Trapping Laws in Utah: Licenses, Seasons, Trap Rules, and Penalties
October 14, 2026
Trapping laws in Utah reach further than most people expect. You can break the rules while chasing a “non-protected” animal like a coyote or raccoon, because the state regulates the device you set, not just the animal you want.
This article walks you through the licenses you need, the seasons and species, legal trap types, check intervals, restricted areas, tagging and pelt rules, and what happens if you get a citation. Regulations change each year, so treat this as a starting point and confirm details in the current DWR guidebook before you set a single trap.
Important Note: The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) now publishes a combined Black Bear, Cougar and Furbearer Guidebook. The division merged these guidebooks beginning in 2026 because bear and cougar rules, and furbearer and cougar trapping rules, are very similar. Always check the current edition for season dates and fees.
Is Trapping Legal in Utah
Yes, trapping is legal in Utah, but it is regulated by the Utah Wildlife Board through administrative rule R657-11, “Taking Furbearers and Trapping.” That rule covers furbearers, cougars, coyotes, and raccoons.
The scope grew in 2017. Utah’s DWR amended its rules to gain regulatory authority over all trapping activity in the state, mainly to manage protected wildlife such as fox and bobcat that get caught in traps set for non-protected species. In other words, if your trap could catch a protected animal, DWR rules apply to you.
The rule also protects compliant trappers. If you set a trap for coyotes and accidentally catch a bobcat, but your traps are marked with your trap number, you use approved set types, and you follow the rules, you will not get a ticket for taking protected wildlife without a license.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Utah
The license you need depends on what you are trapping. Most trappers need a trap registration license, and many also need a furbearer license.
Trap Registration License
If you set a trapping device for furbearers, coyotes, or raccoons more than 600 feet from a dwelling or structure used by humans or domestic livestock, you must obtain a trap registration license. You must carry it on your person while setting or checking traps, and an electronic copy in the Utah Hunting and Fishing app satisfies that requirement.
You may not lend, transfer, sell, give, or assign your trap registration license or number to anyone else.
Furbearer, Bobcat, and Marten Licenses
You do not need a furbearer license to hunt, harvest, or trap coyotes or raccoons. For other furbearers, the 2025-26 guidebook says you must carry both a valid furbearer license and a trap registration license in the field, plus the matching bobcat or marten permit if those species are involved.
Marten rules are specific. You cannot trap or possess marten without a valid furbearer license and a marten trapping permit, which is free from any DWR office.
Education and Age Requirements
Utah’s rule ties trapping to hunter education and “furharvester” requirements. Everyone conducting trapping activities under a certificate of registration must hold a trap registration license, use traps marked with the owner’s number, and meet the age, hunter education, and furharvester requirements, including youth restrictions in Utah Code 23-19-24, 23-19-11, and 23-20-20. Check the current guidebook for how these apply to your age and experience.
| What You Are Trapping | Trap Registration License | Furbearer License |
|---|---|---|
| Coyote or raccoon | Yes (if more than 600 feet from buildings) | No |
| Beaver, mink, muskrat, other furbearers | Yes | Yes |
| Bobcat | Yes | Yes, plus bobcat permit |
| Marten | Yes | Yes, plus free marten permit |
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Utah
Utah allows trapping of several furbearers, each with its own season and rules. One legal-review summary lists beaver, muskrat, mink, weasel, raccoon, fox, coyote, ringtail, and bobcat among legally trappable species. Marten is also a regulated furbearer with its own permit.
Species-by-species details matter:
- Beaver: One 2026-27 season summary lists a trapping season of September 15, 2026 to April 1, 2027.
- Bobcat: A permanent tag must be obtained for all bobcats taken.
- Red fox: Red fox can be trapped and hunted year-round and are not regulated by a trapping season.
- Kit fox: A sensitive species in Utah that is legal to trap in season, though trappers are encouraged to release them.
- Raccoon: Relocating a trapped raccoon is illegal, and it must be euthanized at the trap location.
Season dates shift from year to year, so confirm them in the current DWR guidebook. Trapping outside the open dates for a regulated species is a violation. If you also pursue predators with firearms, see our guide to coyote hunting laws in Utah.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Utah
Utah allows foothold traps, body-gripping traps, cage traps, and snares, but with specific design limits meant to reduce catches of non-target animals. Here are the main device rules from R657-11.
| Device | Key Restriction |
|---|---|
| Foothold traps | Jaw spacers must leave an opening of at least 3/16 of an inch when closed, except for rubber-padded jaw traps, traps with jaw spreads under 4.25 inches, and traps fully submerged when set. |
| Cable devices (snares) | Snares not set in water or with a loop under 3 inches need a breakaway lock that releases under more than 300 pounds of force. |
| Bait setbacks | Devices may not be set within 30 feet of any exposed bait. |
The rule also sets limits for certain trapping situations. Nonlethal-set foothold traps with a jaw spread under 5 1/8 inches, and nonlethal-set padded foothold traps, are allowed, but drowning sets with these traps are prohibited. Body-gripping killing traps are covered by a limit on body-gripping area of less than 30 square inches in that provision.
