Series 83155

Legislature Laws of Utah, i 1851-

17.00 cubic feet and 90 microfilm reels and 2 microfiche sets

These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.

Historical Note

See history of the records' creator.

Summary of Records

After each regular and special session of the state legislature or the territorial assembly, the laws that were passed were compiled and published as the Laws of Utah.

Scope and Content

After each regular and special session of the state legislature or the territorial assembly, the laws that were passed were compiled and published as the Laws of Utah. The act of publishing the laws was an important step in the legislative process. Until 1972, laws were not considered to be in effect until they had first been published, a requirement dating from the 1849 Constitution of the State of Deseret. In the early territorial days, acts were often published in the newspaper as well, and the law named specific public officials who were to receive a copy. [Acts, Resolutions, and Memorials for the Territory of Utah 1851, page 213-214.] The production of this series has its origin in this requirement.
The Secretary of the Territory wasgiven responsibility for handling the financial details and for making arrangements for publication. When Utah became a state in 1896, the Board of Examiners assumed this responsibility, but by 1907 the Secretary of State's office was again incharge. They were followed in 1967 by the Finance Department and then the State Archives from 1969-1985. Currently, the Office of Legislative Printing arranges for their publication and distribution.
Legislative sessions were held annually until 1870, usually in the winter, from December to March. After that date biennial sessions were held in even numbered years until statehood. Starting with the second session of the new state legislature in 1897, biannual sessions were switched to odd numbered years. The 13th state legislature held the first special session in 1919, and after that date one or more special sessions began to be held more often. Special sessions are convened by the governor to consider legislative matters that need to be resolved immediately, before the next regular session of the legislature convenes.
A 1968 change in the state constitution created the budget session, and the first of these was held in 1970. These were held during the even numbered years when theregular session did not meet, and only government funding issues were considered. The constitution of the state was changed again in 1985 to provide for annual sessions of the legislature, eliminating the biannual budget session.
In addition to the laws and resolutions passed at each session of the legislature, additional information about state government is regularly added to the volumes. A listing of individual members of the legislature and the districts they represent has been a standard addition since 1896; only in more recent volumes has more detailed information about them, such as party affiliation and committee assignments, been added to this basic list. During the territorial period, a list of assembly members appears in only a few of the volumes. In some years only lists of federal officials are included; in others, no additional information accompanies the Laws of the Territorial Assembly. Federal laws affecting territories or a copy of the U.S. Constitution is alsosometimes added to the laws from this period. The volume for the 2nd session also contains a copy of the Constitution of the State of Deseret, and a reprint of the laws passed by that body.
Beginning in 1901, listings of major state administrative and judicial officials were added. Lists of Utah representatives in Congress first appear in 1917. The U.S. Constitution and the Enabling Act creating Utah territory are part of the first volumes of the laws; the Utah State Constitution appears in 1896 and again in 1931.

Research Note

Tracing the history of legislation in the series can be most effectively done by using individual volumes in conjunction with Series 83238, UTAH CODE ANNOTATED. Included in each volume of the LAWS OF UTAH are only those statutes either first passed or revised during the session in that particular year. Laws already in force at the time of the legislative session, which were not revised, are not reprinted in each volume of the LAWS OF UTAH. Until the publication of the Utah Code in the 1940s, Utah's laws were only periodically compiled or recodified. When the year in which a specific statute was first passed is not known, or when trying to learn whether a specific law regulating a particular area existed in any given year, it is best to begin searching in a volume of the UTAH CODE ANNOTATED. First check the edition of the UTAH CODE ANNOTATED published after the year when the law might have been passed. Once a law is located in the code the date of its initial passage or last revision is usually noted at the end of the section. From this date, it is then possible to identify which volume of the laws should contain the original act. Checking volumes in between these two points will also identify any revisions that occurred between its original passage and its appearance in the UTAH CODE ANNOTATED. If the date represents a revision, check the LAWS OF UTAH during the year it was revised. The laws in this volume will identify the statute it in turn is revising, or the date of the original law. With the publication of the 1953 Utah Code Annotated, the practice of publishing regular updates began, so that researching the history of a law passed after 1953 can be more easily done by using that series. The numbering system used in the code differs from that used in the LAWS OF UTAH. Access by topic is sometimes an effective way to move between the two, unless the specific code or chapter numbers revised or updated are cited in the text. Beginning with the 1933 volume, an index, or table, was added listing the titles, c hapters, and sections, of the Utah code actually revised by a particular statute.

