Utah Code

The Utah Code is the compilation of laws enacted by the Utah Legislature that are codified. Two editions, annotated and unannotated, of the code are published each year. Below is an explanation of Utah Code Annotated and Utah Code Unannotated taken from the Utah State Legislature Website. :

Utah Code Annotated.

The Utah Code Annotated is a hardbound, multi-volume set that contains the Utah Code together with commentaries or explanations at the end of each section of the Utah Code. These commentaries are not part of the official code but may be helpful in interpreting the law. They include a legislative history, collateral references, cross references, compiler’s notes, annotations, and comparable provisions.

The annotations include legislative history notations trace sections of law to their origins. For example, a note that reads “History: L. 1937, ch. 118, section 9; C. 1953, 75-2-25; L. 1967, ch. 175, section 78,” means that the section: was originally enacted in Chapter 118, Section 9 of the Laws of Utah 1937; became Section 75-2-25 in Utah Code 1953; and was amended by Chapter 175, Section 78 in Laws of Utah 1967.

Collateral references lead the user to court cases on a given section of law and discuss the principle of law involved in that section. Sources cited under collateral references include the American Digest System, a compilation of court decisions from throughout the country; C.J.S. (Corpus Juris Secundum), Am. Jur. (American Jurisprudence), and A.L.R. (American Law Reports), which provide analysis of pertinent legal issues; and key numbers, which help identify a subject area in West’s regional reporters.

Cross references include citations of related statutes that have a bearing on the section.

The compiler’s notes contain explanatory material detailing changes in the section and commenting on ambiguities.

Annotations are grouped under topical headings and cite pertinent decisions of the Utah courts, United States Supreme Court, and other federal courts.

Comparable provisions of law and court decisions from other states note statutes similar to Utah laws provide additional interpretation.

The Utah Code Annotated also contains an index arranged alphabetically according to subject and common names of statutes. The final volume of the Utah Code Annotated contains parallel tables showing the location in the Utah Code Annotated of sections of law contained in the Revised Statues 1933, Utah Code 1943, and in session laws from 1919 through the most recent volume printed. The Utah Code Annotated includes the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Utah, and a complete set of all Utah court rules.

All the changes in the Utah Code that occur between printings of a particular hardbound volume are found in a pocket supplement inserted in the back cover of the hardbound volume or in separate softbound volumes.

The Utah Code Annotated is accessible in law libraries, academic libraries, some public libraries, the State Library, and the Utah History Research Center.

Utah Code Unannotated.

The Utah Code Unannotated is a softbound, multi-volume set that contains only the actual text of the current laws of Utah and is published each year to incorporate changes made in Utah’s laws by the Legislature. This version of the Utah Code also includes the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Utah, and a complete set of all Utah court rules. It can be found at the same locations as the Utah Code Annotated and online.

For an explanation of Utah laws click here.

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