SALT LAKE CITY, UT — A bill introduced in the Utah Legislature would revise how developers and landowners pursue “preliminary municipalities,” a process that allows the formation of a town without a resident vote.

House Bill 510, “Municipal Incorporation Modifications,” was publicly distributed Feb. 6 and received its first reading Feb. 9, where it was placed in the House Rules Committee, according to legislative tracking.

The bill’s chief sponsor is Rep. Tiara Auxier, whose district includes portions of Morgan, Rich, and Summit counties.

In its introduced form, H.B. 510 proposes multiple changes to the preliminary municipality pathway, including additional county-facing steps and expanded review tools. The bill text states it “modifies the process to incorporate as a preliminary municipality” and includes new or revised definitions, changes to feasibility-study requirements, and provisions tied to county input and review.

The bill arrives amid renewed attention on incorporation filings in Summit County. Ivory Homes filed two parallel Browns Canyon applications in January — a rezone request with the county and a petition to the state to create a new town. Utah law allows only two preliminary municipality applications to proceed each calendar year, and the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office is expected to decide which petition or petitions it will certify before the end of February.

Preliminary municipalities differ from traditional incorporations in a key way: traditional incorporations require a vote among residents, while preliminary municipalities can be created by up to three landowners on mostly undeveloped land without a resident vote.