Storm contractor rules in Utah: the Price Controls During Emergencies Act and the US$7,000 contractor licence exemption
Utah's Price Controls During Emergencies Act sets a 10 percent test on prices for goods and services in an emergency territory, and the Construction Trades Licensing Act exempts building work valued under US$7,000. This page restates both as the Legislature publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections names tree work.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 13-41-102, state of emergency | A declaration of an emergency or major disaster by the President, or a state of emergency by the Governor. The emergency territory is the area for which the emergency is declared and that is directly affected by the events behind it, not an area affected only by market forces |
| 13-41-102, service | Any activity performed in whole or in part for financial gain, including personal and professional service, rental and leasing, that is necessary for consumption or use as a direct result of the events giving rise to the emergency |
| 13-41-102, excessive price | For a seller who sold the good or service in the 30 days before the declaration: a price more than 10 percent above the highest price charged in those 30 days, or, if the seller's total cost rose, more than 10 percent above total cost plus the customary margin. For a seller who did not sell in those 30 days: a price more than twice the seller's total cost |
| 13-41-201, the prohibition | A person may not sell or provide a good or service to a consumer at retail at an excessive price in the emergency territory during a Governor's emergency, or for 30 days after the start of a presidential one. A seller may establish that the service is comparable to one sold in the prior 30 days and carries the same margin |
| 13-41-202, enforcement | The Division of Consumer Protection enforces. It may issue a cease and desist order and impose an administrative fine for each violation, capped at double the excessive portion of the price. It may not publicly name a person it investigates unless the identity is public record in an enforcement proceeding or the person consents. Section 13-41-202 shows an amendment by the 2026 General Session |
| 58-55-102, contractor | A person who for compensation other than wages undertakes work in the construction, plumbing or electrical trade for which a licence is required. The construction trade is work involving the construction, alteration, remodeling, repair, wrecking, demolition or improvement of a building, road, structure, excavation or other project or development, to other than personal property |
| 58-55-305(1)(h) | No licence is needed for alteration, repair, remodeling, addition to or improvement of a building with a contracted or agreed value of less than US$7,000, labor and materials together. Electrical, plumbing, gas, fire protection, alarm and heating work stays with licensed trades. For a project above US$3,000 the person files a one-time affirmation that they hold public liability insurance and, where applicable, workers compensation insurance |
| 58-55-305(1)(i) and (j) | Also exempt: a person in a specialty classification that the director does not classify as significantly affecting public health, safety and welfare, and owners and lessees of property and their employees maintaining it |
How the price test works
Utah's test has two parts that depend on the seller's own history. A seller with sales in the 30 days before the declaration is held to 10 percent above its highest price in those days, with a cost-plus-margin alternative. A seller with no sales in those days is held to twice its total cost. Total cost counts fees, shipping and employee labor, minus discounts and rebates, and leaves out ongoing business operating costs. The statute does not mention tree work, so how it applies to storm cleanup is a question for the Division of Consumer Protection.
The licence and tree work
The construction trade definition is built on structures and improvements. It does not list trees, and the exemptions read do not mention them. The US$7,000 line applies to work on a building. Whether removing a storm-damaged tree falls under the Act is a question for the licensing division. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Utah Legislature, Utah Code 13-41-102, Price Controls During Emergencies Act definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Utah Legislature, Utah Code 13-41-201 and 13-41-202, Excessive price prohibited and enforcement, read October 9, 2026
- Utah Legislature, Utah Code 58-55-102, Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Utah Legislature, Utah Code 58-55-305, Exemptions from licensure, read October 9, 2026
- Utah Legislature, Utah Code 13-41-202, Enforcement and penalty, read October 9, 2026