Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 96 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Harper, Wayne A.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/26/2025

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• directs the Department of Transportation to conduct a community outreach and education campaign;
• directs the Department of Transportation to develop an advanced air mobility toolkit;
• defines terms and modifies definitions related to advanced air mobility; and
• makes other technical changes related to advanced air mobility.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

23
72-1-218
72-10-102
72-10-109
72-10-703
0
Advanced Air Mobility Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Wayne A. Harper
House Sponsor: Kay J. Christofferson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill addresses provisions related to advanced air mobility.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
directs the Department of Transportation to conduct a community outreach and education 
campaign;
directs the Department of Transportation to develop an advanced air mobility toolkit;
defines terms and modifies definitions related to advanced air mobility; and
makes other technical changes related to advanced air mobility.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
72-10-102
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 483
72-10-109
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapters 483, 485
ENACTS:
72-1-218
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
72-10-703
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
72-1-218
 is enacted to read:
72-1-218
. Advanced air mobility community outreach.
The department shall conduct a community outreach and public education campaign that:
(1)
educates the public regarding advanced air mobility, including:
(a)
the information and findings of relevant studies and reports that the department 
conducts;
(b)
potential use cases;
(c)
potential benefits as a form of transportation;
(d)
state-driven advanced air mobility initiatives;
(e)
potential impacts on the economy, including job creation and other new 
opportunities; and
(f)
potential phasing for establishing a robust advanced air mobility system;
(2)
provides and coordinates opportunities for the public to observe real world 
demonstrations;
(3)
coordinates with local advanced air mobility industry leaders and other groups in the 
state that are promoting and planning for advanced air mobility; and
(4)
provides information on how advanced air mobility could benefit and otherwise impact 
communities.
Section 2, Section 
72-10-102
 is amended to read:
72-10-102
. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1)
"Acrobatics" means the intentional maneuvers of an aircraft not necessary to air 
navigation.
(2)
(a)
"Advanced air mobility system" means a system that transports individuals and 
property using piloted and unpiloted aircraft, including electric aircraft and electric 
vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, in controlled or uncontrolled airspace.
(b)
"Advanced air mobility system" includes each component of a system described in 
Subsection (2)(a), including:
(i)
the aircraft, including payload;
(ii)
communications equipment;
(iii)
navigation equipment;
(iv)
controllers;
(v)
support equipment; 
(vi)
an authoritative supplemental data service provider;
(vii)
flight information exchange; 
and
(vi)
(viii)
remote and autonomous functions.
(3)
"Aerial transit corridor" means an airspace volume defining a three-dimensional route 
segment with performance requirements to operate within or to cross where tactical air 
traffic control separation services are not provided.
(4)
"Aeronautics" means transportation by aircraft, air instruction, the operation, repair, or 
maintenance of aircraft, and the design, operation, repair, or maintenance of airports, or 
other air navigation facilities.
(5)
"Aeronautics instructor" means any individual engaged in giving or offering to give 
instruction in aeronautics, flying, or ground subjects, either with or without:
(a)
compensation or other reward;
(b)
advertising the occupation;
(c)
calling 
his
the instructor's
 facilities an air school, or any equivalent term; or
(d)
employing or using other instructors.
(6)
"Aircraft" means any contrivance now known or in the future invented, used, or 
designed for navigation of or flight in the air.
(7)
"Air instruction" means the imparting of aeronautical information by any aviation 
instructor or in any air school or flying club.
(8)
"Airport" means any area of land, water, or both, that:
(a)
is used or is made available for landing and takeoff;
(b)
provides facilities for the shelter, supply, and repair of aircraft, and handling of 
passengers and cargo;
(c)
meets the minimum requirements established by the department as to size and 
design, surface, marking, equipment, and operation; and
(d)
includes all areas shown as part of the airport in the current airport layout plan as 
approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(9)
"Airport authority" means a political subdivision of the state, other than a county or 
municipality, that is authorized by statute to operate an airport.
(10)
"Airport operator" means a municipality, county, or airport authority that owns or 
operates a commercial airport.