Arrangement

Chronological by year of publication.

The series is arranged chronologically by year of legislative session. Volumes from multiple sessions held in any given year may not be in chronological order. Within each volume, laws are arranged into numbered chapters, which corresponds generally to an alphabetical arrangement by topic. The laws were organized by chapter numbers first in 1870; prior to this, laws were printed in chronological order as they were passed.

Additional Forms

This series is available on microfilm.
This series is available online as part of the Utah State Archives Digital Archives.
Copies of these records are located at Utah Government Digital Library View Online.

Access Restrictions

Microfiche holdings require staff assistance due to fewer reference copies. Handle masters under supervision.

Use Restrictions

These records are available for reproduction and use.

Preferred Citation

Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

Custody History

The Secretary of the Territory was given responsibility for handling the financial details and for making arrangements for publication. When Utah became a state in 1896, the Board of Examiners assumed responsibility until 1907 when the Secretary of State again assumed responsibility.

Acquisition Information

These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.

Processing Information

Reel 1, which contains the microfilm copy of most of the first twenty-six sessions of the territorial assembly was filmed originally in 1949 as part of the national State Microfilming Project, sponsored by the University of North Carolina and the Library of Congress. The Archives purchased a copy during the 1960s. In several cases, the only copy held by the Utah State Archives of the laws of a particular legislative session is on this reel of microfilm. Volumes published before 1972 were microfilmed between 1965 and 1983. Volumes published 1972-1988 were microfilmed in 1988. Archival processing was also completed in that year by Val Wilson. Additional filming and container list updates were completed as necessary. Initially, one volume existed for each regular, special, or budget session; later, special sessions were bound with that of the regular session. Laws passed during sessions held from 1890-94 are also bound together. Three sessions--the 4th session, 1854/55; the 15th, 1865/66; and the 22nd, 1876--were apparently only published as part of compilations, see UTAH CODE ANNOTATED, Series 83238. Certain others exist only in microfilm: the 2nd, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 18th, and 20th sessions and were filmed together as part of the State Microfilming Project. Copies of the laws from the 17th session of the territorial assembly were duplicated on this microfilm; while that of the 7th session includes a handwritten copy as well as a printed one.
Microfiche processed by Rebekkah Shaw under the National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant to the Utah State Archives and Records Services for the Utah Microfiche Backlog Project (Grant No.: NAR10-RB-50086-10). July 2010 - December 2011
The series container list changed format in February 2010 to focus on transcribed titles of published volumes. As such, years in container list reflect year published ("Laws of Utah 2005" may include special session(s) from 2004 plus the 2005 general session) and references to the legislative session ("56th Legislature" contains two "general" sessions and special session(s)) were removed. Earlier volumes may feature this information more prominently, but it is not now found on title pages or spines in the 21st century.

Other Finding Aids

Indexes: Most volumes include subject indexes. Other: The UTAH CODE ANNOTATED PARALLEL TABLES is an effort to coordinate changes in the code since 1898. Essentially, the tables show which specific statutes have been carried over from earlier codified editions.

Related Material

Journals from the Legislature. Senate, Series 409, discuss the progress of bills and the passage of these laws in the Senate.
Journals from the Legislature. House of Representatives, Series 456, discuss the progress of bills and the passage of these laws in the House.
Utah code unannotated from the Legislature, Series 1052, contains the current law in codified form, but does not include legal or historical annotations.
Journals from the Legislative Assembly, Series 3145, discuss the passage of laws by the assembly.
Legislative acts, resolutions, and memorial journals from the Secretary of State, Series 3148, are manuscript copies of the laws as passed by the territorial assembly or the state legislature until 1911.
Legislative bills from the Lieutenant Governor, Series 4076, contain the final versions of bills enacted into law.
Journal record books from the Legislative Assembly. House, Series 16660, contain discussions of bills passed by the legislature.
Records of the states of the United States microfilm compilation from United States. Library of Congress, Series 27655, are the source of some of the earliest session laws of the territorial assembly.
Utah Code Annotated from the Division of Archives and Records Service, Series 83238, expresses the current law in codified form and gives the legislative history of the statute.

