Participate in Rulemaking
Get Involved in Utah’s Rulemaking Process
From viewing proposed rule changes to making public comment on a filing, there are multiple ways to participate in the rulemaking process. Common resources are highlighted here to help educate the public.
How to Read Current Rules
The Utah State Bulletin is published twice a month and contains notices of all filings that are required by law to be published. You can find public comment start and end dates, contact information, fiscal impacts and rule text for each filing in the bulletin (see the current bulletin, here.)
Researching a Rule’s History
Administrative Rules Register (Docket of Rule Filings)
Subsection 63G-3-402(1) requires the Office of Administrative Rules to "record in a register the receipt of all agency rules, rule analysis forms, and notices of effective dates" and to "make the register . . . available for public inspection. . . ." The Administrative Rules Register is a docket of rule filings arranged chronologically.
Research Basics
To research an administrative rule, as much information as possible is better, like: name of the regulating agency; date the rule was filed; file number (a five-digit number assigned by the Office of Administrative Rules); date the rule was published in the Utah State Bulletin; date the rule was made effective; code reference (begins with an "R"). For more research info, visit our Researching page.
Who to Contact
Finding the Right Agency to Contact
It can sometimes be confusing to know which agency to contact for a particular rule. Read our guide to finding the right agency for the right rule.
Complete List of State Agencies
For an alphabetical listing of agencies in the state of Utah, see the utah.gov alphabetical agency listing by clicking here.
Contact Rulemaking Agencies
The Office of Administrative Rules keeps a list of contact information for rulemaking agencies, available at Contact Rulemaking Agencies.
Legislative Administrative Rules Review Committee
The Committee meets regularly to address specific concerns raised by legislators and the public regarding existing and proposed state agency administrative rules. See the calendar here.
Making Public Comment
How to Make Public Comment
Some public comments are made at public meetings, others contain one-sentence or one-paragraph comments, while others contain thousands of pages with detailed analysis, with supporting documents submitted as attachments.
However, a constructive, information-rich comment that clearly communicates and supports its claims is more likely to have an impact on rulemaking.
Making Effective Comments
- Read and understand the regulatory document you are commenting on
- Feel free to reach out to the agency with questions
- Be concise but support your claims
- Base your justification on sound reasoning, scientific evidence, and/or how you will be impacted
- Address trade-offs and opposing views in your comment
- There is no minimum or maximum length for an effective comment
- The comment process is not a vote – one well supported comment is often more influential than a thousand form letters
- Attempt to fully understand each issue; if you have questions or do not understand a part of the regulatory document, you may ask for help from the agency contact listed in the document
Find a Public Meeting
For a calendar of public meetings, where you can make public comment in person, click here. Alternatively, venues for public comment can be found on the issue of the Utah State Bulletin in which the relevant rule filing may be found.
Rulemaking Timeframes
Timeline for Rule Filings
The Office of Administrative Rules publishes a yearly chart of filing timeframes for both the public and rulemaking agencies to gain a clear idea of when a rule may be filed, published, or made effective. This also provides an idea of the best possible time to make public comment on a rule filing. Visit Rulemaking Timeframes for more information.
Download a flowchart of Utah’s regular rulemaking process