Utah Incentives and Laws for Idle Reduction
The list below contains summaries of all Utah incentives and laws related to Idle Reduction.
Laws and Regulations
Idle Reduction Requirement
Idling of any unattended vehicle is prohibited in Utah. Violators are subject to a penalty of up to $750 and/or up to 90 days imprisonment. Drivers on Utah roads are also encouraged to avoid excessive idling, which, as a general rule, is more than 10 to 15 seconds for passenger vehicles. Specifically, drivers are encouraged to turn off engines when loading or unloading, delivering, and picking up or dropping off passengers. Drivers of gasoline powered passenger vehicles are encouraged to limit engine warm-up time to 30 seconds and drivers of diesel powered passenger vehicles, buses, and trucks are encouraged to limit engine warm-up to the time the vehicle's manufacturer recommends, which is generally less than five minutes. Businesses, schools, airport authorities, and governmental entities are encouraged to post signs to discourage customer idling. (Reference House Joint Resolution 5, 2010, and Utah Code 41-6a-202, 41-6a-1403, 76-3-204, and 76-3-301)
School Bus Idle Reduction Regulations
School bus drivers must turn off bus engines as soon as possible at loading and unloading areas and only restart the engine when it is time to depart. Exceptions include extreme weather conditions and idling in traffic. At bus depots, drivers are required to limit engine warm-up to the time recommended by the engine manufacturer. All school bus drivers in the state receive a minimum of 30 minutes of idling reduction instruction during their annual service training. In addition, school districts must revise bus schedules to maximize efficiency and assign the cleanest buses to the longest routes. (Reference Utah Code 41-6a-1308 and Standards for Utah School Buses and Operations)