Container List

ReelBoxFolderDescription
1111851-1852; 1st session
1nonenone1852-1853; 2nd session
1121853-1854; 3rd session
1131855-1856; 5th session
1141856-1857; 6th session
1151857-1858; 7th session
1nonenone1858-1859; 8th session
1nonenone1859-1860; 9th session
1nonenone1860-1861; 10th session
1nonenone1861-1862; 11th session
1161862-1863; 12th session
1nonenone1863-1864; 13th session
1nonenone1864-1865; 14th session
1171866-1867; 16th session
1181868; 17th session
1nonenone1869; 18th session
1191870; 19th session
1nonenone1872; 20th session
11101874; 21st session
11111878; 23rd session
11121880; 24th session
11131882; 25th session
11141884; 26th session
11151886; 27th session
21161888; 28th session
31171890; 29th session
31171892; 30th session
31171894; 31st session
ReelBoxFolderDescription
41181896
4nonenone1896; Revenue Law
51191897
61201899
5211901
7221903
8231905
9241907
10251909
11261911
12271913
13281915
14291917
152101919
282101919; Special Session
162111921
172121923
182131925
192141927
20311929
21321930; Special Session
22331931
23331933; First Special Session
23341933
24351933; Second Special Session
25361935
25371936; Special Session
26381937
27391939
293101941
293101941; First Special Session
293111941; Second Special Session
303121943
303131944; Special Session
313141945
313151946; Special Session
323161947
323171948; Special Session
333181949
343191951
343201951; First Special Session
343211952; Second Special Session
35411953
36421953; Special Session
37431955
37431955; Special Session
38441957
39451959
39451959; Special Session
40461961
41471963
41471963; Special Session
42481965
42491966; First Special Session
424101966; Second Special Session
434111967
444121969
444121969; First Special Session
45511970; Budget Session
46521971
47531971; First Special Session
48541972; Budget Session
48541972; Second Special Session
46551973
46561973; First Special Session
49571974; Budget Session
49581974; Second Special Budget Session
49591975
495101975; Special Session
505111976; Budget Session
505121977
515131977; First Special Session
515141978; Second Special Session
51611978; Budget Session
51621979
52631980; Special Session
52641980; Budget Session
52651981
53651981
53661981; First Special Session
53661982; Budget Session
53661982; Second Special Session
53671982; Third Special Session
53681983; Volume I : P. 1-539
54681983; Volume II : P. 539-880
54691983; Volume II
54691983; Volume II : First Special Session
54711984; Second Special Session
54711984; Third Special Session
58721984; Budget Session
55731985; Volume I
55741985; Volume II
55741985; Volume II : First Special Session
56751986; Second Special Session
56751986; Third Special Session
60761986; Fourth Special Session
59761987; P. 1-335
60761987; P. 335-1384
60761987; First Special Session
57771988
57771988; Second Special Session
57771988; Third Special Session
57771988; Fourth Special Session
61781989
61781989; First Special Session
61781989; Second Special Session
61811990; Ch. 1-165
62811990; Ch. 164-end
63821991
63821991; First Special Session
64831991; Second Special Session
64831992
64831992; Third Special Session
65841993; Ch. 1-308
66841993; Ch. 308-end
66841993; First Special Session
67851993; Second Special Session
67851994; Ch. 1-316
68851994; Ch. 316-end
69911995; General Session, Ch. 1-322
70911995; General Session, Ch. 323-end
70911995; First Special Session
70921996; General Session, Ch. 1-234
71921996; General Session, Ch. 235-end
71921996; Second Special Session
71931996; Third Special Session
71931997; General Session, Ch. 1-12
72931997; General Session, Ch. 13-349
73931997; General Session, Ch. 350-end
73931997; First Special Session
73931997; Second Special Session
73941998; General Session, Ch. 1-229
74941998; General Session, Ch. 230-end
75951999; General Session, Ch. 1-366
76951999; General Session, Ch. 367-end
761012000; General Session, Ch. 1-275
771012000; General Session, Ch. 276-end
781022001; General Session, Ch. 1-259
791022001; General Session, Ch. 260-end
791022001; Initiatives Approved By The Voters 2000 General Election
791022001; First Special Session
801032002; Second Special Session
811032002; General Session, Ch. 1-279
811032002; General Session, Ch. 280-end (Including Veto Override Session)
811032002; Fourth Special Session (Third Special Session passed no bills)
821112003; Fifth Special Session
821112003; Sixth Special Session
821112003; General Session, Ch. 1-238
831112003; General Session, Ch. 239-end
