Utah
Utah Security Camera Laws
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. · 6 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Utah homeowners can generally install security cameras on their own property for silent video surveillance. Adding audio recording follows the one-party consent rule under Utah Code 77-23a-4. Cameras may not be placed in a private place, such as a bathroom or a guest's bedroom, without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there (Utah Code 76-12-302).
Utah does not have a comprehensive statute specifically governing security cameras. Two criminal laws decide where cameras can go. Utah Code 76-12-302 makes it a class B misdemeanor to install a camera or recording device in a private place without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, or to use a device from outside to capture sounds or events inside a private place that could not normally be seen or heard from outside. The person recorded can also sue for an injunction and damages.
Utah's recorded voyeurism statute (76-12-307, recodified from 76-9-702.7 effective May 7, 2025) separately makes it a crime to secretly record someone to view private parts of their body. The wiretapping law (77-23a-4) governs audio.
This guide covers residential cameras, business surveillance, doorbell cameras, audio concerns, neighbor disputes, and camera footage as evidence.
Residential Security Cameras
Utah homeowners can install cameras on their property's exterior (doorbell cameras, porch cameras, driveway cameras), in common areas of the home, and in garages and outbuildings. Installing a camera in a bathroom, guest bedroom, or other private place where visitors have privacy expectations, without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, is unlawful privacy violation under Utah Code 76-12-302.
Audio recording by cameras follows one-party consent. If you participate in a conversation captured by the camera, the audio is legal. A camera that records the private conversations of people you are not talking with, without any of them agreeing, can be a third degree felony under Utah Code 77-23a-4 and can lead to a civil lawsuit under 77-23a-11. Conversations spoken openly where others can hear generally are not protected, but turning audio off on indoor cameras is the safer choice.
Business Security Cameras
Permitted: Retail floors, warehouses, parking lots, lobbies, hallways, cash register areas. Prohibited without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there: Bathrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, nursing rooms.
Utah does not require employers to notify employees about cameras, but signage is recommended.
Doorbell Cameras
Video of your porch is legal. Audio of your conversations with visitors is legal. Recording the private conversations of others you are not part of, without any of them agreeing, can be a felony under Utah Code 77-23a-4. You do not have to share footage with police just because they ask, but a warrant, subpoena, or court order can require you to turn it over.
Neighbor Privacy
Point cameras at your own property. Aiming a camera into a neighbor's home to capture what could not normally be seen or heard from outside, without consent, is a class B misdemeanor under Utah Code 76-12-302, and the neighbor can sue for an injunction and damages. Incidental capture of a neighbor's driveway or front yard is generally acceptable.
Camera Footage as Evidence
Security camera footage is regularly used in Utah courts. Authenticate, preserve chain of custody, and keep footage unaltered.
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
More Utah Recording Topics
See Also
- Utah Surveillance Camera Laws covers home, HOA, neighbor, workplace, and landlord camera rules in Utah.
More Utah Laws
- Utah AI Meeting Recording Laws
- Utah Dashcam Laws
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- Utah Employee Monitoring Laws
- Utah GPS Tracking Laws
- Utah Police Bodycam Laws
- Utah Smart Glasses Recording Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Are security cameras legal in Utah?
Yes. Utah homeowners and businesses can install security cameras on their property. Two criminal laws limit placement. Utah Code 76-12-302 bars installing a camera in a private place without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, or aiming one from outside to capture what happens inside. The recorded voyeurism statute (76-12-307, recodified from 76-9-702.7 effective May 7, 2025) bars secretly recording someone for the purpose of viewing a private area of their body where they expect privacy, such as a bathroom or locker room.
Do I need to tell neighbors about my security cameras in Utah?
No. Utah does not require notification. However, cameras should be pointed at your own property. Aiming a camera into a neighbor's home to capture what could not normally be seen from outside, without consent, is a crime under Utah Code 76-12-302, and the neighbor can sue.
Can my security camera record audio in Utah?
Audio follows one-party consent rules (77-23a-4). Recording your own conversations is legal. Recording the private conversations of others without any participant's consent can be a third degree felony under the wiretapping law.
Can police access my Ring camera footage without a warrant?
