Utah
Utah Laws on Recording in Public
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited November 1, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of November 1, 2026. · 7 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Recording in public in Utah is generally legal. Audio recording of conversations you participate in is permitted under Utah Code 77-23a-4, and Utah generally allows filming and photographing in places where people have no reasonable expectation of privacy.
There are limits. Courthouses restrict recording by court rule and judges' orders, filming under someone's clothing is a crime under Utah Code 76-12-307 even in public, and using a device from outside a home or other private place to capture what could not ordinarily be seen or heard from outside, without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, is a crime under Utah Code 76-12-302.
Utah generally permits recording in public places, within limits. Secretly recording under someone's clothing is a crime under Utah Code 76-12-307, using a device from outside a private place to capture what could not ordinarily be seen or heard from outside, without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, is a crime under 76-12-302(2)(c), and the stalking statute, Utah Code 76-5-106.5, can reach someone who repeatedly photographs or surveils a specific person in a way they know, or are reckless about, would cause a reasonable person fear or emotional distress. The First Amendment and Utah's Open and Public Meetings Act provide additional protections.
This guide covers your rights to record in public, government meeting recording, audio rules, private property limits, and drone recording.
Your Right to Record in Public
You can generally film on public streets, sidewalks, parks, public areas of government buildings, public transit, and at public events.
Courthouses are the main exception. Rule 4-401.02 of the Utah Code of Judicial Administration lets presiding judges limit electronic devices, and some courthouses ban most recording inside the building. In the Weber County courthouse, for example, Second District Order 24-01 bars recording except where a court rule, a judge, or the order allows it. Video-only recording in public does not implicate Utah's wiretapping statute. No press credential is required.
Recording Government Meetings
Under Utah Code Ann. 52-4-203, public bodies must record their own open meetings and make recordings available within three business days. Under 52-4-203(5), anyone attending an open meeting of a public body, such as a city council, county commission, or school board, may also record all or part of it, as long as the recording does not interfere with the meeting.
Audio Recording in Public
One-party consent under 77-23a-4 applies. If you participate in a conversation, you can record the audio. Public conversations at normal volume generally carry no privacy expectation. If you are not a party and no party has consented, secretly recording a conversation the speakers reasonably expect to be private, such as a hushed exchange, can be an unlawful interception of an oral communication under 77-23a-4 and the federal Wiretap Act, 18 U.S.C. 2511.
Private Property Open to the Public
Businesses can set their own recording rules. They can ask you to stop and ask you to leave. Footage captured before the request is generally legal. Religious venues, sports facilities, and entertainment venues may restrict recording through terms of entry.
Drone Recording
Drone recording in public airspace is generally permitted subject to FAA regulations. Do not use drones to record in private areas where people have privacy expectations.
More Utah Recording Laws
Audio Recording | Video Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Phone Call Recording | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record in public in Utah?
Generally, yes. Utah allows filming and photographing in public places, with limits: courthouses restrict recording, and filming under someone's clothing is a crime under Utah Code 76-12-307. Audio recording is allowed for conversations you take part in, but secretly recording a private conversation you are not part of can violate Utah and federal wiretap law.
Can I record a government meeting in Utah?
Yes. The Open and Public Meetings Act (52-4-203) requires public bodies to record their own open meetings and lets anyone attending record an open meeting as long as the recording does not interfere with it.
Can a store tell me to stop recording in Utah?
Yes. Businesses are private property and can set their own rules. Footage captured before the request is generally legal.
Can I use a drone to record in public in Utah?
Yes, subject to FAA regulations. Do not use drones to record people in private areas with a reasonable privacy expectation.
Do I need permission to photograph people in public in Utah?
No. There is no Utah statute requiring permission to photograph people in public, but voyeuristic recording under clothing is prohibited by Utah Code Ann. 76-12-307 (formerly 76-9-702.7 before the 2025 recodification).
Updates
Added the consent element to the description of Utah Code 76-12-302: capturing what happens inside a private place from outside is a crime only without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there.
We corrected the statement that filming in public is unrestricted to name the limits (courthouse recording rules, the under-clothing voyeurism ban in 76-12-307, and 76-12-302 on capturing activity inside a private place), narrowed the First Amendment point to the Tenth Circuit's holding on filming police, and added the open-meetings condition that recording must not interfere. We narrowed a sentence that said no Utah statute restricts recording where people lack a privacy expectation, adding the under-clothing voyeurism law (76-12-307), the ban on capturing a private place from outside (76-12-302(2)(c)) and the stalking statute (76-5-106.5).
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Clarified that secretly recording a private conversation you are not part of can violate Utah and federal wiretap law, and narrowed an FAQ answer that implied audio recording is allowed anywhere in public.
Replaced a dead statute citation (Utah's voyeurism law was repealed and renumbered in May 2025) with the correct current section, 76-12-307, in the citations list and the final FAQ answer.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Audit pass: no accuracy errors found. Utah-specific citations (77-23a-4, 76-9-702.7, le.utah.gov links) verified correct.
