UT
Utah House Bill HB0541

Utah 2025 Regular Session

Utah House Bill HB0541 Compare Versions

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1-Enrolled Copy H.B. 541
1+02-21 15:43 H.B. 541
22 1
33 Olympic Legacy Liability Amendments
44 2025 GENERAL SESSION
55 STATE OF UTAH
66 Chief Sponsor: Jon Hawkins
7-Senate Sponsor: Michael K. McKell
7+Senate Sponsor:
88 2
99
1010 3
1111 LONG TITLE
1212 4
1313 General Description:
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1515 This bill modifies provisions related to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Act and
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1717 winter sports activities.
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1919 Highlighted Provisions:
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2121 This bill:
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2323 ▸ provides public policy considerations;
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2525 ▸ provides definitions;
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2727 ▸ establishes limitations on liability for claims against the operator of a specified winter
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2929 sports area;
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3131 ▸ requires a specified winter sports area to give notice of the liability limitations;
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3333 ▸ permits a winter sports area operator to enter into a contract with a winter sports
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3535 participant to limit the operator's liability;
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3737 ▸ specifies the amount of liability caps and provides for adjustment of the liability caps; and
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3939 ▸ makes conforming changes.
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4141 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
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4343 None
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4545 Other Special Clauses:
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4747 None
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4949 Utah Code Sections Affected:
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5151 ENACTS:
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5353 78B-4-801, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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5555 78B-4-802, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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5757 78B-4-803, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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59-78B-4-804, Utah Code Annotated 1953 H.B. 541 Enrolled Copy
59+78B-4-804, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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6161 78B-4-805, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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6363 78B-4-806, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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6565
66+ H.B. 541 H.B. 541 02-21 15:43
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6768 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
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6970 Section 1. Section 78B-4-801 is enacted to read:
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7172
7273 Part 8. Limitations on Liability for Winter Sports Activities
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7475 78B-4-801 . Public policy.
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7677 The Legislature finds that:
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7879 (1) winter sports are practiced by a large number of residents of Utah and attracts a large
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8081 number of nonresidents, significantly contributing to the economy of this state;
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8283 (2) Utah has hosted the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is scheduled to host
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8485 the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and aspires to host future games;
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8687 (3) Utah has hosted annual national and international winter sports competitions including
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8889 ski, snowboard, bobsled, skeleton, luge, speedskating and other ice sport national
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9091 championships, world cups, world championships, and aspires to continue to host such
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9293 competitions and to encourage residents of Utah to train for and participate in these
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9495 events; and
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9697 (4) assuring the financial viability of a facility in which the state has invested to permit the
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9899 teaching of, training in, recreational enjoyment of, and competition in winter sports
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100101 benefits the residents of Utah and encourages residents of Utah to participate in and
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102103 excel at winter sports.
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104105 Section 2. Section 78B-4-802 is enacted to read:
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106107 78B-4-802 . Definitions.
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108109 As used in this part:
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110111 (1) "Inherent risks of winter sports" means the dangers or conditions that are an integral
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112113 part of recreational, competitive, or professional participation in winter sports, including:
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114115 (a) changing weather conditions;
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116117 (b) snow or ice conditions as the snow or ice conditions exist or may change, including
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118119 hard pack, powder, packed powder, wind pack, corn, crust, slush, cut-up snow, or
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120121 machine-made snow;
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122123 (c) the inherent danger in engaging in high-risk activities such as winter sports by means
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124125 of natural or man-made terrain, jumps, ice or snow tracks, or other structures;
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126127 (d) surface or subsurface conditions, including bare spots, forest growth, rocks, stumps,
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128129 streambeds, cliffs, trees, or other natural objects;
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131131 (e) variations or steepness in terrain, whether natural or as a result of slope design,
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133133 snowmaking or grooming operations, or other terrain modifications, including:
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135135 (i) terrain parks;
136+- 2 - 02-21 15:43 H.B. 541
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137138 (ii) terrain features, including jumps, rails, or fun boxes; or
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139140 (iii) all other constructed and natural features, including half pipes, quarter pipes, or
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141142 freestyle-bump terrain;
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143144 (f) impact with lift towers, tracks, other structures, or their components, including signs,
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145146 posts, fences or enclosures, hydrants, or water pipes;