(11)
(a)
"Airport revenue" means:
(i)
all fees, charges, rents, or other payments received by or accruing to an airport 
operator for any of the following reasons:
(A)
revenue from air carriers, tenants, lessees, purchasers of airport properties, 
airport permittees making use of airport property and services, and other 
parties;
(B)
revenue received from the activities of others or the transfer of rights to others 
relating to the airport, including revenue received:
(I)
for the right to conduct an activity on the airport or to use or occupy airport 
property;
(II)
for the sale, transfer, or disposition of airport real or personal property, or 
any interest in that property, including transfer through a condemnation 
proceeding;
(III)
for the sale of, or the sale or lease of rights in, mineral, natural, or 
agricultural products or water owned by the airport operator to be taken 
from the airport; and
(IV)
for the right to conduct an activity on, or for the use or disposition of, real 
or personal property or any interest in real or personal property owned or 
controlled by the airport operator and used for an airport-related purpose but 
not located on the airport; or
(C)
revenue received from activities conducted by the airport operator whether on 
or off the airport, which is directly connected to the airport operator's 
ownership or operation of the airport; and
(ii)
state and local taxes on aviation fuel.
(b)
"Airport revenue" does not include amounts received by an airport operator as 
passenger facility fees pursuant to 49 U.S.C. Sec. 40117.
(12)
"Air school" means any person engaged in giving, offering to give, or advertising, 
representing, or holding 
himself
itself
 out as giving, with or without compensation or 
other reward, instruction in aeronautics, flying, or ground subjects, or in more than one 
of these subjects.
(13)
"Airworthiness" means conformity with requirements prescribed by the Federal 
Aviation Administration regarding the structure or functioning of aircraft, engine, parts, 
or accessories.
(14)
"Authoritative supplemental data service provider" means a third party provider of 
unmanned aircraft system traffic management services that is approved by the 
department and supplies specialized data to an unmanned aircraft system service 
supplier or to an unmanned aircraft system operator for a variety of uses.
(14)
(15)
"Civil aircraft" means any aircraft other than a public aircraft.
(15)
(16)
"Commercial aircraft" means aircraft used for commercial purposes.
(16)
(17)
"Commercial airport" means a landing area, landing strip, or airport that may be 
used for commercial operations.
(17)
(18)
"Commercial flight operator" means a person who conducts commercial 
operations.
(18)
(19)
"Commercial operations" means:
(a)
any operations of an aircraft for compensation or hire or any services performed 
incidental to the operation of any aircraft for which a fee is charged or compensation 
is received, including the servicing, maintaining, and repairing of aircraft, the rental 
or charter of aircraft, the operation of flight or ground schools, the operation of 
aircraft for the application or distribution of chemicals or other substances, and the 
operation of aircraft for hunting and fishing; or
(b)
the brokering or selling of any of these services; but
(c)
does not include any operations of aircraft as common carriers certificated by the 
federal government or the services incidental to those operations.
(19)
(20)
"Correctional facility" means the same as that term is defined in Section 
77-16b-102
.
(20)
(21)
"Dealer" means any person who is actively engaged in the business of flying for 
demonstration purposes, or selling or exchanging aircraft, and who has an established 
place of business.
(21)
(22)
"Experimental aircraft" means:
(a)
any aircraft designated by the Federal Aviation Administration or the military as 
experimental and used solely for the purpose of experiments, or tests regarding the 
structure or functioning of aircraft, engines, or their accessories; and
(b)
any aircraft designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as:
(i)
being custom or amateur built; and
(ii)
used for recreational, educational, or display purposes.
(22)
(23)
"Flight" means any kind of locomotion by aircraft while in the air.
(24)
"Flight information exchange" means a model or system that allows for the consistent 
exchange of flying data between an unmanned aircraft system traffic management 
system and an unmanned aircraft system operator or aircraft to facilitate the coordination 
of flights.
(23)
(25)
"Flying club" means five or more persons who for neither profit nor reward own, 
lease, or use one or more aircraft for the purpose of instruction, pleasure, or both.
(24)
(26)
"Glider" means an aircraft heavier than air, similar to an airplane, but without a 
power plant.
(25)
(27)
"Mechanic" means a person who constructs, repairs, adjusts, inspects, or 
overhauls aircraft, engines, or accessories.
(26)
(28)
"Navigable airspace" means the same as that term is defined in 49 U.S.C. Sec. 
40102.
(27)
(29)
"Parachute jumper" means any person who has passed the required test for 
jumping with a parachute from an aircraft, and has passed an examination showing that 
he
the jumper
 possesses the required physical and mental qualifications for the jumping.
(28)
(30)
"Parachute rigger" means any person who has passed the required test for 
packing, repairing, and maintaining parachutes.
(29)
(31)
"Passenger aircraft" means aircraft used for transporting persons, in addition to 
the pilot or crew, with or without their necessary personal belongings.
(30)
(32)
"Person" means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, or 
association of individuals.
(31)
(33)
"Pilot" means any person who operates the controls of an aircraft while in-flight.
