. The Wallsburg Town Council votes 5 to 0 to ask for repeal. Source for September 17, 2026
  14. The Summit County Council asks for repeal. news Source for October 7, 2026
  15. House Speaker Mike Schultz says, "We will be open to all options right now, including a full repeal." news Source for October 12, 2026
  16. Wasatch County and Kane County file a friend-of-the-court brief in the Echo Canyon case. news Source for October 16, 2026
  17. The public hearing on Wasatch Highlands, at Wasatch High School. Source for October 27, 2026
  18. Oral arguments on motions for summary judgment in the Echo Canyon case, in Moab. Source for October 29, 2026
  19. Deadline for top-priority bill requests for 2027. Source for November 16, 2026
  20. The last interim committee meetings of 2026. Source for November 18, 2026
  21. The 2027 General Session starts. Source for January 19, 2027
  22. The pilot ends, unless the Legislature acts first. Source for January 1, 2031

Every request so far

The Lieutenant Governor posts each request and its documents. A "news" tag marks a fact that only news reports support.

1Created
4In process
1Not processed
2Ended
Preliminary municipality requests in Utah
RequestCountyPlanFiledStatus
Echo CanyonGrand478 homes, 102 overnight units, and commercial space on about 176 acresMay 1, 2024Created
Created on June 9, 2025. The first preliminary municipality. A lawsuit asks a court to declare it an unconstitutional entity. Source for Echo Canyon
City of Nine SpringsMorganAbout 7,571 people at buildoutSeptember 18, 2024Ended
Ended. The feasibility study found a margin of negative 16.3%. Source for City of Nine Springs
WillowKaneAbout 2,997 people at buildoutJanuary 1, 2025In process
The state rejected the petition on September 17, 2026, because of the bond. A revised petition is posted with no decision yet. Source for Willow
Park City TechSummit725 homes on about 47 acresJanuary 8, 2025In process
The feasibility study passed. The hearing was on November 13, 2025. The state page shows no petition. Source for Park City Tech
Wasatch HighlandsWasatch754 homes, a 200-room hotel, and 160 glamping units on about 2,696 acres, as the state study models itJanuary 1, 2026In process
The feasibility study passed. The public hearing is set for October 27, 2026. Source for Wasatch Highlands
Town of Bear CanyonWasatchAbout 2,232 acresJanuary 1, 2026Ended
Rejected on July 16, 2026. The land was not in one piece. Source for Town of Bear Canyon
Lost CreekSummit510 units, about 255 of them nightly rentals, on about 491 acresJanuary 1, 2026In process
Held under the limit of two requests a year. The state started to process it on September 19, 2026. news Source for Lost Creek
Smooth HollowWasatchNot publishedJanuary 2026Not processed
Filed in January 2026 for land half a mile south of Wallsburg. In February 2026, the state said that it could not consider the request because of the filing dates. It is not on the state list. news Source for Smooth Hollow

Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor, incorporations, checked on October 26, 2026.

In court: the Echo Canyon case

On February 10, 2026, two groups, Friends of the Abajos and Living Rivers, filed a complaint in the Seventh District Court in Moab. They ask the court to declare Part 5 unconstitutional, and to declare Echo Canyon, the first preliminary municipality, an unconstitutional entity. The defendants include the Lieutenant Governor, in her official role, and the developer.

The complaint argues that Part 5 breaks limits in the Utah Constitution on special laws, on how the Legislature classifies municipalities, and on giving the powers of a city to private parties. It also argues that Part 5 takes away the right of residents to petition. These are claims in a complaint. The court has not ruled on them.

On October 16, 2026, Wasatch County and Kane County filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in support of the plaintiffs. news The Why repeal it page summarizes the brief. The court calendar sets oral arguments on motions for summary judgment in case 260700008 for October 29, 2026, in Moab.

Sources: the complaint, as posted by Moab Sun News, Utah Courts calendar for October 29, 2026, and KPCW, October 23, 2026

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