Residential Vocational Or Life Skills Program Act

Utah Code tit. 13, ch. 13-53

in effect

Utah Code § 13-53-102 Definitions.

13-53-102. Definitions. As used in this chapter: (1) "Division" means the Division of Consumer Protection. (2) "Human services program" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-2-101. (3) "Participant" means an individual who: (a) resides at a residential vocational or life skills program facility; (b) receives from the residential vocational or life skills program: (i) vocational training; or (ii) life skills training; and (c) does not receive monetary compensation from the residential vocational or life skills program. (4) "Postsecondary school" means the same as that term is defined in Section 13-34-101. (5) "Residential vocational or life skills program" means a program that: (a) is operated by a nonprofit corporation, as defined in Section 16-6a-102; (b) does not accept local, state, or federal government funding, government grant money, or any other form of government assistance to operate or provide services or training; (c) operates on a mutually voluntary basis with each participant; (d) houses at a program facility in this state participants who are unrelated to an owner or a manager of the program facility without charging money for lodging, food, clothing, or training; (e) may house transitional graduates for a fee; (f) provides vocational or life skills training to participants; (g) maintains a director or senior staff member at a program facility at all times when the facility is in use; (h) does not provide mental health services; (i) does not provide substance use disorder treatment; (j) does not accept payment from an insurance provider for a participant; (k) does not award a degree, diploma, or other educational credential commensurate with a degree or diploma; (l) does not hold itself out as a human services program; and (m) does not hold itself out as a postsecondary school. (6) "Transitional graduate" means an individual who: (a) graduated from a residential vocational or life skills program; (b) continues to reside at the residential vocational or life skills program facility; and (c) is employed by an entity not directly affiliated with the residential vocational or life skills program. (7) "Vocational training entity" is a commercial entity where a participant receives vocational training. Amended by Chapter 51, 2025 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-103 Registration of a residential vocational or life skills program.

13-53-103. Registration of a residential vocational or life skills program. (1) An owner or a manager of a residential vocational or life skills program shall annually register the residential vocational or life skills program with the division. (2) An application for registration shall: (a) be on a form the division approves; and (b) include: (i) the name, address, telephone number, email address, and website of the nonprofit corporation operating the residential vocational or life skills program; (ii) a designated registered agent for service of process in the state, and the registered agent's: (A) name; (B) street address; (C) mailing address; and (D) telephone number; (iii) the name, address, telephone number, email address, and website of the residential vocational or life skills program; (iv) the name and address of each entity that controls, is controlled by, or is affiliated with the residential vocational or life skills program; (v) the name and residential address of each officer, director, manager, or administrator of the residential vocational or life skills program; (vi) the name, address, telephone number, email address, and website of each vocational training entity affiliated with the residential vocational or life skills program; (vii) a disclosure indicating whether an officer, a director, or an administrator of the residential vocational or life skills program has been the subject of an administrative action by the division; (viii) a disclosure indicating whether any officer, director, or administrator of the residential vocational or life skills program has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving theft, fraud, or dishonesty, in the 10-year period preceding the day on which the residential vocational or life skills program files the application; (ix) financial information described in Subsection 13-53-108(1); (x) proof of a commercial general liability and umbrella insurance policy providing at least a $1,000,000 per occurrence limit of liability; (xi) a copy of the disclosure required under Section 13-53-106; (xii) evidence that the applicant meets the description of a residential vocational or life skills program under Subsection 13-53-102(5); and (xiii) additional information that the division requires, as provided in administrative rule. (3) A residential vocational or life skills program is registered on the day that the division issues the registration. (4) The division's issuance of a registration for a residential vocational or life skills program does not constitute the state's or the division's endorsement or approval of the residential vocational or life skills program. (5) An applicant for the registration of a residential vocational or life skills program shall file a separate application and pay a separate application fee for each residential vocational or life skills program location. (6) The division may make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to implement the registration application process and administer this chapter. (7) The division may set fees in accordance with Section 63J-1-504 for a residential vocational or life skills program registration application. (8) An applicant for the registration of a residential vocational or life skills program shall update registration information within 30 days after the day on which information the applicant provides in the application becomes incorrect or incomplete. (9) Registration of a residential vocational or life skills program is effective for one year after the day on which the division issues the registration. (10) To renew a residential vocational or life skills program registration under this section, a residential vocation or life skills program shall submit a registration renewal application to the division at least 30 days before the day on which the residential vocational or life skills program's registration expires. Amended by Chapter 95, 2026 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-104 Registration denial, suspension, or revocation.

