SB0033 makes a narrow set of amendments to Utah’s water rights addendum law. The bill keeps the existing requirement that an addendum accompany certain deeds involving land or water rights, and it continues to require the grantor to complete and sign the form and the grantee to sign to acknowledge receipt. The main substantive change is that a grantor’s or grantee’s signature on the water rights addendum may be made by facsimile or electronic means, rather than only by traditional handwritten signature.
The bill also preserves the existing process for recording and transmitting the addendum. County recorders must still send a paper or electronic copy of the recorded deed and addendum to the state engineer, and the state engineer must continue to make the Legislature-approved form available to the public. The bill is framed as a technical update to improve administrative flexibility in the recording process, with no appropriation and no major policy overhaul.
Its impact on state law is limited to Utah Code section 57-3-109, which governs water rights addenda attached to applicable deeds. The amendment modernizes signature requirements and reinforces the administrative workflow between grantors, grantees, county recorders, and the state engineer for documenting transfers of water rights or confirming that no water rights are transferred.
The general sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate 22-0, received a favorable recommendation in House committee 9-0, and passed the House 73-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and little apparent opposition.
There were no recorded committee transcripts or notable points of public contention in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s text and unanimous votes, any discussion likely centered on administrative convenience, electronic recordkeeping, and technical cleanup rather than substantive disagreement over water rights policy.
Impact
SB0033 amends Utah Code section 57-3-109 to allow facsimile or electronic signatures on water rights addenda and maintains the existing recording and transmission requirements for county recorders and the state engineer. The bill affects parties involved in deeds conveying land or water rights, but it does not change the underlying water rights transfer rules or create new funding obligations.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received very positively and without controversy. It passed both chambers with unanimous or near-unanimous support, suggesting lawmakers viewed it as a routine technical modernization of the water rights recording process rather than a substantive policy change.
Contention
No specific contention is reflected in the available record. The only potentially notable issue is the move to permit facsimile or electronic signatures on water rights addenda, but the unanimous votes suggest that any concerns about authentication, record integrity, or administrative implementation were minimal or resolved before floor action.