Utah school security camera law

Does Utah require police and 911 access to school cameras?

Yes, for every LEA (local education agency). Each LEA must make all security cameras inside a school building accessible to the local law enforcement agency and to public safety answering points (911 centers). Each LEA must also work with local law enforcement to set access protocols for its cameras. Each local law enforcement agency must, in turn, work with the schools in its area to obtain and keep access to school security camera systems. The law does not say whether that access must be live or recorded, and sets no emergency trigger; it leaves the access protocols to the LEA and local police. LEAs are school districts, charter schools and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. Nothing in this section stops an LEA from adding security measures beyond what it requires.

Must Utah schools install cameras?

The state security chief must set building and safety standards for all public and private schools. The required minimum standards include video surveillance of entrances while school is in session. They also include exterior cameras on entrances, parking areas and campus grounds. A Department of Public Safety rule, R698-13, requires every school to install interior and exterior cameras for video surveillance of each managed entrance. A managed entrance may be controlled by school staff or by a video visitor management system. The rule covers public schools, private schools, and online schools with a permanent physical location where students gather more than twice a month. R698-13 was last changed August 27, 2025.

What are the deadlines?

The state security chief must set a schedule for existing buildings to meet the standards. Under the rule, new school buildings must meet the camera standards immediately; existing buildings have until school year 2029-2030 for entrance video surveillance and exterior cameras.

How long must footage be kept?

Schools must keep video recordings for 14 days and make them available to the Division of State Security on request. The rule's camera section sets nothing on camera placement limits, audio or notice; it covers only entrance cameras, the 14-day retention and division access.

What do construction rules say?

State Board of Education rule R277-471 incorporates the School Construction Resource Manual dated August 2025. Every public school construction project must be carried out in accordance with the manual. The manual says security cameras should be installed and monitored. This is a recommendation, not a mandate. It also advises fencing and camera monitoring to secure school sites.

Does Utah limit facial recognition?

A government entity may not use a facial recognition system on an image database except as Utah's facial recognition law allows. Only a law enforcement agency may ask a government entity to run a facial recognition comparison. For that law, a government entity includes state-funded entities within the public education system. An image database is one a government entity keeps of images it captures while a person interacts with that entity. Under the Student Data Protection Act, a scan of hand or face geometry is a biometric identifier.

Do license plate reader limits apply?

The school camera section is exempt from Utah's restrictions on automatic license plate reader systems. Those restrictions generally bar governmental entities from using automatic license plate reader systems.

Does the visitor management law mention cameras?

Under the visitor management law that took effect May 6, 2026, a controlled access point may be monitored by school personnel or by electronic surveillance during school hours.

How can schools pay for security upgrades?

The State Board of Education may award School Safety and Support grants to LEAs, including for enhanced physical security after a school's safety needs assessment. 2025 H.B. 40 (School Safety Amendments) appropriates $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. For fiscal year 2027, 2026 H.B. 3 gives $54,500 to the School Safety and Support Grant Program to carry out H.B. 44; no camera earmark is stated.

What has changed recently?

2026 H.B. 44 amended the camera-access section, effective May 6, 2026. As of October 28, 2026, the official 2027 General Session bill list shows no bills or resolutions.