Is Utah's Lane Filtering Law Ending? What Riders and Drivers Should Know Before July 1, 2027
General information, not legal advice. Read the full disclaimer.
Short answer: Utah's lane-filtering rules are on a sunset schedule. Utah Code § 63I-1-241 says the lane-filtering definition (§ 41-6a-102(39)), the lane-filtering conditions in § 41-6a-704(6), and the matching lane-use exception in § 41-6a-710(1)(c) are repealed July 1, 2027. A Transportation Interim Committee sunset review on May 20, 2026 listed the options — reauthorize for up to 10 years, make it permanent, change it, or repeal it sooner — and lawmakers agreed to form a working group. We did not find a 2026 bill that extended it. Lane splitting (riding between lanes of moving traffic) is illegal now, with a 90-day suspension for a first conviction. For crash claims, the rules in force on the date of the crash are the ones that matter.
Who this guide is for
Utah motorcyclists, the drivers who share lanes with them, and anyone hurt in a crash where lane filtering is an issue.
What is legal today
Under § 41-6a-704(6) (version effective May 1, 2024), an individual may lane filter only when all of these are true:
- the individual is operating a motorcycle (the legislative staff summary says other than an autocycle);
- the roadway is divided into two or more adjacent lanes in the same direction, or the individual is on a multi-lane off-ramp;
- the road has a speed limit of 45 mph or less, or it is an off-ramp;
- the individual is not on an on-ramp;
- the vehicle being overtaken in the same lane is stopped;
- the motorcycle is traveling 15 mph or less; and
- the movement can be made safely.
A violation is an infraction. Lane filtering doesn't include lane splitting.
Lane splitting is illegal — and costly
Section 41-6a-704.1 (effective January 1, 2026) says an individual may not engage in lane splitting. A violation is an infraction, and a conviction means the Driver License Division suspends the motorcycle endorsement for 90 days (or the driver license if the person has no endorsement). A second conviction brings a 180-day suspension, and a third or later conviction means revocation of the motorcycle endorsement. An officer may impound the vehicle.
The 2027 sunset
- The Legislature legalized lane filtering in 2019 (H.B. 149) with a 2022 sunset, extended it five years in 2022 (H.B. 10), adjusted allowed uses in 2024 (H.B. 311), and defined and prohibited lane splitting in 2025 (H.B. 190), according to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.
- The repeal date appears in § 63I-1-241, which lists the lane-filtering subsections as repealed July 1, 2027.
- At the May 20, 2026 review, staff listed reauthorizing for up to 10 years, making lane filtering permanent, changing it, or repealing it sooner. KSL reported lawmakers would form a small working group before opening any bill files.
Check the Legislature's website for the current status; this page was verified October 21, 2026.
What it means for an injury claim
- The law on the crash date governs. If you were hurt before any repeal takes effect, the question is whether the rider complied then. This is a legal question — ask your attorney.
- Fault is still shared by percentage. A rider who filtered within every condition was acting lawfully, and a driver who changed lanes without looking can still be mostly at fault. A rider who exceeded 15 mph, rode on a faster road, or passed moving traffic faces a comparative fault argument. See Utah Motorcycle Accident Claims and Utah's Comparative Fault Rule.
- Helmet evidence is limited. Under § 41-6a-1505, failure to wear protective headgear can't be introduced as evidence of negligence or to mitigate damages in civil litigation.
- PIP and the threshold apply. See Utah's PIP Coverage Explained and Utah's No-Fault Tort Threshold.
Evidence if filtering was involved
Speed data from the motorcycle or nearby cameras, the position of stopped vehicles, mirrors and blind spots, lane markings and the posted limit, and witness accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Is lane filtering legal in Utah right now?
Yes, when every condition in § 41-6a-704(6) is met.
Is lane splitting legal?
No. It is an infraction with endorsement suspension on conviction.
When does lane filtering end?
The statute schedules repeal for July 1, 2027, unless the Legislature changes it.
Does the sunset affect my current claim?
Generally the law in effect when the crash happened is what applies; a lawyer can confirm.