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What can a handyman legally do in Utah?

Last reviewed: September 11, 2026

Under Utah Code 58-55-305, an unlicensed person may do alteration, repair, remodeling, or improvement work on a building when the agreed value, labor and materials together, is less than $7,000. H.B. 483 raised that from $3,000. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, gas, alarm, fire protection and radon work still require a licensed trade.

What can a handyman legally do in Utah?

Utah Code 58-55-305(1)(h)(i) exempts a person doing alteration, repair, remodeling, or addition to or improvement of a building when the contracted or agreed value is less than $7,000, including both labor and materials, and including all changes or additions to the agreed work. Certain trades are carved out and always need a license.

Three details in that sentence do real work. It says less than $7,000, not up to $7,000. It counts labor and materials together, so the materials the pro buys are part of the number, not a separate bucket. And it counts all changes or additions to the agreed work, which means a job can start inside the exemption and grow out of it.

That last point is the one that catches people. If a homeowner and a pro agree on a bathroom refresh, then add tile, a vanity, and a new door while the work is under way, the number that matters is the whole agreed job with those changes in it, not the figure on the first estimate.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Utah licensing requirements change, and this area changed twice in recent years, so confirm the current rules with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) before relying on anything here. Last reviewed September 2026, against the version of 58-55-305 effective May 7, 2025.

Is the Utah handyman exemption still $3,000?

No. The exemption is now less than $7,000. H.B. 483, the Construction Trade Amendments, raised the threshold from $3,000 to $7,000, and the current version of 58-55-305 took effect May 7, 2025. Most pages on the web still say $3,000, which was the old rule and is no longer correct.

The same bill moved a second number. The affirmation filing threshold went from $1,000 to $3,000. So the two figures a homeowner runs into today are $7,000 and $3,000. The old pair, $3,000 and $1,000, belongs to a version of the statute that is no longer in force.

Why say this so bluntly? Because a homeowner reading an outdated page will either turn down a perfectly legal arrangement or assume the line sits lower than it does. Check the date on anything you read about this, including this page, and check the statute itself.

The $3,000 affirmation most homeowners have never heard of

Under 58-55-305(1)(h)(ii)(H), if the total value of the project is greater than $3,000, the person must file with the division a one-time affirmation, subject to periodic reaffirmation as established by division rule, that they have public liability insurance in coverage amounts and form established by division rule, and workers compensation insurance if applicable.

The statute does not print an insurance dollar figure. It points to amounts established by division rule, so this page will not print a number either. Anyone who quotes you a specific insurance minimum for the handyman affirmation should be able to name the rule it comes from.

What a homeowner can actually do is simpler. Ask to see the certificate of insurance, read the coverage amounts printed on it, and confirm the policy dates are current. A certificate is a normal thing to ask for and a normal thing to hand over.

Note the asymmetry between the two thresholds. The affirmation applies above $3,000, while the exemption ceiling is less than $7,000. There is a band in between where the work can still sit inside the exemption but the affirmation requirement has already kicked in.

• Ask for the certificate of insurance rather than a verbal assurance
• Read the coverage amounts and the policy dates on the certificate itself
• Ask whether workers compensation applies, which turns on whether the person has employees
• Keep a copy with the rest of your job paperwork

What always needs a licensed trade, no matter how small the job

Subsection 58-55-305(1)(h)(ii) pulls specific trades out of the exemption entirely. Plumbing and electrical, gas appliances and combustion systems, water-based fire protection, alarm systems and alarm work, HVAC, and radon mitigation or soil depressurization all require the licensed trade the statute names, regardless of how small or inexpensive the job is.

Here is what each one calls for, as the statute lays it out.

• (A) Plumbing and electrical. If the project involves an electrical or plumbing system, the work must be performed by a licensed electrical or plumbing contractor. If it involves a component of the system, such as a faucet, toilet, fixture, device, outlet, or electrical switch, it may be performed by a licensed journeyman electrician or plumber, or by that licensed contractor.
• (B) Gas appliances and combustion systems. Installation, repair, or replacement must be by a person certified under 58-55-308(2).
• (C) Water-based fire protection systems. A licensed fire suppression systems contractor, or a licensed journeyman plumber.
• (D) and (E) Alarm systems and alarm work. A licensed alarm business or company, or an alarm agent.
• (F) HVAC. Installation, repair, or replacement of a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system on a 58-55-305(1)(h)(i) project must be performed by an HVAC contractor licensed by the division.
• (G) Radon mitigation or soil depressurization systems. A licensed contractor.

