Utah Code § 58-55-305

Exemptions from licensure
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(1) In addition to the exemptions from licensure in Section 58-1-307, the following persons may
engage in acts or practices included within the practice of construction trades, subject to the
stated circumstances and limitations, without being licensed under this chapter:
(a) an authorized representative of the United States government or an authorized employee of
the state or any of its political subdivisions when working on construction work of the state or
the subdivision, and when acting within the terms of the person's trust, office, or employment;
(b) a person engaged in construction or operation incidental to the construction and repair of
irrigation and drainage ditches of regularly constituted irrigation districts, reclamation districts,
and drainage districts or construction and repair relating to farming, dairying, agriculture,
livestock or poultry raising, metal and coal mining, quarries, sand and gravel excavations, well
drilling, as defined in Section 73-3-25, hauling to and from construction sites, and lumbering;
(c) public utilities operating under the rules of the Public Service Commission on work incidental
to their own business;
(d) a sole owner of property engaged in building:
(i) no more than one residential structure per year on the sole owner's property and no more
than three residential structures per five years on the sole owner's property for the sole
owner's noncommercial, nonpublic use, except that a person other than the property owner
or a person described in Subsection (1)(e), who engages in building a residential structure
must be licensed under this chapter if the person is otherwise required to be licensed under
this chapter; or
(ii) structures on the sole owner's property for the sole owner's noncommercial, nonpublic use
that are incidental to a residential structure on the property, including a shed, carport, or
detached garage;
(e)
(i) a person engaged in construction or renovation of a residential building for noncommercial,
nonpublic use if that person:
(A) works without compensation other than token compensation that is not considered salary
or wages; and
(B) works under the direction of the property owner who engages in building the structure;
and
(ii) as used in this Subsection (1)(e), "token compensation" means compensation paid by a sole
owner of property exempted from licensure under Subsection (1)(d) to a person exempted
from licensure under this Subsection (1)(e), that is:
(A) minimal in value when compared with the fair market value of the services provided by the
person;
(B) not related to the fair market value of the services provided by the person; and
(C) is incidental to the providing of services by the person including paying for or providing
meals or refreshment while services are being provided, or paying reasonable
transportation costs incurred by the person in travel to the site of construction;

(f) a person engaged in the sale or merchandising of personal property that by its design or
manufacture may be attached, installed, or otherwise affixed to real property who has
contracted with a person, firm, or corporation licensed under this chapter to install, affix, or
attach that property;
(g) a contractor submitting a bid on a federal aid highway project, if, before undertaking
construction under that bid, the contractor is licensed under this chapter;
(h)
(i) subject to Subsection 58-1-401(2) and Sections 58-55-501 and 58-55-502, a person
engaged in the alteration, repair, remodeling, or addition to or improvement of a building
with a contracted or agreed value of less than $7,000, including both labor and materials,
and including all changes or additions to the contracted or agreed upon work; and
(ii) notwithstanding Subsection (1)(h)(i) and except as otherwise provided in this section:
(A) work in the plumbing and electrical trades on a Subsection (1)(h)(i) project within any six
month period of time:
(I) shall be performed by a licensed electrical or plumbing contractor, if the project involves
an electrical or plumbing system; and
(II) may be performed by a licensed journeyman electrician or plumber or an individual
referred to in Subsection (1)(h)(ii)(A)(I), if the project involves a component of the system
such as a faucet, toilet, fixture, device, outlet, or electrical switch;
(B) installation, repair, or replacement of a residential or commercial gas appliance or a
combustion system on a Subsection (1)(h)(i) project shall be performed by a person who
has received certification under Subsection 58-55-308(2) except as otherwise provided in
Subsection 58-55-308(2)(d) or 58-55-308(3);
(C) installation, repair, or replacement of water-based fire protection systems on a Subsection
(1)(h)(i) project must be performed by a licensed fire suppression systems contractor or a
licensed journeyman plumber;
(D) work as an alarm business or company or as an alarm company agent shall be performed
by a licensed alarm business or company or a licensed alarm company agent, except as
otherwise provided in this chapter;
(E) installation, repair, or replacement of an alarm system on a Subsection (1)(h)(i) project
must be performed by a licensed alarm business or company or a licensed alarm
company agent;
(F) installation, repair, or replacement of a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system
(HVAC) on a Subsection (1)(h)(i) project must be performed by an HVAC contractor
licensed by the division;
(G) installation, repair, or replacement of a radon mitigation system or a soil depressurization
system must be performed by a licensed contractor; and
(H) if the total value of the project is greater than $3,000, the person shall file with the division
a one-time affirmation, subject to periodic reaffirmation as established by division rule, that
the person has:
(I) public liability insurance in coverage amounts and form established by division rule; and
(II) if applicable, workers compensation insurance which would cover an employee of the
person if that employee worked on the construction project;
(i) a person practicing a specialty contractor classification or construction trade which the director
does not classify by administrative rule as significantly impacting the public's health, safety,
and welfare;

