SB 1063: Good fences make good neighbors — 2023

Summary: SB 1063 will make it easier to enforce requirements against individuals who fail to maintain barbed wire fences on their property.

ICL's position: Support

Current Bill Status: Passed Senate, House Committee

Issue Areas: Fences, Livestock, Private Land, Public Safety, Recreation, Wildlife

Official Legislative Site

Senate Bill 1063, introduced by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Sen. Mark Harris (R-Soda Springs), clarifies requirements associated with maintaining barbed wire fences. The measure will make it easier for county sheriffs and law enforcement to issue infractions associated with the failure to maintain barbed wire fences that can injure livestock, wildlife, and humans.

Currently, sheriffs must issue misdemeanors, which adds bureaucratic legal burdens on law enforcement. Simplifying the penalty for a first time offense (from a misdemeanor to an infraction) will allow enforcement personnel to simply write a ticket instead of issuing a more formal misdemeanor citation.