13-53-104. Registration denial, suspension, or revocation. (1) In accordance with Chapter 2, Division of Consumer Protection, and Title 63G, Chapter 4, Administrative Procedures Act, the division may initiate proceedings to deny, suspend, or revoke the registration of a residential vocational or life skills program, if the division finds that the denial, suspension, or revocation is in the public interest and: (a) (i) the entity holding the registration fails to meet the description of a residential vocational or life skills program under Subsection 13-53-102(5); and (ii) the operation of the residential vocational or life skills program creates a serious risk to public safety or welfare; (b) the residential vocational or life skills program does not have adequate controls to minimize associated risks to: (i) the participants of the residential vocational or life skills program; and (ii) the public; (c) the registration application or any supplemental information the division requires is incomplete, false, misleading, or filed in an untimely manner; or (d) the applicant or the applicant's principal: (i) violates, causes a violation, allows a violation, or fails to satisfy the requirements of a provision of: (A) this chapter; or (B) a rule the division makes in accordance with this chapter; (ii) violates Chapter 11, Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act; (iii) is enjoined by a court, or is the subject of an administrative or judicial order issued in Utah or another state, if the order: (A) includes a finding or admission of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, or material misrepresentation; or (B) is based on a finding of a lack of integrity, truthfulness, or mental competence; (iv) is convicted of a crime involving theft, fraud, or dishonesty; (v) obtains or attempts to obtain a registration by misrepresenting a material fact; (vi) fails to provide information the division requests; (vii) fails to pay an administrative fine the division or an administrative or judicial order imposes; or (viii) fails to pay the fee to file a registration application or a renewal application. (2) The division may place reasonable limits upon a residential vocational or life skills program's operations, if: (a) the division has reasonable concerns about the residential vocational or life skills program's ability to comply with this chapter; and (b) the limitation is reasonably calculated to protect the interests of the public or the participants of the residential vocational or life skills program. (3) When the demands of public safety permit, the division shall allow a residential vocational or life skills program a reasonable amount of time to remedy a violation under this chapter before the division suspends or revokes a registration. (4) The division may require an individual described in Subsection 13-53-103(2)(b)(v) to submit to a criminal background check, at the individual's expense or the expense of the residential vocational or life skills program. Amended by Chapter 95, 2026 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-105 Prohibited acts.

13-53-105. Prohibited acts. A residential vocational or life skills program may not: (1) operate without a registration that the division issues under Section 13-53-103; (2) utilize a behavioral intervention that is not peer-led or that uses the services of a professional or a person purporting to be a professional; (3) accept a participant before providing to the participant the disclosure described in Section 13-53-106; (4) use physical force or permit the use of physical force; (5) represent that the division or the state endorses the residential vocational or life skills program; (6) omit from a filing with the division a material statement of fact that this chapter or a rule the division makes in accordance with this chapter requires; or (7) include in a filing with the division a material statement that the residential vocational or life skills program or the residential vocational or life skills program's principal knows or should know is false, deceptive, inaccurate, or misleading. Amended by Chapter 95, 2026 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-106 Disclosure to participants.

13-53-106. Disclosure to participants. (1) Before accepting a participant, a residential vocational or life skills program shall provide to the prospective participant a written disclosure. (2) The written disclosure shall include: (a) a statement that the program is a registered residential vocational or life skills program, but that the residential vocational or life skills program is not endorsed by the state or the division; (b) a statement that the prospective participant's continuation in the program is voluntary and that a participant may leave at any time; (c) the conditions under which a participant is removed from the residential vocational or life skills program or required to leave a program facility; (d) a statement that the residential vocational or life skills program will contact the Division of Adult Probation and Parole created in Section 64-14-202, if required by law; and (e) a description of: (i) the lodging, food, clothing, and other resources that are available to a participant; (ii) the nature and scope of the residential vocational or life skills program, including any activities or work that a participant is required to perform; (iii) the scope and substance of peer-led activities; (iv) the types of vocational training available to a participant, including the limitations on availability; (v) the nature and extent of possible exposure to profanity, accusation, confrontation, nonphysical threats, or nonphysical corrective interaction; (vi) the terms of any prohibition from contact with a participant's family, friends, or associates; and (vii) any crimes committed within the previous two years at the residential vocational or life skills program facility or at a vocational training entity affiliated with the residential vocational or life skills program. Amended by Chapter 51, 2025 General Session Amended by Chapter 214, 2025 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-107 Participant screening.

13-53-107. Participant screening. (1) A residential vocational or life skills program shall interview and screen all prospective participants for medical prescriptions, physical and mental health history, and recent alcohol or drug use. (2) Unless an individual obtains a medical clearance from a physician or physician assistant, a residential vocational or life skills program may not have as a participant an individual who: (a) has a recent diagnosis of a mental, social, psychiatric, or psychological illness; or (b) has an active prescription for medication for a mental, social, psychiatric, or psychological illness. (3) A residential vocational or life skills program may not admit a minor. Amended by Chapter 51, 2025 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-108 Financial requirements.

