UT HB0327

Summary of H.B. 327 - License Plate Reader and Data Retention Amendments

• Repeals existing license plate reader statutes (Sections 41-6a-2001 through 41-6a-2006) and consolidates all provisions into a new chapter (Title 77, Chapter 23g) of the Utah Code, effective May 6, 2026.

• Establishes specific authorized uses for license plate readers: law enforcement may use them for criminal investigations, locating stolen vehicles, finding missing persons, and apprehending individuals with outstanding warrants; other governmental entities may use them only for parking enforcement, secured area access control, toll collection, and transit planning.

• Requires license plate data to be deleted within 150 days unless retained for ongoing criminal investigations or civil enforcement actions, and mandates that all data be encrypted and classified as protected records that cannot be shared with nongovernmental entities.

• Imposes accuracy standards on license plate reader providers, requiring independent third-party evaluations showing at least 90% character-level and full-plate accuracy, with no more than 10% false positive rate for hotlist matching, by May 31, 2027.

• Grants the Attorney General exclusive enforcement authority with penalties up to $2,500 per violation, establishes a class B misdemeanor for knowingly violating the chapter, and requires annual reporting to the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Legislature.