Salt Lake City — A lot of bills were passed during the 2026 legislative session, and March 26 was the deadline for Gov. Spencer Cox to sign or veto them. There were several bills related to wildlife management that were signed into law this legislative session — here are just a few to be aware of.
HB30 provides an update to legislation passed in 2025 that required anyone 18 years old or older to possess a hunting, fishing or combination license to access a wildlife management area or waterfowl management area in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. Under this new law, individuals who do not have a hunting, fishing or combination license can instead watch an educational video about wildlife management areas and can obtain a free digital access permit to access WMAs in Utah. The previous exemptions for needing a license or digital access permit will still be in effect, along with a few new exemptions.
Under this new legislation, individuals will also have the option to donate funding toward conservation or habitat projects on a specific WMA in Utah. Wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas are primarily funded by the sale of Utah hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
“WMAs are uniquely important because they are the only public lands in Utah whose sole purpose is enhancing and protecting wildlife resources,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Wildlife Lands Coordinator Chelsea Duke said. “These properties ensure that critical wildlife habitat is conserved, conflicts between wildlife and private landowners are reduced and Utahns have dedicated places to participate in hunting, fishing and other wildlife-based recreation.”
This law will take effect on July 1, 2026, but the WMA requirements will only apply to WMAs in class one and class two counties — Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties — in 2026. As of July 1, 2027, the WMA requirements will be in effect for first-, second-, third- and fourth-class counties. By July 1, 2028, the WMA requirements will be in effect for all WMAs in Utah.
This law creates a new WMA, the Goshen Bay Waterfowl Management Area, which will be managed by the DWR to benefit waterfowl and other wildlife in the area and to provide additional hunting opportunities. The land is held in public trust by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands as sovereign lands and is located along Utah Lake.
Currently, there are 149 WMAs throughout Utah, totaling over 500,000 acres, or 780 square miles. Each WMA ranges in size from a few dozen acres to over 50,000 acres.
This law will take effect May 6, 2026.
This law clarifies and makes amendments to a few Utah Department of Natural Resources laws, including those related to aquatic invasive species. Previously, anyone operating motorized and nonmotorized watercraft in Utah was required to first take a mandatory education course about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species — the Mussel Aware Education Course. Under this new law, boaters using nonmotorized watercraft and motorized inflatables will no longer be required to complete the Mussel Aware Education Course.
Under HB54, the Watercraft Operator Safety Course will be combined with the Mussel Aware Education Course. Anyone operating a motorized watercraft in Utah will still be required to complete that course annually, with an expiration of Dec. 31 each year.
The portions of these laws that relate to aquatic invasive species will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
This law allocates $2 million annually toward wildlife-connectivity projects and also created an associated “Wildlife Crossing Account” housed within the Utah Department of Transportation. Anyone who purchases a hunting permit — or who renews or purchases a vehicle registration — will now also have the option to donate money for wildlife crossing projects in Utah. The law also provides direction for the Utah Department of Transportation, in consultation with the DWR and other stakeholders, to recommend wildlife crossing and road fencing projects to the Transportation Commission for prioritization.
This law will take effect July 1, 2026.
This law established the Utah Forest Restoration Institute within Utah State University and allocated $1.9 million for research and restoration projects related to improving watershed and forest health. The new institute will coordinate on projects with Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative, a Utah DNR partnership-based program focused on improving watershed health and biological diversity, increasing water quality and yield, and improving opportunities for sustainable uses of natural resources, including restoring fish and wildlife habitats.
This law will take effect May 6, 2026.
