By Courtney Holden
Snapping pictures of free-ranging cows in Utah could land you in jail. For up to a year!
According to a recent blog post from the Salt Lake Tribune, statute HB187 makes photographing livestock, orchards, and crops without the owner’s permission a Class A misdemeanor upon a first offense. Video and audio recordings are illegal as well. A committee in the Utah legislature has approved the bill, and it now awaits appraisal from the state’s House of Representatives.
What does this mean for hikers and nature lovers like you? Probably nothing. But many trails in Utah, including throughout the multiple national parks that dot the state, crisscross through public grazing land that farmers’ have leased. While the bill is focused on photos taken on private property, not public, there is some concern among outdoorspeople that the bill is too wide-reaching and might cause trouble when errant Bessie ambles into your sweeping landscape shot.
The Herald Journal website reported that the bill ultimately aims to render it more difficult to catch animal abuse allegations on video or in photographs. Animal welfare advocates dislike the bill because it will make proving their cases more difficult. ”If an individual steps on someone else’s property and takes a picture of a horse that appears to be starving, and then provides that photograph to the authorities, that person would be in violation of this proposed law,” said a written statement from Gene Baierschmidt, executive director of the Humane Society of Utah.
I have never heard of such a strange law. I have taken numerous pictures over the years in National Parks just like millions of other visitors. I can’t believe such a law can exist.
David
What a ridiculous law! Utah should be ashamed.
Too many BS laws. Trespass is the only charge these photos would be evidence of.
Are these Utah politicians without mercy when it comes to animal abuse? Why would they inhibit the animal rights activists from making thier cases? Why would they punish people for turning in a possible abuser? I’m glad I don’t live in Utah!
Why is the state legislature in Utah passing a law to protect animal abusers? What’s more, criminalizing activities like photography under any circumstances brings us pretty close to a fascist state. This is disturbing, indeed.
I thought West Virginia was backwards, but this beats anything they have ever done. When reelection comes up for anyone that voted for this bill I hope the voters will exercise good sense and vote them out. Utah is a beautiful state I love to vacation in, but I bring my camera and take a lot of pictures, knowing I might be arrested will just force me to go to Montana or Wyoming or some other beautiful state where I can be free to take pictures of the beautiful landscape or cows and know I won’t need a lawyer to go back home.
I don’t get it. Why are they making it easier for criminals to be criminals? I understand that it’s not legal to trespass on private property but if someone is breaking cruelty to animals laws why should it be illegal for a person to take pictures of the cruelty while standing on a public road or on a neighboring property?
This may be an extreme example but isn’t it like passing a bill saying that if I happened to be in my neighbor’s house when I saw him/her abuse their child, I can’t report the crime because I was on their property when I saw it? Who would ever stand for a bill like that?
How ridiculous. Just try and prosecute me…I dare you
The supreme court has ruled previously that there is no expectation of privacy when things (animals) are plainly visible from PUBLIC property/access/rightofway.
However, some images taken from public areas, of visible private items may encounter regulation if attempting to profit from those images… For instance, Churchill Downs / Kentucky Derby’s twin spires are a ? Trademark ?, so although I can take pictures of them, if I start selling the images, or products incorporating my image of their twin spires, I need a license .
Not reading UTAHs legislation, on the surface it seems counter to prior law.
Is this the only problem Utah has, no real problems like other states. Like addressing killers, kidnapping or anything. Passing this law just show the American people the real problem with our goverment. Utah address some real problem and leave the unimportment thang alone.
Smile. Big brother is watching.
Is the purpose of the law to cut back and punish trespassers? Because all I am seeing is I can’t take a picture hiking for fear of going to jail.. Sounds like a law to keep me from coming to Utah.
That ought to put Google Street View in trouble in Utah….. guess there are more NUTS in the state besides a presidential hopeful!
Only in America are they this stupid…taking everything to extremes. I just would quit going there for vacation and so would everyone else. Photo’s promote Utah..not the opposite. People go there for the beauty..to not get it on photos is useless..That should be criminal.
Quit taking all the fun out of having a good time, whether its hiking and shooting pic’s along the way or just catching a nice sunset. Promote your state! Use picture’s the way they should be used.
If someone is cruel to animals and catches this on print..maybe you should go after the abuser, not the photographer who happened upon this. Maybe you should revisit your animal cruelty laws..try to adjust fair judgement for the people involved.
Going after the photographer can only harm your state.
I know this is only my opinion..but I love the beauty of your state and go there annually. I am not a pro. photographer but I am an avid photographer and just think you need to rethink this approach to your problem.
I don’t think the bill prohibits you from photographing sunsets and it doesn’t prohibit you from having fun along the way. Way to big of a deal is being made of this new law that HASN’T been passed yet.
If Utah passes this law I will not be visiting this state ever again.I will not visit a state that will not protect animals from abuse.This law will only protects the abusers.
Livestock I can understand because they should be easily recognisable by an ear tag,number or brand ,therefore a photographer couldn’t be mistaken for thinking he/she had a wild animal in his/her frame or deliberatley photographing them for cruelty proof, but orchard or crops makes absolutely no sense at all ??? What next, street scenes, houses,churches,taxis,fire engines….where would the list end.If you are out in a public place then there should be no constraints. The only rules are that if a person appears in your photo you MUST request their signature on a model release form if you plan to use the image for financial gain,competition,social network etc and copyrighted images may not be sold on stock sites (as far as I understand). I think the above proposal violates photographers rights and is just another example of beaurocratic political correctness hog wash!!!
I always take photos when my wife and I go on vacation in the West.
Excuse me but what part of Russia are you talking about. I guess that I will have to pack some clothes suitable for jail time because as long as we are able to go on vacation in the West I will take all the photos I want!
So, look for me, I am the guy with the camera.
Welcome to Obama’s world!
Thank you,
Irate Citizen of the Old U.S.A.
That law doesn’t make sense. Mistreatment of animals or anyone should b the point. If someone trespasses that seems to be a whole other issue or charge.
I would like to hear the reasons given for the need for this bill. If they don’t have something to hid, why do they care about the photos? If they do have something to hide, something should be done about it.
This is a silly law. If I sse something interesting, I take a picture. I like to take pictures of old barns, old trees, and mountains as we vacation. Anything that is interesting to me. The pictures are a way of remembering my vacation and sharing it with others. The pictures usually never get printed and are stored away on the computer. How am I hurting anyone?
only in utah…. SIGH…
I think that this is an infringement upon my rights. I should be able to take a picture of anything I want in the United States!
I can understand people not wanting others taking pictures of their farms and animals and selling the pictures for profit without the owner’s permission, but I don’t think there should be any law against taking pictures of anything on public land, even if it is leased for grazing. I also think in cases of abuse, this law should definitely not apply.
To Irate Citizen of the Old USA- Your comment implies that this law is Democrat-endorsed. While Utah doesn’t have a ‘party registration’ requirement, they have voted Republican in all presidential elections since 1968. That seems to imply not the Democrats but the Republicans are behind this law. Just a thought….
This is all being done to protect the factory farming of animals from being exposed. They throw in other stuff like orchards as a smoke screen. Other states have laws that don’t allow the photographing of feed lots.