Utah County staff propose tightening rules for large unpermitted gatherings after safety incidents

Utah County attorneys and the sheriff's office presented a draft amendment to the county's large public assembly code, saying the change would close a regulatory gap for events of 250''999 people in unincorporated areas and strengthen safety protections.

Ben Vannoy of the Utah County Attorney's Office opened the work session and described the gap: the state's temporary mass gathering rule covers events of 1,000 or more and county rules apply to county property, but there is no effective county regulation for large gatherings under 1,000 off county property. "The problem is, as it is currently written, we've kind of the county's kind of written itself out of regulating... smaller than a thousand people," Vannoy said.

The sheriff's office described multiple recent safety incidents at unpermitted gatherings, including shootings that impeded emergency access. "We've had several incidents in our counties that, one in particular where two people were actually shot at that event," the sheriff's representative said, urging measures to protect attendees, neighbors and first responders.

As presented, the draft would apply to gatherings the county estimates will draw between 250 and 999 people and would lower the runtime threshold from 12 hours to events anticipated to last more than two hours. The proposal also includes enforcement and fee changes: the draft as presented would impose a $1,000 fine and a class B misdemeanor for each 30'minute increment beyond two hours and for each person over 250; it would raise the application fee (presenters mentioned a proposed $500 fee) and retain a $2,000 refundable bond.

Commissioners pressed staff on several points. One asked whether the two'hour trigger meant run time only, not setup or takedown; Vannoy said the intent was run time and that language could be clarified. Another commissioner described an event years earlier that was planned for a few hundred people but unexpectedly drew thousands and asked how organizers could avoid penalization in such cases. Vannoy noted the current ordinance contains exemptions (for event facilities and religious gatherings) and said commissioners could adjust exemptions or wording to account for spontaneous rallies.

Presenters acknowledged parts of the draft need clearer language. They also noted enforcement considerations: some commissioners questioned whether a $1,000 fine would deter organizers of events that can generate substantially more revenue; presenters said fee and penalty language is open to revision.

The county's stated next step is for the attorney's office and the sheriff's office to revise the red'line draft to reflect commissioners' edits and return a revised ordinance for further review.

Quotations in this article are taken from remarks recorded during the commission work session.