13-53-108. Financial requirements. (1) When applying for registration under Subsection 13-53-103(2), an applicant shall demonstrate financial responsibility by providing evidence to the division that the residential vocational or life skills program: (a) is financially sound; and (b) reasonably has the financial ability to fulfill commitments and obligations to the participants of the residential vocational or life skills program. (2) Evidence acceptable to satisfy the requirement described in Subsection (1) includes: (a) for a residential vocational or life skills program that has been in operation less than one fiscal year: (i) pro forma financial statements until further information described in Subsection (2)(b) is available; (ii) a commercial credit report for the residential vocational or life skills program; and (iii) a personal credit report for: (A) each owner of the residential vocational or life skills program who controls at least 10% of the ownership interests in the residential vocational or life skills program; or (B) each individual that exercises substantial control over the residential or life skills program; or (b) for a residential vocational or life skills program that has completed a fiscal year, and as soon as the residential vocational or life skills program completes the residential vocational or life skills program's first fiscal year: (i) a current financial statement, with all applicable footnotes, for the most recent fiscal year, including a balance sheet, a statement of income, a statement of retained earnings, and a statement of cash flow; and (ii) a certified financial audit of the residential vocational or life skills program's financial statement, that a certified public accountant performs. (3) In evaluating a residential vocational or life skills program's financial responsibility, the division may consider: (a) a judgment, tax lien, collection action, bankruptcy schedule, or history of late payments to creditors; (b) documentation showing the resolution of a matter described in Subsection (3)(a); (c) the residential vocational or life skills program's explanation for a matter described in Subsection (3)(a); (d) a guarantee agreement provided for the residential vocational or life skills program; and (e) history of a prior entity that: (i) is owned or operated by any individual who is an officer, a director, or an administrator of the residential vocational or life skills program; and (ii) has failed to maintain financial responsibility. (4) The division may require evidence of financial status at other times when requiring evidence of financial status is in the best interest of the program participants to require the information. (5) The division may perform a fiscal audit of a residential vocational or life skills program. (6) A residential vocational or life skills program shall develop and maintain adequate internal controls for receipt, management, and disbursement of money that are reasonable in light of the residential vocational or life skills program's organizational complexity. Amended by Chapter 95, 2026 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-109 Discontinuance of operations.

13-53-109. Discontinuance of operations. (1) A residential vocational or life skills program that is closing shall adopt a plan for the provision of food, shelter, and clothing for at least 30 days from the date of closure to participants displaced by the closure. (2) At least 30 days before the day on which the residential vocational or life skills program will close, the residential vocational or life skills program shall provide written notice to the division of: (a) the intended date of closure; and (b) the plan described in Subsection (1). Amended by Chapter 51, 2025 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-110 Enforcement.

13-53-110. Enforcement. (1) The division may investigate facilities and enforce this chapter under the authority described in Chapter 2, Division of Consumer Protection. (2) To monitor the welfare of participants and transitional graduates, if any, and to monitor the safe operation of a residential vocational or life skills program, the division shall: (a) annually perform an on-site inspection of a registered residential vocational or life skills program; (b) refer each concern that the division identifies during the on-site inspection to the state or municipal entity responsible for the area of concern; and (c) coordinate with each relevant state and municipal entity to monitor the residential vocational or life skills program's compliance with the entity's relevant health and safety regulations. (3) In addition to penalties established by this chapter and in addition to the enforcement authority described in Chapter 2, Division of Consumer Protection, the division may: (a) impose an administrative fine of up to $2,500 for a violation of this chapter; and (b) the division may bring an action in a court with jurisdiction to enforce a provision of this chapter. (4) In a court action the division brings to enforce a provision of this chapter, the court may: (a) declare that an act or practice violates a provision of this chapter; (b) issue an injunction for a violation of this chapter; (c) order disgorgement of any money received in violation of this chapter; (d) order payment of disgorged money to an injured purchaser or consumer; (e) impose a fine of up to $2,500 for each violation of this chapter; or (f) award any other relief that the court deems reasonable and necessary. Amended by Chapter 95, 2026 General Session

Utah Code § 13-53-111 Recidivism reporting requirements.

13-53-111. Recidivism reporting requirements. (1) On or before August 31 of each year, a residential vocational or life skills program shall collect and report data on recidivism of participants to the Department of Criminal Justice. (2) The report described in Subsection (1) shall include the metrics and requirements described in Section 75E-2-203. (3) The Department of Criminal Justice shall include the information provided under this section in the report described in Subsection 75E-2-202(19). Amended by Chapter 291, 2026 General Session

Source: Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (le.utah.gov)URL: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title13/Chapter53/13-53.html?v=C13-53_2026050620260506Fetched: 10/26/2026