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S.B. 117 Enrolled

             1     

EMINENT DOMAIN AMENDMENTS

             2     
2006 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Howard A. Stephenson

             5     
House Sponsor: David Ure

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies provisions related to eminent domain.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    expands the public uses for which eminent domain may be used to include bicycle
             13      paths and sidewalks adjacent to paved roads;
             14          .    narrows the public uses for which local governments may acquire roads, streets, or
             15      alleys by eminent domain;
             16          .    provides that the roads, streets, or alleys that local governments may acquire by
             17      eminent domain do not include trails, paths, or other ways for walking, hiking,
             18      bicycling, equestrian use, or other recreational uses;
             19          .    requires the taking of property by a political subdivision to be approved by the
             20      governing body of the political subdivision;
             21          .    requires the governing body of a political subdivision intending to take property by
             22      eminent domain to provide written notice to property owners of each public meeting
             23      to approve the taking and allow property owners the right to be heard regarding the
             24      proposed taking;
             25          .    modifies the duty to negotiate with a property owner and the duty to notify the
             26      property owner of certain rights and limitations with respect to an anticipated
             27      eminent domain action; and
             28          .    clarifies that those duties apply to each person seeking to acquire property involving
             29      the potential use of eminent domain if the property cannot be acquired in a


             30      voluntary transaction.
             31      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             32          None
             33      Other Special Clauses:
             34          None
             35      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             36      AMENDS:
             37          78-34-1, as last amended by Chapter 164, Laws of Utah 1981
             38          78-34-4, as last amended by Chapter 161, Laws of Utah 1981
             39          78-34-4.5, as enacted by Chapter 223, Laws of Utah 2004
             40     
             41      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             42          Section 1. Section 78-34-1 is amended to read:
             43           78-34-1. Uses for which right may be exercised.
             44          Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the right of eminent domain may be exercised
             45      in behalf of the following public uses:
             46          (1) All public uses authorized by the Government of the United States.
             47          (2) Public buildings and grounds for the use of the state, and all other public uses
             48      authorized by the Legislature.
             49          (3) Public buildings and grounds for the use of any county, city or incorporated town,
             50      or board of education; reservoirs, canals, aqueducts, flumes, ditches, or pipes for conducting
             51      water for the use of the inhabitants of any county or city or incorporated town, or for the
             52      draining of any county, city or incorporated town; the raising of the banks of streams, removing
             53      obstructions therefrom, and widening, deepening or straightening their channels; bicycle paths
             54      and sidewalks adjacent to paved roads; roads, streets and alleys for public vehicular use,
             55      excluding trails, paths, or other ways for walking, hiking, bicycling, equestrian use, or other
             56      recreational uses; and all other public uses for the benefit of any county, city or incorporated
             57      town, or the inhabitants thereof.


             58          (4) Wharves, docks, piers, chutes, booms, ferries, bridges, toll roads, byroads, plank
             59      and turnpike roads, roads for transportation by traction engines or road locomotives, roads for
             60      logging or lumbering purposes, and railroads and street railways for public transportation.
             61          (5) Reservoirs, dams, watergates, canals, ditches, flumes, tunnels, aqueducts and pipes
             62      for the supplying of persons, mines, mills, smelters or other works for the reduction of ores,
             63      with water for domestic or other uses, or for irrigation purposes, or for the draining and
             64      reclaiming of lands, or for the floating of logs and lumber on streams not navigable, or for solar
             65      evaporation ponds and other facilities for the recovery of minerals in solution.
             66          (6) Roads, railroads, tramways, tunnels, ditches, flumes, pipes and dumping places to
             67      facilitate the milling, smelting or other reduction of ores, or the working of mines, quarries,
             68      coal mines or mineral deposits including minerals in solution; outlets, natural or otherwise,
             69      for the deposit or conduct of tailings, refuse or water from mills, smelters or other works for
             70      the reduction of ores, or from mines, quarries, coal mines or mineral deposits including
             71      minerals in solution; mill dams; gas, oil or coal pipelines, tanks or reservoirs, including any
             72      subsurface stratum or formation in any land for the underground storage of natural gas, and in
             73      connection therewith such other interests in property as may be required adequately to
             74      examine, prepare, maintain, and operate such underground natural gas storage facilities; and
             75      solar evaporation ponds and other facilities for the recovery of minerals in solution; also any
             76      occupancy in common by the owners or possessors of different mines, quarries, coal mines,
             77      mineral deposits, mills, smelters, or other places for the reduction of ores, or any place for the
             78      flow, deposit or conduct of tailings or refuse matter.
             79          (7) Byroads leading from highways to residences and farms.
             80          (8) Telegraph, telephone, electric light and electric power lines, and sites for electric
             81      light and power plants.
             82          (9) Sewerage of any city or town, or of any settlement of not less than ten families, or
             83      of any public building belonging to the state, or of any college or university.
             84          (10) Canals, reservoirs, dams, ditches, flumes, aqueducts and pipes for supplying and
             85      storing water for the operation of machinery for the purpose of generating and transmitting