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147148 (g) collisions with other participants, structures, equipment, natural features, or other
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149150 objects;
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151152 (h) equipment failure or malfunction, unless the failure or malfunction is due to gross
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153154 negligence or a failure to reasonably maintain the equipment;
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155156 (i) participation in, or practicing or training for, competitions or special events; and
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157158 (j) the failure of an individual to participate within that individual's own abilities.
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159160 (2) "Injury" means any personal injury or property damage or loss.
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161162 (3) "Winter sports" means:
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163164 (a) skiing and snowboarding, including alpine, nordic cross country, nordic jumping,
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165166 freestyle, freeride, and biathlon;
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167168 (b) ice sports, including ice skating, speedskating, figure skating, hockey, and curling; or
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169170 (c) sliding sports, including bobsled, luge, skeleton, and tubing.
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171172 (4) "Winter sports area" means an area or facility that:
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173174 (a) is primarily dedicated to performing winter sports;
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175176 (b) was constructed by the state or a state agency, and was financed primarily with state
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177178 funds; and
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179180 (c) was constructed for the purpose of serving as a facility for use in everyday winter
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181182 sports training and regular events including an Olympic and Paralympic Winter
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183184 Games.
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185186 (5)(a) "Winter sports area operator" means a person that operates a winter sports area.
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187188 (b) "Winter sports area operator" includes an agent, an officer, an employee, or a
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189190 representative of the person that operates a winter sports area.
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191192 (6) "Winter sports participant" means an individual present in a winter sports area for the
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193194 purpose of engaging in winter sports.
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195196 Section 3. Section 78B-4-803 is enacted to read:
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197198 78B-4-803 . Bar against claim or recovery from operator for injury resulting
198-- 3 - H.B. 541 Enrolled Copy
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200200 from inherent risks of winter sports.
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202202 Notwithstanding Sections 78B-5-817 through 78B-5-823, a winter sports participant
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204204 may not make any claim against, or recover from, a winter sports area operator for injury
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206207 resulting from inherent risks of winter sports.
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208209 Section 4. Section 78B-4-804 is enacted to read:
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210211 78B-4-804 . Notice of inherent risks and limitations on liability.
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212213 (1) A winter sports area operator shall provide notice to winter sports participants that there
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214215 are inherent risks of participating in winter sports and that the winter sports area operator
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216217 is not liable for those risks.
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218219 (2) Notice shall be provided by:
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220221 (a) posting a sign in at least one prominent location within the winter sports area; or
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222223 (b) providing a document or release for the winter sports participant to sign.
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224225 (3) The notice provided by the sign or document shall be sufficient if it includes the
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226227 definition of inherent risks of winter sports in Section 78B-4-802 and states that the
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228229 winter sports area operator is not liable for those inherent risks.
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230231 Section 5. Section 78B-4-805 is enacted to read:
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232233 78B-4-805 . Liability agreements.
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234235 A winter sports participant may enter into an agreement with a winter sports area
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236237 operator before an injury to:
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238239 (1) waive a claim that the winter sports participant is permitted to bring against a winter
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240241 sports area operator; or
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242243 (2) release the winter sports area operator from a claim that the winter sports participant is
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244245 permitted to bring under this part.
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246247 Section 6. Section 78B-4-806 is enacted to read:
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248249 78B-4-806 . Limitation on damages.
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250251 (1) Subject to adjustment under Subsection 63G-7-604(4), an action arising against a winter
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252253 sports area operator for a claim not prohibited under this part, in which the winter sports
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254255 participant, or a person authorized to bring a claim on behalf of the winter sports
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256257 participant, recovers for an injury and is awarded noneconomic losses, the amount of the
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258259 award for noneconomic losses may not exceed:
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260261 (a) $827,000 for one person in any one occurrence; and
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262263 (b) $3,329,100 for the aggregate amount of individual awards that may be awarded in
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264265 relation to a single occurrence.
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266267 (2) The limits on an award for noneconomic losses described in Subsection (1) do not apply
267-- 4 - Enrolled Copy H.B. 541
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269269 to an award:
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271271 (a) of punitive damages; or
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273273 (b) for a wrongful death action.
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275276 Section 7. Effective Date.
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277278 This bill takes effect on May 7, 2025.
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