Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 55 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Dunnigan, James A.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/19/2025

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• provides that a county legislative body may authorize the elected county officers of the county to maintain additional office space at a location within the county that is not at the county seat;
• provides that a county legislative body may have a regular meeting of the county legislative body at the county seat or another location within the county that is established by ordinance; and
• makes technical and conforming changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

9
17-16-9
17-23-1
17-53-204
20A-4-201
1
County Office Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: James A. Dunnigan
Senate Sponsor: Wayne A. Harper
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies how county officers and county legislative bodies maintain office space 
and hold meetings.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
provides that a county legislative body may authorize the elected county officers of the 
county to maintain additional office space at a location within the county that is not at 
the county seat;
provides that a county legislative body may have a regular meeting of the county 
legislative body at the county seat or another location within the county that is 
established by ordinance; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
17-16-9
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 297
17-23-1
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2001, Chapter 241
17-53-204
, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2000, Chapter 133
20A-4-201
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2020, Chapter 31
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
17-16-9
 is amended to read:
17-16-9
. Officers at county seats -- Office hours.
(1)
(a)
The elected county officers of 
all counties
a county
, except 
those in counties 
having a
a county with a
 population of less than 8,000, shall have 
their 
offices at 
the county 
seats
seat
.
(b)
A county legislative body may authorize the elected county officers of the county to 
maintain additional office space at a location within the county that is not at the 
county seat.
(2)
(a)
In all counties
 the clerk, sheriff, recorder, auditor, treasurer, assessor, and 
attorney
 shall keep 
their offices
office space
 open for the transaction of business 
as authorized by resolution of the 
county 
legislative body.
(b)
If the county legislative body does not authorize hours of operation for Saturdays, 
then the hours served by the employees of the county may not be less than under their 
present schedule.
(c)
(i)
Any act authorized, required, or permitted to be performed at or by, or with 
respect to, any county 
office on a Saturday when the county office is closed, 
may be performed on the next business day.
(ii)
No liability or loss of rights of any kind may result from the delay described in 
Subsection 
(2)(c)(i)
.
Section 2, Section 
17-23-1
 is amended to read:
17-23-1
. County surveyor to be elected -- Requirement to be licensed land 
surveyor -- Authority to contract with licensed land surveyor if no elected county 
surveyor -- County surveyor duties.
(1)
(a)
The office of the county surveyor in each county shall be filled by election and, 
except as provided in Subsection 
(1)(b)
, the county surveyor shall be a licensed 
professional land surveyor in the state.
(b)
In a county where the office of county surveyor is consolidated with another elected 
office, all county surveying work shall be performed by a licensed professional land 
surveyor.
(c)
In a county where there is no elected county surveyor:
(i)
the county executive or legislative body may, consistent with Section 
17-53-313
, 
contract with a licensed professional land surveyor to perform those duties;
(ii)
all county survey work shall be done by a licensed land surveyor;
(iii)
the county recorder shall assume and perform all statutory functions and duties 
of the county surveyor related to the retention and maintenance of survey records;
(iv)
the recorder's office shall act as the county surveyor's office only for the purpose 
of accepting, retaining, and managing county survey records;
(v)
the county shall furnish sufficient office space, furniture, stationery, and record 
books necessary for the county recorder's office to fulfill its functions and duties 
under Subsection 
(1)(c)(iv)
; and
(vi)
for purposes of this chapter, "county surveyor" means:
(A)
for purposes of the retention and management of county survey records, the 
county recorder; and
(B)
except as provided in Subsection 
(1)(c)(vi)(A)
, the licensed land surveyor 
under contract with the county to perform county surveyor duties.
(2)
The county surveyor shall execute:
(a)
all orders directed to the surveyor by any court; and
(b)
all orders of survey required by the county executive or county legislative body.
