New Utah Laws Go Into Effect as 2025 Begins

As 2025 begins, two new laws go into effect in the beehive state targeting license plate distribution and regulation, as well as online child protection. 

As of January 1, 2025, you no longer need a front license plate in the state of Utah. Legislators passed this bill in March of 2024 to centralize the distribution of license plates and to decrease visits to the DMV among other listed reasons. 

Your visit to the DMV will also be a bit different as you’ll just need a single decal for both the month and year of your vehicle’s registration instead of two separate stickers. 

The new law is expected to save an estimated $3 million per year and also appropriates a dollar for each license plate saved to the Utah Highway Patrol to assist with trooper availability. 

The other big law now in effect is the Children’s Device Protection Act. This act is part of the continued effort to protect children against dangerous material on the internet. 

Under this new law, any tablet or smartphone manufactured in 2025 and beyond is required to have a filter for devices used by minors. The filter will be automatically applied to the device during the setup process as long as the user is designated as under 18 years old. 

Manufacturers, such as Apple and Samsung, would be held liable if any of their new devices don’t comply with the new law. This means the Utah Attorney General, parents, and guardians can file a lawsuit against these companies should they not comply with the law. 

The next legislative session is scheduled to begin later in January, so expect to read more about possible new laws in the coming weeks.