Utah could make vandalizing its ‘priceless’ rock formations a crime

State lawmakers are looking to increase protections for Utah’s iconic red rock formations — which bring millions of tourists each year — with a proposal to prosecute and fine vandals who deface geological formations receiving unanimous approval from a House committee on Monday. 

The bill would impose a criminal penalty for damaging natural rock features on Utah’s public lands with graffiti or other vandalism, including fines and community service. HB536, sponsored by Rep. Stuart Barlow, R-Fruit Heights, would also protect “archeological features” — historical sites like Indigenous petroglyphs, carvings, or historic rock shelters. 

“They’re priceless because you can’t replace them … you can do surface sanding or scraping, but it’s never the same after you damage it,” Barlow told Utah News Dispatch. “People come here from hundreds of miles away with the express interest of finding some of these archeological gems, it’s an economic driver for us.” 

Under the bill, someone charged with damaging, defacing or destroying a natural or archaeological feature would face a class B misdemeanor on a first offense and a class A misdemeanor for subsequent offenses. The proposal also carries mandatory community service benefitting public lands.

The red hills of Southern Utah drew 15.8 million visitors in 2024, contributing $3.1 billion to the state’s economy and supporting more than 21,000 jobs, according to a National Park Service report. Barlow told the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee that vandalism is a common occurrence in Southern Utah, and he thinks conservation should be culturally celebrated among Utahns.

“Almost every month there’s a report of a big mural or something that’s been destroyed, and the extent in which people will go to destroy these artifacts is incredible,” he said. “Our culture has to grab hold of and value them … and nowhere stronger is that important for our Southern Utah red canyons areas.”

Conservation efforts to protect Utah’s rock formations have increased in recent years, says Wyatt Bubak — deputy chief of the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ law enforcement division.

“Over the past handful of years, there’s been a couple initiatives put together to help protect these antiquities and other historical items across the state,” Buback told the committee. “This is just another step that takes it one additional step to help preserve some of these cultural sites.”

The bill would also help private and non-state landowners who experience rock formation vandalism, directing money from vandalism fines to assist with restoration costs. 

“Currently, if vandalism of this sort occurs on private property within the state … there’s no funding source that allows them to restore that without them doing it with their own funds,” Bubak said. “This would help ensure … those various landowners, whether it’s a state park, a different government agency, a private landowner, can work with the historical preservation office to get funds to restore those antiquities.”

Barlow said Utah’s rocks are historic, citing the sanctity of nature and importance of conservation. 

“People need to respect those artifacts, and many of those places are sacred to the Indigenous population, something that’s critical for us to respect,” Barlow said. “We in Utah have chosen to place a high value on these pieces, we’ve got to protect them.”

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