Utah
Utah Workplace Recording Laws
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 15, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 7, 2026. · 6 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Under Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4, Utah is a one-party consent state, so an employee may record any workplace conversation they participate in without notifying coworkers or supervisors. Employers may still enforce no-recording policies and discipline employees who violate them, but the recording itself remains legal under state law.
Utah's one-party consent law gives employees the legal right to record workplace conversations they participate in. Under Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4, you can record meetings with your boss, conversations with HR, interactions with coworkers, and any other workplace discussion you are part of without telling anyone.
This guide explains how Utah's recording laws apply in the workplace, what both employees and employers can and cannot do, and how the NLRA interacts with state law.
Employee Recording Rights
Your Right to Record at Work
As a one-party consent state, Utah allows you to record any conversation you participate in. This means you can legally record:
- Meetings with supervisors about performance or assignments
- HR conversations including disciplinary meetings and grievance hearings
- Conversations with coworkers about workplace conditions
- Phone calls with clients or vendors that you participate in
- Performance reviews and training sessions
What You Cannot Record
- Conversations you are not part of (planting a hidden recorder to capture others)
- In private areas like bathrooms or locker rooms (violates Utah's recorded-voyeurism statute, Utah Code Ann. 76-12-307)
- Electronic communications between others without any participant's consent
Documenting Workplace Issues
Recording is valuable for documenting harassment, discrimination, retaliation, unsafe conditions (OSHA violations), and wage disputes.
Employer Surveillance
Video Surveillance
Permitted: Sales floors, warehouses, parking lots, lobbies, hallways, cash register areas.
Prohibited: Bathrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, nursing rooms.
Utah does not have a specific employer video surveillance statute, but Utah's recorded-voyeurism law (Utah Code Ann. 76-12-307) applies to cameras in areas with reasonable privacy expectations.
Audio Surveillance
If the employer is not a party to the recorded conversation, capturing audio could violate Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4 (third degree felony). Many employers avoid audio recording.
Employer No-Recording Policies
Employers can adopt no-recording policies. Violating the policy can result in discipline or termination, but the recording remains legal under state law.
The NLRA protects recording that constitutes protected concerted activity, such as documenting unsafe conditions, wage violations, or union-related discussions. Blanket no-recording policies may violate Section 7. The controlling NLRB standard for evaluating employer work rules (including no-recording policies) is Stericycle, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 113 (2023). NLRB GC 25-05 (Feb. 14, 2025) rescinded eight prior General Counsel memos, including substantive guidance on non-compete and stay-or-pay remedies, settlement-agreement standards, Section 10(j) injunctive relief, and full make-whole remedies. It did not reinstate the prior Boeing standard, and a General Counsel memo cannot overturn Board precedent, so Stericycle remains controlling law. NLRB GC 25-07 established a narrow per se bar on surreptitious recording of collective bargaining sessions.
Using Workplace Recordings as Evidence
Recordings made under one-party consent are generally admissible in Utah courts for employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, wage disputes, and workers' compensation hearings. They can also be submitted to the EEOC and OSHA.
Best practices: Keep originals unedited, note date/time/participants, store on personal devices, back up immediately.
Remote Work Recording
One-party consent applies to virtual meetings (Zoom, Teams, Meet). If participants are in two-party consent states, the stricter law applies. Platform recording features typically notify all participants.
More Utah Recording Laws
Audio Recording | Video Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Phone Call Recording | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record my boss in Utah?
Yes. Utah's one-party consent law (77-23a-4) allows you to record any conversation you participate in at work without their knowledge. However, your employer may have a no-recording policy that could result in disciplinary action.
Can my employer record me at work in Utah?
Employers can use video cameras in common work areas. They cannot place cameras in bathrooms, locker rooms, or changing areas. Audio recording requires one-party consent from a participant in the conversation.
Can I be fired for recording at work in Utah?
The recording is legal, but your employer can fire you for violating a company no-recording policy. If your recording is protected concerted activity under the NLRA, termination could be an unfair labor practice.
Can I use a workplace recording in a lawsuit?