The plumbing and electrical line is worth reading twice. It is the most commonly misread sentence in this part of Utah law, and the next section is entirely about it.

The two narrow exceptions for plumbing and electrical

Being under $7,000 does not by itself let an unlicensed person do plumbing or electrical work. Subsection (1)(h)(ii)(A) keeps both trades licensed on exempt projects. The genuinely unlicensed paths are two narrow incidental carve-outs elsewhere in the statute, (1)(k) for minor plumbing and (1)(n) for minor electrical.

Read (1)(h)(ii)(A) as two tiers. System work must be performed by a licensed electrical or plumbing contractor. Component work, meaning a faucet, toilet, fixture, device, outlet, or electrical switch, may be performed by a licensed journeyman electrician or plumber, or by that same licensed contractor. Both tiers name a license. Neither tier describes an unlicensed person, which is exactly where the popular version of this rule goes wrong.

The minor plumbing carve-out at 58-55-305(1)(k) covers a person engaged in minor plumbing work that is incidental, as defined by the division by rule, to the repair of a fixture or an appliance in a residential or small commercial building, provided that no modification is made to existing culinary water, soil, waste, or vent piping, or to a gas appliance or combustion system.

Two limits on that carve-out matter. H.B. 483 struck the words replacement or from it, so it now reads incidental to the repair of a fixture, not replacement or repair. And (1)(k)(ii) states that installation for the first time of a fixture or an appliance is not included in the exemption.

The minor electrical carve-out at 58-55-305(1)(n) covers a person involved in minor electrical work incidental to a mechanical or service installation, including the outdoor installation of an above-ground, prebuilt hot tub, or the installation, maintenance, or repair of on-premise signs.

Put it together and the honest answer is narrower than either extreme you will read online. It is not true that anything under $7,000 is fair game for an unlicensed person once wiring or pipes are involved, and it is also not true that every last bit of plumbing and electrical work sits behind a contractor license. The statute routes system work to a licensed contractor, routes component work to a licensed journeyman or contractor, and leaves two specific incidental situations outside licensure. If plumbing or electrical is anywhere near your job, ask what license the person holds before the work starts.

Can I do the work on my own house?

Subsection 58-55-305(1)(j) exempts owners and lessees of property, and persons regularly employed for wages by owners or lessees of property or their agents for the purpose of maintaining the property, from this chapter when doing work upon the property. That is the provision behind the idea that you can work on your own home.

Read what that exemption is about. It is an exemption from licensure under this chapter. It is not a statement about permits, inspections, utility requirements, insurance coverage, or what a lender or a buyer will later accept, and this page does not cover any of that.

It also does not travel. Doing your own work and hiring out your own work are two different questions. If you hire someone, the licensing rules described above apply to the person you hire, and your own homeowner exemption does not carry over to them.

How to check whether a pro is actually licensed

Ask for the license number and verify it yourself at the Utah DOPL license verification search. Do not take a website badge, a truck decal, or a verbal assurance as proof. The search is free and public, and it takes under a minute. Anyone legitimate expects to be asked and will hand the number over.

A few things make the check actually useful rather than a formality.

• Ask for the license number and the exact name the license is held under
• Look the number up at the DOPL verification search and read the status
• Confirm the license covers the trade your job needs, since plumbing, electrical, HVAC, alarm and fire suppression are separate licensed trades
• If the total value of the project is greater than $3,000, ask to see the certificate of insurance
• Get the agreed value in writing, with materials included, and put change orders in writing too, because changes count toward the same number

Herriman Handyman Co. is a referral site operated by WebDevAuto. It does not perform the work, does not set prices, and does not vouch for the license or insurance status of anyone. If you would rather start from a short list than from a search engine, it can pass your job along to independent local pros who work in this area, and you contract directly with whoever you choose. Ask each one for a license number, verify it yourself at the DOPL search, and confirm the current rules with DOPL before the work begins.

Sources

• Utah Code 58-55-305, Exemptions from licensure
• Utah DOPL, handyman information
• Utah DOPL license verification search

This is general information about Utah law, not legal advice, and it is not a judgment about your specific job. Utah's contractor licensing rules changed recently, and a great many pages still describe the old ones, so confirm current requirements with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing before relying on them. Herriman Handyman Co. does not perform the work and does not set prices. Independent local pros do the work, and you contract directly with the pro you choose.