You do not have to share footage with police just because they ask, but a warrant, subpoena, or court order can require you to turn it over. You can also cooperate voluntarily. Check your cloud provider's terms regarding law enforcement access.
Can my employer put cameras in the break room?
Open break areas are generally permissible. Secretly recording people in private areas like bathrooms or changing areas to view private areas of their bodies can violate 76-12-307 (recodified from 76-9-702.7 effective May 7, 2025), and installing a camera in those areas without consent is a crime under 76-12-302.
Updates
Restated where cameras are barred using the elements of Utah Code 76-12-302: installing a camera in a private place, or capturing what happens inside one from outside, is a crime when done without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there.
We added Utah Code 76-12-302, the law that makes it a crime to put a camera in a private place without consent or aim one into a home, corrected the audio section to say recording others' private conversations can be a third degree felony under 77-23a-4, and clarified that a subpoena or court order, not only a warrant, can compel footage.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Corrected the description of Utah's recorded voyeurism statute (Utah Code 76-12-307): it criminalizes secretly recording someone to view private areas of their body where they expect privacy, not camera placement as such.
Replaced this page's core statutory citation for camera placement (Utah's voyeurism law, repealed and renumbered in May 2025) with the correct current section, 76-12-307, throughout the intro, key takeaways, and FAQ.
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 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 Smart Glasses Recording Laws (2026), Utah Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, Utah Landlord-Tenant Recording Laws
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 Audio Recording Laws, Utah Dashcam Laws, Utah Medical Recording Laws
United States Code Title 18
§ 2511Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibitedIn forcecited in 441 of our articles
Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter any person who— intentionally intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication; intentionally 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— such device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through, a wire, cable, or other like connection used in wire communication; or such device transmits communications by radio, or interferes with the transmission of such communication; or such person knows, or has reason to know, that such device or any component thereof has been sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce; or such use or endeavor to use (A) takes place on the premises of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign commerce; or (B) obtains or is for the purpose of obtaining information relating to the operations of any business or other commercial establishment the operations of which affect interstate or foreign…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-17 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 2,045 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Griggs-Ryan v. Smith (1990) applied the Section 2511(2)(d) prior-consent exception, treating a tenant repeatedly told that all incoming calls were taped as having impliedly consented. United States v. United States District Court (1972) read the then-current Section 2511(3) as conferring no presidential surveillance power.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Mitchell v. Forsyth (Supreme Court of the United States 1985, 472 U.S. 511)✓The Attorney General authorized a warrantless 1970 national security wiretap that caught the plaintiff's calls; the Court held the since-repealed Section 2511(3) disclaimer left the tap lawful under Title III, and that Mitchell had qualified immunity.
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Supreme Court of the United States 1972, 407 U.S. 297)✓The Attorney General approved warrantless wiretaps on members of a domestic group accused of bombing a CIA office; the Court read Section 2511(3) as a congressional disclaimer conferring no surveillance power, then held the Fourth Amendment required prior judicial approval.
- Forsyth v. Barr (Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 1994, 19 F.3d 1527)✓Dallas police used, in an internal affairs probe of an officer, calls private parties allegedly intercepted illegally; assuming that was unlawful, the Fifth Circuit held Section 2517(1) and (2) allowed the disclosure and use, defeating the Section 2511(1)(c) and (d) claims.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Can an Employer Record Conversations Without Consent? (2026), Can I Record My Boss Harassing Me? State-by-State Legal Guide (2026), Can I Sue Someone for Recording Me on Private or Public Property?
Sources and References
- Utah Code Ann. 76-12-307 -- Recorded or Photographed Voyeurism(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4 -- Interception of Communications(le.utah.gov).gov
- NLRB -- National Labor Relations Act(nlrb.gov).gov
- 18 U.S.C. 2511 -- Federal Wiretap Act(law.cornell.edu)
- Utah Code Ann. 76-12-302 -- Unlawful Privacy Violation (eff. May 7, 2025)(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-11 -- Civil Remedy for Unlawful Interception(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 77-22-2 -- Investigations, Subpoenas, and Production of Records(le.utah.gov).gov