831112003; First Special Session
841122004; Second Special Session
841122004; General Session, Ch. 1-243
851122004; General Session, Ch. 244-end
851122004; Third Special Session
861132005; Fourth Special Session
861132005; General Session, Ch. 1-157
871132005; General Session, Ch. 158-end
871132005; First Special Session
881142006; Volume I: Second Special Session
881142006; Volume I: General Sesion, Ch. 1-223
891152006; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 224-end
891152006; Volume II: Third Special Session
891152006; Volume II: Fourth Special Session
901212007; Volume I: Fifth Special Session
901212007; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-285
911222007; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 286-end
921232008; Volume I: First Special Session
921232008; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-174
931242008; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 175-381
941252008; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 382
951262008; Volume IV: General Session, Ch. 383-end
951262008; Volume IV: Second Special Session
BoxFolderDescription
1312009; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-287
1322009; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 288-end
1322009; Volume II: First Special Session
1332010; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-274
1342010; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 275-end
1352010; Volume I: Second Special Session
1352011; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-308
1412011; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 309-end
1412011; Volume II: First Special Session
1422011; Volume I: Third Special Session
1422012; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-280
1432012; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 281-428; Resolutions; Veto Letters
1432012; Volume II: Fourth Special Session
1442013; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-303
1452013; Volume II: General Session Ch. 304-478; First Special Session
1462013; Volume I: Second Special Session
1462014; Volume I: General Session Ch. 1-285
1512014; Volume II: General Session Ch. 286-437
1522015; Volume I: General Session Ch. 1-282
1532015; Volume II: General Session Ch. 283-472
1532015; Volume II: First Special Session
1542016; Volume I: General Session Ch. 1-266
1552016; Volume II: General Session Ch. 267-423; Resolutions; Veto Letters
1552016; Volume II: Second Special Session
1552016; Volume II: Third Special Session
1562016; Volume I: Fourth Special Session
1562017; Volume I: General Session Ch. 1-329
1612017; Volume II: General Session Ch. 330-480; Veto Letters; Resolutions; Indexes
1622018; Volume I: General Session Ch. 1-290
1632018; Volume II: General Session Ch. 291-474; Veto Letters; Resolutions; Indexes
1642018; Volume I: Third Special Session
1642019; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-195
1652019; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 196-368
1712019; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 369-510; Resolutions; Vetoes Bills; Indexes
1722019; Volume I: First Special Session
1722019; Volume I: Second Special Session
1722020; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-177
1732020; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 178-354
1742020; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 355-449; Resolutions; Veto Letters; Indexes
1742020; Volume III: Third Special Session
1742020; Volume III: Fourth Special Session
1742020; Volume III: Fifth Special Session
1752021; Volume I: Sixth Special Session
1752021; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-218
1762021; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 219-345
1812021; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 346-442; Resolutions; Veto Letters; Indexes
1812021; Volume III: First Special Session
1822021; Volume I: Second Special Session
1822022; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-198
1832022; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 199-360
1842022; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 361-478; Resolutions; Veto Letter; Indexes
1842022; Volume III: Third Special Session
1852023; Volume I: General Session, Ch. 1-212
1912023; Volume II: General Session, Ch. 213-330
1922023; Volume III: General Session, Ch. 331-538; Resolutions; Veto Letters; Indexes
1922023; Volume III: First Special Session
1922023; Volume III: Second Special Session
Fiche-setDateDescription
11967-1977
21980-198443rd-45th