Utah’s liquor laws have historically been strict, and in this case where you can and can’t locate a bar. Our current laws require that any bar, liquor store or restaurant that serves alcohol must be located at least 600 feet from a park, school, or place of worship. These kind of laws aren’t specific just to our state. Drinking in public is often restricted in coastal areas in the country-not on beaches and nearby parks. Golden Gate Park allows you to drink while enjoying the views of the bridge and bay. Florida doesn’t like drinkers (especially the Spring Breaker type), except on the Tampa Riverwalk. Louisiana has adopted policies permitting public consumption in designated areas, especially during festivals and special events. New Orleans have ‘open container’ zones as does Nevada and places there like the Las Vegas Strip.

I remember back in the 1980’s the Park Café wanted a liquor license. The owner applied at the time and was rejected because it was across the street from a public park, and the rule was that it couldn’t be 600 feet or closer to the public space. After much deliberation a helpful change was made, in that the ‘official’ entrance for Liberty Park was not on the south end of the park, but the north end. And thus, a liquor license was granted with the new entrance designation which was far across the park.

There’s a new bill at our Legislature that was submitted last week that would redefine how close a hotel bar/restaurant that serves liquor could be to a public park. The 600 ft. walking distance rule (or 200 feet in a straight line) would have an exception that would allow a local city to waive the rule for how close alcohol could be served by a park. The reason for this is simple: Magnus Commercial Properties has asked Salt Lake City to allow liquor at the proposed hotel they are planning in Sugar House at the location of the old Sizzler restaurant site on 2100 South and 1300 East.

Having owned a bar several years ago, I can say that the State Liquor Commission was very helpful when I applied for a license but damn, the rules for a business who wants to serve booze are massive. Of course, you can’t drink under the age of 21and must report the measurement of liquor in each drink sold, and the accounting can be a nightmare to tally what and how much was sold each day.

I rarely drink these days. I like to say I drank so much in college I forgot what I had learned and so I had to go back and get another degree after the first four years! I see no problem with a hotel bar offering drinks to its patrons of age, and it would be nice to sit on a patio and look out onto the park and our scenic mountain vistas. This Legislative session is over March 6^th, so we’ll see what happens.

I’m minding my own beeswax, driving in the middle lane of I-15 when I hear a really loud engine behind me…so loud that it scared me! I looked around and almost instantly a motorcyclist passed me on the left going over 100 mph with NO helmet. Given his racing and weaving in and out of traffic, I expected (sadly) that I’d see him splattered all over the freeway a few miles ahead. Luckily, I didn’t have to witness what ER doctors call “donorcycles or mobile organ donors”.

Helmet laws are in effect now that HB381 has passed, which requires all riders under 21 operating any class of electric assisted bikes on highways. This law came about due to the popularity of electric bikes and the increasing accidents of the young and old around the state, and the simple fact that many riders are taking their bikes on sidewalks, in bus lanes and causing accidents themselves. Basically, the legislature cracked down this year on E-Bike riders who often are kids.  For example, riders under 14 can use bikes on public roads unless directly supervised by a parent or guardian, nor can any kid under 8 use it on public roads.

There’s also now a ‘High Power Electric Device’ category to the law which covers vehicles that can go faster than 20 mph and requires licensing and registration just like motorcycles or high-powered electric bikes. And I like the fact that a new safety certificate is now required for younger/unlicensed riders ages 8-15. They must complete an online safety course to ride unsupervised on highways. Mind you, we don’t see too many E-Bikes of I-15, but many of our state roads are considered highways such as 700 East, and State Street (part of U.S. Highway 89).

In Utah, there were 53 fatalities of motorcycle riders in 2024, which marked a 15-year high. Handylawutah.com reports that motorcycle fatalities account for 32% of all roadway fatalities in the state.  Utah doesn’t collect E-bike crash data separately from regular bicycle crashes, but their website says that from 2020-2024 there were 2,988 total bicycle crashes statewide with 45 fatalities, adding that from 2024-2025, Utah say 66.7 percent increase in crashes involving both e-mobility devices (e-bikes and e-scooters). Police reports indicate the crashes came from riders exceeding legal speeds, using E-bikes in inappropriate zones, and riding without helmets.

In addition to on-line safety courses for young riders, there are several motorcycle training courses throughout the state, from Washington County north. There’s also a Harley-Davidson driving school. Plus, the DMV has a motorcycle practice test so you can learn and test for specifics in riding your bikes safely.

E-bikes will continue to surge in popularity because they are eco-friendly and cost less than a car. But hell, people, please drive safely and within the law, and make sure your kids have helmets and are trained properly to enjoy their rides.