(j) owners and lessees of property and persons regularly employed for wages by owners or
lessees of property or their agents for the purpose of maintaining the property, are exempt
from this chapter when doing work upon the property;
(k)
(i) a person engaged in minor plumbing work that is incidental, as defined by the division by
rule, to the repair of a fixture or an appliance in a residential or small commercial building,
or structure used for agricultural use, as defined in Section 15A-1-202, provided that no
modification is made to:
(A) existing culinary water, soil, waste, or vent piping; or
(B) a gas appliance or combustion system; and
(ii) except as provided in Subsection (1)(e), installation for the first time of a fixture or an
appliance is not included in the exemption provided under Subsection (1)(k)(i);
(l) a person who ordinarily would be subject to the plumber licensure requirements under this
chapter when installing or repairing a water conditioner or other water treatment apparatus if
the conditioner or apparatus:
(i) meets the appropriate state construction codes or local plumbing standards; and
(ii) is installed or repaired under the direction of a person authorized to do the work under an
appropriate specialty contractor license;
(m) a person who ordinarily would be subject to the electrician licensure requirements under this
chapter when employed by:
(i) railroad corporations, telephone corporations or their corporate affiliates, elevator contractors
or constructors, or street railway systems; or
(ii) public service corporations, rural electrification associations, or municipal utilities who
generate, distribute, or sell electrical energy for light, heat, or power;
(n) a person involved in minor electrical work incidental to a mechanical or service installation,
including the outdoor installation of:
(i) an above-ground, prebuilt hot tub; or
(ii) the installation, maintenance, or repair of on-premise signs;
(o) a person who ordinarily would be subject to the electrician licensure requirements under this
chapter but who during calendar years 2009, 2010, or 2011 was issued a specialty contractor
license for the electrical work associated with the installation, repair, or maintenance of solar
energy panels, may continue the limited electrical work for solar energy panels under a
specialty contractor license;
(p) a student participating in construction trade education and training programs approved by the
commission with the concurrence of the director under the condition that:
(i) all work intended as a part of a finished product on which there would normally be an
inspection by a building inspector is, in fact, inspected and found acceptable by a licensed
building inspector; and
(ii) a licensed contractor obtains the necessary building permits;
(q) a delivery person when replacing any of the following existing equipment with a new gas
appliance, provided there is an existing gas shutoff valve at the appliance:
(i) gas range;
(ii) gas dryer;
(iii) outdoor gas barbeque; or
(iv) outdoor gas patio heater;
(r) a person performing maintenance on an elevator as defined in Section 58-55-102, if the
maintenance is not related to the operating integrity of the elevator; and

(s) an apprentice or helper of an elevator mechanic licensed under this chapter when working
under the general direction of the licensed elevator mechanic.
(2) A compliance agency as defined in Section 15A-1-202 that issues a building permit to a person
requesting a permit as a sole owner of property referred to in Subsection (1)(d) shall notify the
division, in writing or through electronic transmission, of the issuance of the permit.
Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 42, 2026 General Session

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