Certain drivers in Utah will lose the right to buy alcohol thanks to new law

Some drivers in the state of Utah are about to lose their right to buy alcohol.

And it is all thanks to a new law that is about to be rolled out across the state.

The statute requires ID checks for all alcohol purchases in Utah.

And extreme DUI offenders will be banned from buying alcohol entirely.

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State of Utah puts its foot down on alcohol offences

It turns out that Utah takes alcohol-related driving offences extremely seriously.

It was previously one of the first US states to lower its legal Blood Alcohol level to 0.08.

The state then dropped that level down to 0.05.

Now, Utah is pushing the legal envelope even further.

And its newest law would prevent certain DUI offenders from buying alcohol at all.

This law is set to be passed under the H.B. 437 designation.

It will introduce a new enforcement classification in Utah known as ‘interdicted’ individuals.

The new law, which came into effect on January 1st, 2026, is set to punish extreme offenders.

How will DUI offenders be punished?

Under this legislation, anyone convicted of an ‘extreme DUI’ will fall into this category.

Utah currently defines an ‘extreme DUI’ as a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.16 or higher.

But what will happen to people who fall into this new category?

Well, they will have to obtain a new state-issued license.

But this new license will come with the words ‘no alcohol sale’ over the driver’s picture.

And it will be up to establishments in Utah to enforce this new law.

Clerks, bartenders, and servers will be required to check ID during every alcohol sale in the state with no exceptions.

Michelle Schmitt of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services said:

“This is completely new for Utah.”

Families that have been impacted by drunk driving have praised the move.

They believe that such a law could put the steps in place to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.

Lawmakers have also pointed to fatal crashes and recent wrong-way driving arrests.

They believe that these serve as an important reminder of how dire the consequences of drink-driving can be.

It will be intriguing to see what impact the new law has on the state of Utah.