Utah Minimum Wage Act — Utah Code § 34-40-103
Utah Code § 34-40-103 sets the state minimum wage at the federal minimum, confirmed from le.utah.gov. Unlike Texas (which adopts federal law by reference) or New Hampshire (whose statute explicitly says "as amended"), Utah's statute caps the state rate by explicit reference to the federal floor — the effect is the same but the statutory mechanism differs. The rate is $7.25/hr effective since July 24, 2009, the date the federal minimum wage last increased.
Basic calculation
Local preemption — Utah Code § 34-40-106
Utah Code § 34-40-106 is broadly recognized as one of the nation's most comprehensive local preemption statutes for minimum wage. It bars any city, town, county, or other political subdivision from:
- Establishing a minimum wage above the state/federal floor.
- Including wage preferences in government contracts, procurement, or grants — meaning a city cannot require its own contractors to pay above $7.25/hr as a condition of a public contract.
The contract-preference preemption is the feature that distinguishes § 34-40-106 from most other state preemption statutes, which typically cover only direct ordinance-making authority. A city that cannot make ordinances also cannot achieve the same result through procurement conditions in Utah.
No state overtime law
Utah has no independent state overtime statute. The federal FLSA — 1.5× after 40 hours/week — governs all covered Utah employers, confirmed from the Utah Labor Commission (laborcommission.utah.gov). Utah workers have no state overtime right in addition to their federal right.
No state-mandated paid sick leave
Utah is one of a shrinking number of states with no mandatory paid sick leave law. Employers may offer sick leave voluntarily, but there is no Utah statute requiring it. This contrasts with neighboring Arizona (A.R.S. § 23-372: 1 hr/30 hrs, employer-size caps) and Colorado (HFWA C.R.S. § 8-13.3: 1 hr/30 hrs for all employers under COMPS Order).
Utah compared to neighboring Colorado
Colorado's minimum wage is $15.16/hr in 2026 — $7.91/hr above Utah's federal-floor rate — CPI-indexed annually under the COMPS Order (7 CCR 1103-14). Colorado also has three overtime triggers (weekly-40, daily-12, or 12 consecutive hours) and mandatory paid sick leave. A low-wage worker 50 miles across the Colorado-Utah border earns more than twice the minimum wage, has overtime protection for long shifts, and accrues paid sick leave by statute. Utah's § 34-40-106 also prevents Salt Lake City or Provo from attempting to narrow that gap through a local ordinance.
Wage-claim filing in Utah
The Utah Labor Commission, Utah Antidiscrimination and Labor Division (UALD) at laborcommission.utah.gov handles Utah wage law. The specific deadline and procedure for filing a wage claim under the Utah Payment of Wages Act (Utah Code § 34-28) were not confirmed from a directly-read primary source during research — contact UALD for current filing procedures.
What this page does not determine
- Whether a specific employer or employee is covered by the Utah Minimum Wage Act or the FLSA.
- Overtime calculations — Utah follows pure FLSA; the Utah Overtime page has the full analysis.
- Utah Payment of Wages Act deadlines — contact the Utah Labor Commission at laborcommission.utah.gov.
- Whether a government contract includes wage preferences that are preempted by § 34-40-106.
- Whether a worker is entitled to any form of leave under a voluntary employer policy.
Sources and verification
The $7.25/hr rate and the § 34-40-103/§ 34-40-106 statutory citations are verified from le.utah.gov primary statutory text. The absence of a state overtime law is confirmed from laborcommission.utah.gov. Verification date: August 2026. See the site's methodology for source standards.