Bait and Carcass Rules
Besides the 30-foot bait rule, traps may not be placed near carcasses of protected wildlife if the carcass has been moved for trapping or the trap is within 30 feet of it. White-bleached bones with no hide or flesh attached may be set within 30 feet of a trap.
Night Checks and Spotlighting
You may check traps after dark on foot. According to the 2025-26 guidebook, a trapper on foot may use a flashlight to check traps after dark, and furbearers caught in these devices may be harvested by shooting at any time. However, you may not occupy or operate a motor vehicle while checking traps with an artificial light.
Pro Tip: Buy and set traps that match the rule for your target species before the season opens. A trap that is legal for one use, such as a submerged foothold, may not be legal on dry land.
Trap Check Requirements in Utah
Trap checks are one of the most enforced parts of the rule, and the interval depends on the type of set.
You must check non-lethal leg hold traps every 48 hours and lethal sets every 96 hours. The rule text is more specific: all trapping devices must be checked and animals removed at least once every 48 hours, except killing traps striking dorso-ventrally, drowning sets, and certain lethal neck cable devices with a nonrelaxing lock, without a stop, anchored to an immovable object, which must be checked every 96 hours.
What to Do With Animals You Find
Under R657-11-9, a live animal found in a trapping device must be killed and removed by the trapper within the 48-hour check period, or released immediately and unharmed. You may not transport or possess live protected wildlife.
Checking Someone Else’s Traps
Utah lets you check traps for another registered trapper if you have permission. DWR offers a trap check permission card that allows an authorized person to check traps for a registered trap owner. The 2025-26 guidebook notes you need your own paperwork too: if you find a bobcat in a trap you are authorized to check, you must carry a valid bobcat permit issued in your own name.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Utah
Land access rules trip up more trappers than gear rules do. You need permission on private property, and several public areas are closed or restricted.
Off-Limits and Restricted Areas
- State waterfowl management areas: Trapping wildlife, including nonprotected species, on state waterfowl management areas is prohibited unless the division specifically authorizes it.
- State parks: All trapping on park areas is prohibited unless authorized and permitted by the park manager.
- River otter and beaver/mink areas: The guidebook includes trap restrictions to protect river otters and a list of areas closed to beaver and mink harvest. The 2017 rule change also prohibited trapping coyotes and raccoons within 100 yards of identified rivers.
Trapping Near Homes and Barns
Trapping near buildings has an exception. A trap registration number is not required on a device set within 600 feet of a building occupied or used by humans or domestic livestock, if it is set to capture a coyote or raccoon and the landowner or lessee gives permission. Landowners dealing with predators should also review livestock fence laws in Utah and our broader hunting laws in Utah overview.
If you pursue waterfowl alongside trapping, the duck hunting laws in Utah page covers those seasons and areas.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Utah
Tagging and reporting rules apply most heavily to bobcat, marten, and accidental catches of protected animals.
Bobcat Tagging
One trapping guide notes that you must have a bobcat tag to harvest bobcats, and you can buy up to five. If you find a bobcat in a trap you are authorized to check, the DWR guidebook says you must have a bobcat permit in your name and attach your own temporary tag if you kill the animal.
Reporting Accidental Catches
Accidental catches of protected animals carry strict steps:
- Release any live protected wildlife immediately and unharmed.
- Report all incidents of accidental trapping of protected wildlife to the division within 48 hours.
- Get permission from a division representative before removing a protected animal’s carcass from a trap, and turn the carcass over to the division, since it remains state property.
You do not need to contact DWR each time you set a trap. The agency’s FAQ answers “No” to the question of reporting every trap set.
Selling and Possessing Pelts
Out-of-state pelts are controlled. Green pelts of bobcats and marten taken legally outside Utah cannot be possessed, bought, sold, traded, or bartered in Utah unless a permanent tag is attached or a shipping permit from the originating state’s wildlife agency accompanies them. DWR also provides a transportation authorization form to authorize transport of a bobcat or marten by someone other than the furharvester. Fur dealers file an annual report with DWR.
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Utah
Violations of R657-11 are treated as wildlife offenses, and enforcement targets illegal kills of protected species. Utah Farm Bureau cites DWR reports of 60 violations involving 44 illegal kills during the 2017-2018 season. The state did not publish a fixed fine in the sources I reviewed, so exact penalties depend on the charge and the court.
The common pitfalls are predictable:
- Setting traps without a trap registration license or without your number on the trap
- Missing the 48-hour or 96-hour check window
- Setting traps within 30 feet of exposed bait
- Trapping on closed areas such as waterfowl management areas or state parks
- Keeping or moving a protected animal caught by accident
DWR has said officers may issue tickets depending on circumstances, but focus early efforts on educating people about rule changes. Do not count on a warning, though. Compliance is also your legal protection if you accidentally catch a protected species.
Common Mistake: Assuming “non-protected” means “unregulated.” Coyote and raccoon traps are still covered by R657-11 because they can capture protected wildlife.
For related rules affecting animals on your property, see our guides on leash laws in Utah, a neighbor’s cat in your yard, and ferret laws in Utah. Before each season, read the current DWR guidebook and the full text of rule R657-11.