(32)
(34)
"Primary glider" means any glider that has a gliding angle of less than 10 to one.
(33)
(35)
"Public aircraft" means an aircraft used exclusively in the service of any 
government or of any political subdivision, including the government of the United 
States, of the District of Columbia, and of any state, territory, or insular possession of 
the United States, but not including any government-owned aircraft engaged in carrying 
persons or goods for commercial purposes.
(34)
(36)
"Reckless flying" means the operation or piloting of any aircraft recklessly, or in 
a manner as to endanger the property, life, or body of any person, due regard being 
given to the prevailing weather conditions, field conditions, and to the territory being 
flown over.
(35)
(37)
"Registration number" means the number assigned by the Federal Aviation 
Administration to any aircraft, whether or not the number includes a letter or letters.
(36)
(38)
"Roadable aircraft" means an aircraft capable of taking off and landing from a 
suitable airfield and is also designed to be driven on a highway as a conveyance.
(37)
(39)
"Secondary glider" means any glider that has a gliding angle between 10 to one 
and 16 to one, inclusive.
(38)
(40)
"Soaring glider" means any glider that has a gliding angle of more than 16 to one.
(41)
"Unmanned aircraft system service supplier" means a service supplier that:
(a)
relays flight information between an unmanned aircraft system operator and a flight 
management system; and
(b)
provides information that supports unmanned aircraft system operations and assists 
with strategic deconfliction by an unmanned aircraft system traffic management 
system.
(39)
(42)
"Unmanned aircraft" means an aircraft that is:
(a)
capable of sustaining flight; and
(b)
operated with no possible direct human intervention from on or within the aircraft.
(40)
(43)
"Unmanned aircraft system" means the entire system used to operate an 
unmanned aircraft, including:
(a)
the unmanned aircraft, including payload;
(b)
communications equipment;
(c)
navigation equipment;
(d)
controllers;
(e)
support equipment; and
(f)
autopilot functionality.
(41)
(44)
"Unmanned aircraft system traffic management" means a traffic management 
ecosystem for uncontrolled operations, including unmanned aircraft systems, that is 
separate from, but complementary to, the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic 
management system.
(42)
(45)
"Vertiport" means an area of land, or a structure, used or intended to be used for 
electric, hydrogen, and hybrid vertical aircraft landings and takeoffs, including 
associated buildings and facilities.
Section 3, Section 
72-10-109
 is amended to read:
72-10-109
. Certificate of registration of aircraft required -- Exceptions.
(1)
Except as provided in Subsection (2), a person may not operate, pilot, or navigate, or 
cause or authorize to be operated, piloted, or navigated within this state any civil aircraft 
operating in this state for 181 or more days within any consecutive 12-month period 
unless the aircraft has a current certificate of registration issued by the department.
(2)
The state registration requirement under Subsection (1) does not apply to:
(a)
aircraft licensed by a foreign country with which the United States has a reciprocal 
agreement covering the operations of the registered aircraft;
(b)
a non-passenger-carrying flight solely for inspection or test purposes authorized by 
the Federal Aviation Administration to be made without the certificate of registration; 
or
(c)
aircraft operating under 14 C.F.R. Part 121, with a maximum takeoff weight 
exceeding 35,000 pounds.
(3)
Beginning on January 1, 2025, a person may not operate in this state an unmanned 
aircraft system or an advanced air mobility aircraft for commercial operation for which 
certification is required under 
14 C.F.R. Part 107 or 135
federal rule
 unless the aircraft 
has a current certificate of registration issued by the department.
(4)
The department shall, on or before December 31 of each calendar year, provide to the 
State Tax Commission a list of each aircraft for which a current certificate of registration 
is issued by the department under Subsection (1).
Section 4, Section 
72-10-703
 is enacted to read:
72-10-703
. Advanced air mobility toolkit.
(1)
As used in this section, "political subdivision" means the same as that term is defined in 
Section 
72-10-401
.
(2)
On or before July 1, 2026, the department shall:
(a)
develop a toolkit for a political subdivision to address advanced air mobility, 
including:
(i)
model ordinances governing advanced air mobility;
(ii)
best practices; and
(iii)
available resources that can assist the political subdivision in developing and 
implementing advanced air mobility policy;
(b)
regularly maintain and update the toolkit; and
(c)
make the toolkit publicly available on the department's website.
(3)
The department may not require a political subdivision to adopt or implement any 
portion of the advanced air mobility toolkit.
Section 5. 
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
3-6-25 6:16 PM