This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 10:27 AM by lpoole.
This document includes Senate 2nd Reading Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 2:41 PM by lpoole.
1     
LOCAL GOVERNMENT LICENSING AMENDMENTS

2     
2017 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Jacob L. Anderegg

5     
House Sponsor: Marc K. Roberts

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill modifies provisions related to a municipality's or a county's authority to license
10     a business.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     amends provisions authorizing a municipality or a county to license a business;
14          ▸     prohibits a municipality or a county from requiring a license or charging a fee for
15     certain home based businesses; and
16          ▸     makes technical and conforming changes.
17     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
18          None
19     Other Special Clauses:
20          None
21     Utah Code Sections Affected:
22     AMENDS:
23          10-1-203, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapter 350
24          17-53-216, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 250
25     

26     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
27          Section 1. Section 10-1-203 is amended to read:

28          10-1-203. License fees and taxes -- Application information to be transmitted to
29     the county assessor.
30          (1) As used in this section:
31          (a) Ŝ→ [
(i)] ←Ŝ "Business" means any enterprise carried on for the purpose of gain or
31a     economic
32     profit, except that the acts of employees rendering services to employers are not included in
33     this definition.
34     Ŝ→ [
     (ii) "Business" does not include a nonprofit corporation as defined in Section
35     16-6a-102.
] ←Ŝ

36          (b) "Telecommunications provider" means the same as that term is defined in Section
37     10-1-402.
38          (c) "Telecommunications tax or fee" means the same as that term is defined in Section
39     10-1-402.
40          (2) Except as provided in Subsections (3) through (5) and (7)(a), and subject to
41     Subsection (7)(b), the legislative body of a municipality may license for the purpose of
42     regulation [and revenue] any business within the limits of the municipality Ŝ→ , [
and] ←Ŝ may
42a     regulate
43     that business by ordinance Ŝ→ , and may impose fees on businesses to recover the municipality's
43a     costs of regulation ←Ŝ .
44          (3) (a) The legislative body of a municipality may raise revenue by levying and
45     collecting a municipal energy sales or use tax as provided in Part 3, Municipal Energy Sales
46     and Use Tax Act, except a municipality may not levy or collect a franchise tax or fee on an
47     energy supplier other than the municipal energy sales and use tax provided in Part 3, Municipal
48     Energy Sales and Use Tax Act.
49          (b) (i) Subsection (3)(a) does not affect the validity of a franchise agreement as defined
50     in Subsection 10-1-303(6), that is in effect on July 1, 1997, or a future franchise.
51          (ii) A franchise agreement as defined in Subsection 10-1-303(6) in effect on January 1,
52     1997, or a future franchise shall remain in full force and effect.
53          (c) A municipality that collects a contractual franchise fee pursuant to a franchise
54     agreement as defined in Subsection 10-1-303(6) with an energy supplier that is in effect on July
55     1, 1997, may continue to collect that fee as provided in Subsection 10-1-310(2).
56          (d) (i) Subject to the requirements of Subsection (3)(d)(ii), a franchise agreement as
57     defined in Subsection 10-1-303(6) between a municipality and an energy supplier may contain
58     a provision that:
59          (A) requires the energy supplier by agreement to pay a contractual franchise fee that is
60     otherwise prohibited under Part 3, Municipal Energy Sales and Use Tax Act; and
61          (B) imposes the contractual franchise fee on or after the day on which Part 3,
62     Municipal Energy Sales and Use Tax Act is:
63          (I) repealed, invalidated, or the maximum allowable rate provided in Section 10-1-305
64     is reduced; and
65          (II) [is] not superseded by a law imposing a substantially equivalent tax.
66          (ii) A municipality may not charge a contractual franchise fee under the provisions
67     permitted by Subsection (3)(b)(i) unless the municipality charges an equal contractual franchise
68     fee or a tax on all energy suppliers.
69          (4) (a) Subject to Subsection (4)(b), beginning July 1, 2004, the legislative body of a
70     municipality may raise revenue by levying and providing for the collection of a municipal
71     telecommunications license tax as provided in Part 4, Municipal Telecommunications License
72     Tax Act.
73          (b) A municipality may not levy or collect a telecommunications tax or fee on a
74     telecommunications provider except as provided in Part 4, Municipal Telecommunications
75     License Tax Act.
76          (5) (a) (i) The legislative body of a municipality may by ordinance raise revenue by
77     levying and collecting a license fee or tax on:
78          (A) a parking service business in an amount that is less than or equal to:
79          (I) $1 per vehicle that parks at the parking service business; or
80          (II) 2% of the gross receipts of the parking service business;
81          (B) a public assembly or other related facility in an amount that is less than or equal to
82     $5 per ticket purchased from the public assembly or other related facility; and
83          (C) subject to the limitations of Subsections (5)(c) and (d):
84          (I) a business that causes disproportionate costs of municipal services; or
85          (II) a purchaser from a business for which the municipality provides an enhanced level
86     of municipal services.
87          (ii) Nothing in this Subsection (5)(a) may be construed to authorize a municipality to
88     levy or collect a license fee or tax on a public assembly or other related facility owned and
89     operated by another political subdivision other than a community reinvestment agency without