(3)
(a)
The surveyor of each county shall:
(i)
advise the county executive and county legislative body regarding all surveying 
work;
(ii)
perform or arrange for the performance of all surveying work for the county;
(iii)
permanently keep at county government offices
 at the county seat
 a fair and 
accurate record of all surveys made, including legal descriptions and geographic 
coordinates, all surveys received pursuant to Section 
17-23-17
, and all corner files 
received pursuant to Section 
17-23-17.5
;
(iv)
number progressively all surveys received and state by whom and for whom the 
surveys were made;
(v)
deliver a copy of any survey to any person or court requiring the survey after the 
payment of the fee established by the county legislative body;
(vi)
ensure that all surveys of legal subdivisions of sections are made according to the 
United States Manual of Surveying Instructions in effect at the time the survey is 
completed;
(vii)
verify the correctness of or establish correct coordinates for all survey reference 
monuments set in place and shown on all subdivision maps and plats which have a 
spatial relationship with any section or quarter section corner; and
(viii)
perform other duties required by law.
(b)
In arranging for the performance of surveying work for the county under Subsection 
(3)(a)(ii)
, a surveyor may comply with Section 
17-53-313
.
(4)
(a)
The county surveyor or 
his
the county surveyor's
 designee shall establish all 
corners of government surveys and reestablish all corners of government surveys 
where corners have been destroyed and where witness markers or other evidences of 
the government corners remain so that the corners established by government survey 
can be positively located.
(b)
The corners shall be reestablished in the manner provided in Section 
17-23-13
 for 
establishing corners.
(c)
The county surveyor shall keep a separate record of the established and reestablished 
corners of government surveys, giving the date and names of persons present and 
shall provide those records to 
his
the county surveyor's
 successor when 
he
the 
county surveyor
 vacates 
his 
office.
(d)
Established or reestablished corners shall be recognized as the legal and permanent 
corners.
(5)
The county executive or legislative body may direct the county surveyor or 
his
county 
surveyor
 staff to perform engineering and architectural work if the county surveyor or 
his
county surveyor
 staff is qualified and licensed to perform that work.
Section 3, Section 
17-53-204
 is amended to read:
17-53-204
. Meetings -- At county seat -- Exception.
(1)
(a)
The county legislative body shall provide by ordinance for the holding of regular 
meetings of the county legislative body.
(b)
The county legislative body may cancel a regular meeting as the county legislative 
body considers appropriate.
(2)
(a)
Except as provided in Subsection 
(2)(b)
, each regular meeting of the county 
legislative body shall be held at
:
(i)
the county seat
.
; or
(ii)
a location within the county, established by county ordinance.
(b)
If approved by a vote of the county legislative body, a county legislative body may 
hold an occasional meeting 
outside the county seat
in a location not described in 
Subsection 
(2)(a)
 but within the county
 as the public business requires.
Section 4, Section 
20A-4-201
 is amended to read:
20A-4-201
. Delivery of election returns.
(1)
At least two poll workers shall deliver the ballots and other items described in 
Subsection 
20A-4-103(3)(d)
 to:
(a)
the election officer; or
(b)
the location directed by the election officer.
(2)
(a)
Before they adjourn, the poll workers shall choose two or more of their number to 
deliver the election returns to the election officer.
(b)
The poll workers shall
:
(i)
deliver the unopened envelopes to the election officer or counting center 
immediately but no later than 24 hours after the polls close
; or
.
(ii)
if the polling place is 15 miles or more from the county seat, mail the election 
returns to the election officer by registered mail from the post office most 
convenient to the polling place within 24 hours after the polls close.
(3)
The election officer shall pay each poll worker reasonable compensation for travel that 
is necessary to deliver the election returns and to return to the polling place.
(4)
The requirements of this section do not prohibit transmission of the unofficial vote 
count to the counting center via electronic means, provided that reasonable security 
measures are taken to preserve the integrity and privacy of the transmission.
Section 5. 
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
3-7-25 9:47 PM