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Utah Code § 78B-6a-203

Private right of action for a public nuisance

Enacted by Chapter 401, 2026 General Session

(1) Except as otherwise provided by this section and Part 4, Defenses to Nuisance Actions, a private party has a right of action for a public nuisance against a person if:

(a) the person:

(i) engages in an activity that directly causes the public nuisance and the public nuisance is a reasonably foreseeable result of the person's activity;

(ii) controls or instructs at least one other person to engage in an activity that directly causes the public nuisance and the public nuisance is a reasonably foreseeable result of the other person's activity; or

(iii) is the successive owner of property and neglects to abate a continuing public nuisance upon, or in the use of the property, that was created by a former owner;

(b) not for the person's conduct under Subsection (1)(a):

(i) the public nuisance would not exist; or

(ii) the private party's expenditures to abate or address the public nuisance would decrease by at least 25%; and

(c) the private party can establish, by clear and convincing evidence, that the private party has suffered special injury.

(2) A private party that brings a public nuisance action under Subsection (1) shall plead each element of the public nuisance action:

(a) by verified complaint, counterclaim, or third party complaint; and

(b) with particularity under the same standard required by Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 9.

(3) If a private party brings an action for a public nuisance, the court may only award compensatory damages for the special injury that may not be otherwise reimbursed, or have been reimbursed, by a government entity.

(4) The abatement of a public nuisance by a government entity as described in Section 78B-6a-204 does not preclude a right of action under this section.

(5) A class action may not be brought under this section for special injuries arising out of a public nuisance.

Official source: Utah State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Utah statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.