90     the written consent of the other political subdivision.
91          (b) As used in this Subsection (5):
92          (i) "Municipal services" includes:
93          (A) public utilities; and
94          (B) services for:
95          (I) police;
96          (II) fire;
97          (III) storm water runoff;
98          (IV) traffic control;
99          (V) parking;
100          (VI) transportation;
101          (VII) beautification; or
102          (VIII) snow removal.
103          (ii) "Parking service business" means a business:
104          (A) that primarily provides off-street parking services for a public facility that is
105     wholly or partially funded by public money;
106          (B) that provides parking for one or more vehicles; and
107          (C) that charges a fee for parking.
108          (iii) "Public assembly or other related facility" means an assembly facility that:
109          (A) is wholly or partially funded by public money;
110          (B) is operated by a business; and
111          (C) requires a person attending an event at the assembly facility to purchase a ticket.
112          (c) (i) Before the legislative body of a municipality imposes a license fee on a business
113     that causes disproportionate costs of municipal services under Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(I), the
114     legislative body of the municipality shall adopt an ordinance defining for purposes of the tax
115     under Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(I):
116          (A) the costs that constitute disproportionate costs; and
117          (B) the amounts that are reasonably related to the costs of the municipal services
118     provided by the municipality.
119          (ii) The amount of a fee under Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(I) shall be reasonably related to
120     the costs of the municipal services provided by the municipality.

121          (d) (i) Before the legislative body of a municipality imposes a license fee on a
122     purchaser from a business for which it provides an enhanced level of municipal services under
123     Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(II), the legislative body of the municipality shall adopt an ordinance
124     defining for purposes of the fee under Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(II):
125          (A) the level of municipal services that constitutes the basic level of municipal services
126     in the municipality; and
127          (B) the amounts that are reasonably related to the costs of providing an enhanced level
128     of municipal services in the municipality.
129          (ii) The amount of a fee under Subsection (5)(a)(i)(C)(II) shall be reasonably related to
130     the costs of providing an enhanced level of the municipal services.
131          (6) All license fees and taxes shall be uniform in respect to the class upon which they
132     are imposed.
133          (7) A municipality may not:
134          (a) require a license or permit for a business that is operated:
135          (i) only occasionally; and
136          (ii) by an individual who is under 18 years of age; or
137          (b) charge a license fee for a home based business, unless the combined offsite impact
138     of the home based business and the primary residential use materially exceeds the offsite
139     impact of the primary residential use alone.
140          [(7)] (8) The municipality shall transmit the information from each approved business
141     license application to the county assessor within 60 days following the approval of the
142     application.
143          [(8)] (9) If challenged in court, an ordinance enacted by a municipality before January
144     1, 1994, imposing a business license fee on rental dwellings under this section shall be upheld
145     unless the business license fee is found to impose an unreasonable burden on the fee payer.
146          Section 2. Section 17-53-216 is amended to read:
147          17-53-216. Business license fees and taxes -- Application information to be
148     transmitted to the county assessor.
149          (1) [For the purpose of this section, "business"] As used in this section:
150          Ŝ→ [
(a)] ←Ŝ "Business" means any enterprise carried on for the purpose of gain or economic
151     profit, except that the acts of employees rendering services to employers are not included in

152     this definition.
153     Ŝ→ [
     (b) "Business" does not include a nonprofit corporation as defined in Section
154     16-6a-102.
] ←Ŝ

155          (2) [The] Except as provided in Section (4)(a), and subject to Subsection (4)(b), the
156     legislative body of a county may by ordinance provide for the licensing of businesses within
157     the unincorporated areas of the county for the purpose of regulation [and revenue] Ŝ→ , and may
157a     impose fees on businesses to recover the county's costs of regulation ←Ŝ .
158          (3) All license fees and taxes shall be uniform in respect to the class upon which they
159     are imposed.
160          (4) A county may not:
161          (a) require a license or permit for a business that is operated:
162          (i) only occasionally; and
163          (ii) by an individual who is under 18 years of age; or
164          (b) charge a license fee for a home based business unless the combined offsite impact
165     of the home based business and the primary residential use materially exceeds the offsite
166     impact of the primary residential use alone.
167          [(4)] (5) The county business licensing agency shall transmit the information from each
168     approved business license application to the county assessor within 60 days following the
169     approval of the application.
170          [(5)] (6) This section may not be construed to enhance, diminish, or otherwise alter the
171     taxing power of counties existing prior to the effective date of Laws of Utah 1988, Chapter
172     144.






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