Utah Replaces Hunting License with Video and Free Permit for WMAs

Utah lawmakers are moving to remove the adult hunting and fishing license requirement that blocked many hikers and cyclists from Wildlife Management Areas in Salt Lake, Utah, Weber and Davis counties, replacing it with a 2-3 minute online educational video and a free digital access permit if the governor signs H.B. 30. The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. David Shallenberger, is awaiting the governor’s signature and, if signed, would take effect July 1 in the four counties and expand to WMAs across Utah beginning July 1, 2028.

The change responds to intense complaints from non-hunter trail users after a prior rule took effect: beginning May 7, 2025, anyone 18 years of age or older was required to have a valid Utah hunting, fishing, or combination license to access WMAs located in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. The earlier license policy “drew a ton of blowback from recreational trail users,” and, as local reporting summarized it, “The requirement to have a hunting or fishing license angered a lot of trail users. Now lawmakers are replacing it with a video.”

Under the H.B. 30 framework described by legislative summaries, visitors to affected WMAs would be required to view a short online video produced by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and obtain a free digital access permit before entry. “The educational video will be accessible through QR codes posted at trailheads and will explain seasonal closures, site-specific rules and ways visitors can help protect wildlife habitat,” the bill summary says. The legislation also creates a voluntary Wildlife Management Area Stewardship Fund for contributions by visitors.

Several specific WMAs in the four counties are currently among areas that had required a license for access; examples include Birdseye, Blackhawk, Causey, Cinnamon Creek (in the Weber County portion), Dairy Fork, Farmington Bay, Harold Crane (in the Weber County portion), Hobble Creek, Howard Slough, Lake Fork, Lasson Draw, Lee Kay, Loafer Mountain, Lower Hobble Creek, Middle Fork, Ogden Bay, Provo Peak, Rock Island, Santaquin (in the Utah County portion), Spencer Fork (in the Utah County portion), Starvation, Timpanogos, Weber Face, West Hills (in the Utah County portion), and Willard Bay Upland Game Area (in the Weber County portion).

The policy shift arrives amid a larger funding backdrop: Utah manages about 148 WMAs covering more than 500,000 acres, and those areas are primarily supported through sales of hunting, fishing, and combination licenses plus federal excise taxes on related equipment. Replacing an access-for-license rule with an education-and-permit model, plus a voluntary stewardship fund, changes how managers will balance public access with the revenue streams that maintain habitat and facilities.

If H.B. 30 receives the governor’s signature, trail users who objected to the May 7, 2025 license requirement will see immediate operational changes where they recreate: QR codes at trailheads, a mandatory 2-3 minute video covering seasonal closures and site rules, and a free digital permit for entry starting July 1 in the four counties and expanding statewide July 1, 2028. The bill sponsor, Rep. David Shallenberger, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources remain key contacts for final implementation details about the video, permit verification, and stewardship fund administration.