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Utah Code, Title 77: Criminal Procedure
§ 77-23a-4Offenses -- Criminal and civil -- Lawful interception.In forcecited in 19 of our articles
(1) (a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, any person who violates Subsection (1)(b) is guilty of an offense and is subject to punishment under Subsection (10), or when applicable, the person is subject to civil action under Subsection (11). (b) A person commits a violation of this subsection who: (i) intentionally or knowingly intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept any wire, electronic, or oral communication; (ii) intentionally or knowingly uses, endeavors to use, or procures any other person to use or endeavor to use any electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept any oral communication, when the device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through a wire, cable, or other like connection used in wire communication or when the device transmits communications by radio, or interferes with the transmission of the communication; (iii) intentionally or knowingly discloses or endeavors to disclose to any other person the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire,…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-24 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at le.utah.gov
Cited in 5 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):State v. Wood (2023) held a jail's recording of inmate calls fell within the consent exception in section 77-23a-4(7)(a) because the inmate impliedly consented by using phones he was told were monitored. The Quarasan Group, Inc. v. Nozani, LLC (2020) dismissed an eavesdropping claim once Utah law governed and did not bar the recording.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. Wood (Utah Supreme Court 2023, 532 P.3d 997)✓A jail recorded an inmate's calls to his wife after warning him by handbook, placard and a message before each call; the Utah Supreme Court held he impliedly consented, so the interception fell within section 77-23a-4(7)(a) and suppression was denied.
- State v. Draughon (Court of Appeals of Utah 2026, 2026 UT App 52)“…rties to the call—consented to the call being recorded. See Utah Code §§ 77-23a-4(7)(b), -7. He claims Counsel should hav…”
- United States v. Maynard (Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit 2010, 615 F.3d 544)“…ined by the police acting pursuant to a warrant. See, e.g., Utah Code Ann. §§ 77-23a-4, 77-23a-7, 77-23a-15.5; Minn Stat §§ 62…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Utah Smart Glasses Recording Laws (2026), Utah Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, Utah Audio Recording Laws
Utah Code, Title 52: Public Officers
§ 52-4-203Written minutes of open meetings -- Public records -- Recording of meetings.In forcecited in 4 of our articles
(1) Except as provided under Subsection (7), written minutes and a recording shall be kept of all open meetings. (2) (a) Written minutes of an open meeting shall include: (i) the date, time, and place of the meeting; (ii) the names of members present and absent; (iii) the substance of all matters proposed, discussed, or decided by the public body which may include a summary of comments made by members of the public body; (iv) a record, by individual member, of each vote taken by the public body; (v) the name of each person who: (A) is not a member of the public body; and (B) after being recognized by the presiding member of the public body, provided testimony or comments to the public body; (vi) the substance, in brief, of the testimony or comments provided by the public under Subsection (2)(a)(v); and (vii) any other information that is a record of the proceedings of the meeting that any member requests be entered in the minutes or recording.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at le.utah.gov
Cited in 2 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2021
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Southern Utah Wilderness v. San Juan County (Utah Supreme Court 2021, 484 P.3d 1160)“…20 UTAH CODE § 52-4-203(2)(a)(iii). 21 Id. at § 52-4-203(4…”
- Southern Utah Wilderness v. Kane County (Utah Supreme Court 2021, 484 P.3d 1146)“…43 Utah Chapter of Sierra Club, 2006 UT 74, ¶ 26. 44 UTAH CODE § 52-4-203(2)(a)(iii).…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Utah Laws on Recording Police, Utah School Recording Laws, Utah Video Recording Laws
Utah Code, Title 76: Criminal Offenses
§ 76-12-307Recorded or photographed voyeurism.In forcecited in 14 of our articles
(1) (a) As used in this section, "sex-designated privacy space" means the same as that term is defined in Section 76-12-309. (b) Terms defined in Sections 76-1-101.5, 76-12-101, and 76-12-301 apply to this section. (2) An actor commits recorded or photographed voyeurism if the actor intentionally uses any type of technology to secretly or surreptitiously record, by video, photograph, or other means, an individual: (a) for the purpose of viewing any portion of the individual's body regarding which the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy, whether or not that portion of the body is covered with clothing; (b) without the knowledge or consent of the individual; and (c) under circumstances in which the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy. (3) (a) Except as provided in Subsection(3)(b), a violation of Subsection (2) is a class A misdemeanor.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at le.utah.gov
Also relied on in: Utah Landlord-Tenant Recording Laws, Utah Medical Recording Laws, Utah Security Camera Laws
Sources and References
- Utah Code Ann. 52-4-203 -- Open and Public Meetings Act(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4 -- Interception of Communications(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 76-12-307 -- Recorded or Photographed Voyeurism(le.utah.gov).gov
- Reporters Committee -- Utah Recording Guide(rcfp.org)
- 18 U.S.C. 2511 - Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibited(uscode.house.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 76-12-302 -- Unlawful Privacy Violation (eff. May 7, 2025)(le.utah.gov).gov
- Irizarry v. Yehia, 38 F.4th 1282 (10th Cir. 2022)(govinfo.gov).gov
- Utah Second District Administrative Order 24-01 -- Photography, Filming, and Recording in the Weber County Courthouse(utcourts.gov).gov