Spring break is over for most and students can return to class, but in 35 states and Washington, D.C. they aren’t allowed to use cell phones in K-12 classrooms.  Watching the news about this topic it appears American schools have been on the fast track to get control of the teaching environs around this country. Teachers, administrators, counselors and legislators have pushed to eliminate phone use in an attempt to help kids improve their academic performance and frankly, their mental health.

We can all most likely agree that both us and our kids have attention problems because of these hand-held computers. Our constant impulse to check our social media, email and such has spawned a nation of both students and adults presenting symptoms of or suffering from ADHD.  According to govfacts.org “The adolescent brain is outmatched by algorithmically optimized engagement loops designed by trillion-dollar tech companies.”  And in the book, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, he reported on research that correlates the sharp decline in youth mental health-beginning around 2012-with mass adoption of smartphones and the shift from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods.  Teachers, principals and school staff have reported that “removing phones acts as a circuit breaker for social anxiety and without the device, immediate pressure to curate a digital persona vanishes during the school day”.  And need I mention a potential reduction in cyber bullying?

Last year Utah outlawed phones in schools to reduce distraction and help students focus. It’s known as a “bell-to-bell” cellphone prohibition in Utah K-12 schools. Individual schools or districts can option out for a different policy. But maybe you’re not a student, have graduated?  There’s a ‘no touch’ law for drivers in that drivers under 18 are prohibited from using any wireless communication device while driving (even with hands-free tech) and the law specifically prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving that includes texting or talking on our phones.  The only exception is for medical emergency issues ore using GPS. If you’re caught violating the law you can get a fine of $100 for first-time offenses and more for repeat offenders.

As of last year, 31 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have hands-free driving laws that prohibit all drivers from holding or touching their phones while operating a vehicle. You may be planning your vacation this year out of Utah, and I might suggest checking on the driving /phone laws. There are some exceptions if you’re stopped at a red light or in traffic to alter your GPS instructions or if you need to call 911 due to an emergency.

This fall, Utah law will begin to enforce a ‘bell-to-bell’ ban on student cell phone use during instructional time, including lunch and breaks, to reduce distractions. Senate bill 69 and 178 require that personal devices, including smart watches, to be put away and silenced except for emergencies and students with medical needs and disabilities.

As March came to a close we look behind us and wave at our legislators and say ‘Buh-bye’ for another year. There were a record number of bills presented by our elected officials-1,015 were introduced during this past session. This is the fourth year in a row that saw such a huge number of bills flow across their desks at the state capital and 541 actually passed.

What I paid attention to were housing bills, since predictions are from some experts that we’ll need 200,000+ housing units in the state in the next 30 years.  We all know is we’re facing a ongoing housing shortage, but maybe there’s some light to this dark topic with the  few bills that passed. HB492 will reportedly help make a dent in our low inventory, specifically to help local governments pay for infrastructure and allow for new roads and water/sewer lines to be installed. The adage “If you build it, they will come” is true, as you can’t have a new housing subdivision without basic improvements to the land.

Another bill (SB284) requires cities in our state to allow ADU’s (detached accessory dwelling units) on lots at least 11,000 sq. ft. To give you an idea of what that looks like, a small home in the Avenues of Salt Lake takes up about .06 of an acre-about 2600 sq. ft. You might notice on real estate listings for homes for sale in the Avenues that if a home is listed with .09 acres, it probably doesn’t have room for either a garage or an ADU. However, if you head to the west side or south end of the valley there are many subdivisions with .50 or 1.0 acre lots-that’s about 22,000-44,000 sq. ft and plenty of room to add a tiny home.

In 2019 the state passed into law that St. George and all cities in the state were mandated by Senate Bill 34 that they must allow ADU’s in residential areas. Current city codes there allow for ADU’s up to 800 sq. ft in a side or rear yard with some restrictions on how close the structure is to lot lines and height of the building. Given the high number of seniors and retirees in Washington County, this is a great addition to the housing shortage where adult children and many seniors can’t afford high rents or home prices there. Over the years demand has grown exponentially of local builders in Dixie to offer homes with mother-in-law apartments or tiny homes in the rear yards called ‘casita’s’ and they have tried to keep up with demand as St. George and surrounding towns keep growing and growing.

According to Utahadubuilders.com, a free-standing ADU in Utah costs between $200-400,000 to build. It’s interesting that during WWII housing was at an even greater premium in this state and local officials would knock on doors to see if any part of the home could be rented (rooms, unfinished basements, etc.). It’s how we got so many illegal (now) mother-in-law apartments here!