Yes. Recordings made under one-party consent are generally admissible in Utah employment cases. Civil damages for illegal recording include $100/day or $10,000 minimum under Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-11.
Does my employer have to tell me about security cameras?
Utah does not require employers to notify employees about video surveillance. However, providing notice through signage or policy is a best practice.
Updates
Updated the voyeurism citation from a statute repealed in 2017 to Utah's current recorded-voyeurism law (76-12-307), and corrected the description of a 2025 NLRB memo that had been understated as routine housekeeping when it substantively rescinded several employee-protective enforcement memos.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Updated NLRB section: identified Stericycle (372 NLRB No. 113, 2023) as the controlling standard for employer work rules including no-recording policies. Clarified GC 25-05 is a housekeeping rescission not a Boeing reinstatement. Added GC 25-07 narrow per se bar on surreptitious bargaining-session recording. Replaced stale electronic-surveillance memo source with Stericycle guidance.
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Utah Code, Title 77: Criminal Procedure
§ 77-23a-4Offenses -- Criminal and civil -- Lawful interception.In forcecited in 19 of our articles
(1) (a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, any person who violates Subsection (1)(b) is guilty of an offense and is subject to punishment under Subsection (10), or when applicable, the person is subject to civil action under Subsection (11). (b) A person commits a violation of this subsection who: (i) intentionally or knowingly intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept any wire, electronic, or oral communication; (ii) intentionally or knowingly uses, endeavors to use, or procures any other person to use or endeavor to use any electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept any oral communication, when the device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through a wire, cable, or other like connection used in wire communication or when the device transmits communications by radio, or interferes with the transmission of the communication; (iii) intentionally or knowingly discloses or endeavors to disclose to any other person the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire,…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-08-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at le.utah.gov
Cited in 5 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):State v. Wood (2023) held a jail's recording of inmate calls fell within the consent exception in section 77-23a-4(7)(a) because the inmate impliedly consented by using phones he was told were monitored. The Quarasan Group, Inc. v. Nozani, LLC (2020) dismissed an eavesdropping claim once Utah law governed and did not bar the recording.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- State v. Wood (Utah Supreme Court 2023, 532 P.3d 997)✓A jail recorded an inmate's calls to his wife after warning him by handbook, placard and a message before each call; the Utah Supreme Court held he impliedly consented, so the interception fell within section 77-23a-4(7)(a) and suppression was denied.
- State v. Draughon (Court of Appeals of Utah 2026, 2026 UT App 52)“…rties to the call—consented to the call being recorded. See Utah Code §§ 77-23a-4(7)(b), -7. He claims Counsel should hav…”
- United States v. Maynard (Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit 2010, 615 F.3d 544)“…ined by the police acting pursuant to a warrant. See, e.g., Utah Code Ann. §§ 77-23a-4, 77-23a-7, 77-23a-15.5; Minn Stat §§ 62…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Utah Smart Glasses Recording Laws (2026), Utah AI Meeting Recording Laws (2026), Utah Surveillance Camera Laws (2026 Guide)
§ 77-23a-11Civil remedy for unlawful interception -- Action for relief.In forcecited in 6 of our articles
(1) Except under Subsections 77-23a-4(3), (4), and (5), a person whose wire, electronic, or oral communication is intercepted, disclosed, or intentionally used in violation of this chapter may in a civil action recover relief as appropriate from the person or entity that engaged in the violation. (2) In an action under this section appropriate relief includes: (a) preliminary and other equitable or declaratory relief as is appropriate; (b) damages under Subsection (3) and punitive damages in appropriate cases; and (c) a reasonable attorney's fee and reasonably incurred litigation costs.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at le.utah.gov
Also relied on in: Utah Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, Utah Audio Recording Laws, Utah Phone Call Recording Laws
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Sources and References
- Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-4 -- Interception of Communications(le.utah.gov).gov
- Utah Code Ann. 77-23a-11 -- Civil Remedies(le.utah.gov).gov
- National Labor Relations Act(nlrb.gov).gov
- NLRB Memo on Electronic Surveillance(nlrb.gov).gov
- OSHA(osha.gov).gov
- EEOC(eeoc.gov).gov