Utah Code 63G-2-301 — Jail Standards, Inspection Results, and Pest Contracts Are Normally Public Records

Citation

Utah Code Section 63G-2-301, “Public records,” part of the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), “Amended by Chapter 408, 2026 General Session,” effective May 6, 2026. Section 77-16b-102, “Definitions,” effective May 1, 2024. Section 64-13-12, “Assistance to sheriffs.” All read on the Utah Legislature’s website on September 24, 2026.

What It Says (Verbatim)

63G-2-301(1)(d):

“Correctional facility” means the same as that term is defined in Section 77-16b-102.

77-16b-102(1):

“(1) “Correctional facility” means: (a) a county jail; (b) a secure correctional facility as defined by Section 64-13-1; or (c) a secure care facility as defined in Section 80-1-102.”

63G-2-301(3), lead-in:

“(3) The following records are normally public, but to the extent that a record is expressly exempt from disclosure, access may be restricted under Subsection 63G-2-201(3)(b), Section 63G-2-302, 63G-2-304, or 63G-2-305:”

63G-2-301(3)(b)–(d):

“(b) records documenting a contractor’s or private provider’s compliance with the terms of a contract with a governmental entity; (c) records documenting the services provided by a contractor or a private provider to the extent the records would be public if prepared by the governmental entity; (d) contracts entered into by a governmental entity;”

63G-2-301(3)(u):

“(u) (i) records that disclose a standard, regulation, policy, guideline, or rule regarding the operation of a correctional facility or the care and control of inmates committed to the custody of a correctional facility; and (ii) records that disclose the results of an audit or other inspection assessing a correctional facility’s compliance with a standard, regulation, policy, guideline, or rule described in Subsection (3)(u)(i).”

64-13-12, Assistance to sheriffs:

“Where resources permit, the department may assist county sheriffs in the development of jail standards, in the review of jail facilities, and shall provide other services as requested by the sheriffs.”

What It Means in Plain Language

For a Utah county jail or state prison, GRAMA lists as normally public:

• the standards the facility operates under, including jail standards (3)(u)(i);
• the results of any audit or inspection assessing compliance with those standards (3)(u)(ii);
• the facility’s contracts, including a pest control contract (3)(d);
• records documenting the contractor’s services and its compliance with the contract (3)(b)–(c).

“Normally public” is not absolute. The lead-in to Subsection (3) preserves restrictions for records expressly exempt under the sections it names.

The practical consequence for pest control: absent an exemption, the pest records a Utah jail or prison holds, and the contract behind them, can be requested by anyone.

The Department of Corrections’ own statements. UDC’s standards page says its Correctional Standards “are available and transparent to the public, consistent with the open records law as outlined in Utah GRAMA code, Title 63G- 2.” Its FY27 standards also state that GRAMA requests for records uploaded to its standards monitoring system “will be denied” and directed to the facility. See the Utah Correctional Standards page.

Who It Applies To

Governmental entities in Utah, including the counties and the state agency that operate the correctional facilities Section 77-16b-102 defines. Section 64-13-12 makes the Department of Corrections’ help to sheriffs in developing jail standards discretionary (“may”); none of the Utah Code sections read for this page requires county jail standards or a state jail inspection program.

Documentation Evidence

This page records access rules, not a pest requirement. The records it reaches:

• The facility’s pest control contract and amendments (3)(d)
• The contractor’s service records and inspection reports (3)(b)–(c)
• Jail standards the facility operates under (3)(u)(i)
• Inspection and audit results assessing compliance with them (3)(u)(ii)

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. Every quotation was read from the Utah Legislature’s published text of each section on September 24, 2026, and checked against a text extraction. This page does not interpret the exemptions in Sections 63G-2-302, 63G-2-304, and 63G-2-305, and is not legal advice.