             86      electricity for power, light or heat.
             87          (11) Cemeteries and public parks.
             88          (12) Pipe lines for the purpose of conducting any and all liquids connected with the
             89      manufacture of beet sugar.
             90          (13) Sites for mills, smelters or other works for the reduction of ores and necessary to
             91      the successful operation thereof, including the right to take lands for the discharge and natural
             92      distribution of smoke, fumes and dust therefrom, produced by the operation of such works;
             93      provided, that the powers granted by this subdivision shall not be exercised in any county
             94      where the population exceeds twenty thousand, or within one mile of the limits of any city or
             95      incorporated town; nor unless the proposed condemner has the right to operate by purchase,
             96      option to purchase or easement, at least seventy-five per cent in value of land acreage owned by
             97      persons or corporations situated within a radius of four miles from the mill, smelter or other
             98      works for the reduction of ores; nor beyond the limits of said four-mile radius; nor as to lands
             99      covered by contracts, easements or agreements existing between the condemner and the owner
             100      of land within said limit and providing for the operation of such mill, smelter or other works
             101      for the reduction of ores; nor until an action shall have been commenced to restrain the
             102      operation of such mill, smelter or other works for the reduction of ores.
             103          Section 2. Section 78-34-4 is amended to read:
             104           78-34-4. Conditions precedent to taking.
             105          (1) Before property can be taken it must appear:
             106          [(1)] (a) that the use to which it is to be applied is a use authorized by law;
             107          [(2)] (b) that the taking is necessary to such use;
             108          [(3)] (c) that construction and use of all property sought to be condemned will
             109      commence within a reasonable time as determined by the court, after the initiation of
             110      proceedings under this chapter; and
             111          [(4)] (d) if already appropriated to some public use, that the public use to which it is to
             112      be applied is a more necessary public use.
             113          (2) (a) As used in this Subsection (2), "governing body" means:


             114          (i) for a county, city, or town, the legislative body of the county, city, or town; and
             115          (ii) for any other political subdivision of the state, the person or body with authority to
             116      govern the affairs of the political subdivision.
             117          (b) Property may not be taken by a political subdivision of the state unless the
             118      governing body of the political subdivision approves the taking.
             119          (c) Before taking a final vote to approve the filing of an eminent domain action, the
             120      governing body of each political subdivision intending to take property shall provide written
             121      notice to each owner of property to be taken of each public meeting of the political
             122      subdivision's governing body at which a vote on the proposed taking is expected to occur and
             123      allow the property owner the opportunity to be heard on the proposed taking.
             124          (d) The requirement under Subsection (2)(c) to provide notice to a property owner is
             125      satisfied by the governing body mailing the written notice to the property owner:
             126          (i) at the owner's address as shown on the records of the county assessor's office; and
             127          (ii) at least ten business days before the public meeting.
             128          Section 3. Section 78-34-4.5 is amended to read:
             129           78-34-4.5. Negotiation and disclosure required before voting to approve an
             130      eminent domain action.
             131          Each person who seeks to acquire property by eminent domain or who intends to use
             132      eminent domain to acquire property if the property cannot be acquired in a voluntary
             133      transaction shall:
             134          (1) before [initiating] taking a final vote to approve the filing of an eminent domain
             135      action, make a reasonable effort to negotiate with the property owner for the purchase of the
             136      property; and
             137          (2) as early in the negotiation process under Subsection (1) as practicable but no later
             138      than 14 days before a final vote is taken to approve the filing of an eminent domain action,
             139      unless the court for good cause allows a shorter period before filing:
             140          (a) advise the property owner of the owner's rights to mediation and arbitration under
             141      Section 78-34-21 , including the name and current telephone number of the property rights


             142      ombudsman, established in Section 63-34-13 ; and
             143          (b) provide the property owner a written statement explaining that oral representations
             144      or promises made during the negotiation process are not binding upon the person seeking to
             145      acquire the property by eminent domain.


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