Utah Hit and Run Code: Penalties, License Revocation, and SR-22

Utah’s hit-and-run rules live in Utah Code sections 41-6a-401, 41-6a-401.3, and 41-6a-401.5, and they turn any crash — even a scrape in a parking lot — into a criminal matter if you drive off. Leaving the scene of an accident is a class B misdemeanor when only property is damaged, a class A misdemeanor when someone is injured, and a third-degree felony when the injury is serious or someone dies. On top of the criminal charge, a conviction can revoke your license, spike your insurance, and open you to a civil lawsuit from the other driver.

What the Law Requires at the Scene

Every driver in a crash has to stop. Under Utah Code 41-6a-401, you pull over at the scene or as close as you can without unnecessarily blocking traffic, and you stay there until you’ve met your legal obligations.¹ Fault doesn’t matter for this duty. Even a driver who was hit still has to stop.

Once stopped, you give the other party your name, address, vehicle registration number, and insurance information, including your agent’s phone number.² If you hit a parked, unattended car, you either track down the owner or leave a written note in a visible spot on the vehicle with your name, address, and registration number.

When someone is hurt, you owe reasonable assistance on top of the exchange. That means calling 911, helping the injured person get medical attention, or arranging a ride to a hospital if treatment is obviously needed. You aren’t expected to perform first aid you aren’t trained for, but you can’t leave someone bleeding at the scene.

When You Have to Call the Police

You must notify law enforcement immediately if the crash caused property damage of $2,500 or more, or if anyone was injured or killed.¹ Inside city limits, call the local police. Outside them, call the sheriff or Utah Highway Patrol. Stay at the scene until officers arrive unless you need emergency medical care yourself.

Criminal Penalties by Tier

Utah sorts hit-and-run charges into three tiers based on what the crash caused. The jump from misdemeanor to felony hinges on how badly the victim was hurt.

Property Damage Only

Leaving a crash that damaged only vehicles or property is a class B misdemeanor. The maximum sentence is six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.¹³ This is the most common hit-and-run charge and covers everything from parking-lot sideswipes to rear-end collisions where a panicked driver took off.

Bodily Injury

If someone is injured, the charge rises to a class A misdemeanor under Utah Code 41-6a-401.3. The maximum is one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, with a mandatory minimum fine of $750.⁴³ Courts can add community service and restitution to the victim.

Serious Bodily Injury or Death

The line between misdemeanor and felony is the severity of the injuries. Serious bodily injury — a substantial risk of death, protracted disfigurement, or loss of organ function — bumps the charge to a third-degree felony under 41-6a-401.3.⁴ A hit-and-run resulting in death is also a third-degree felony, charged under 41-6a-401.5.⁵

A third-degree felony carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, with the same $750 mandatory minimum fine.⁶³ A felony conviction also creates lasting collateral consequences: restrictions on firearm ownership, background-check problems for employment and housing, and a permanent criminal record.

License Revocation

Any hit-and-run conviction that involves personal injury or death triggers mandatory license revocation. Under Utah Code 53-3-220, the Driver License Division must revoke the license of anyone convicted of failing to stop and render aid when the accident caused injury or death.⁷ Revocation is not the same as suspension. The license is canceled outright, and getting it back requires a full new application rather than simply waiting out a term.

If You Hold an Out-of-State License

A Utah conviction follows you home. Utah reports the conviction to your home state under the Driver License Compact, and your home state treats it as if the offense happened there, applying its own penalties. Fleeing an accident in Utah can cost you the license you carry in another state.

Commercial Driver License Disqualification

If you hold a CDL, federal rules stack on top of everything Utah does. Leaving the scene of an accident is a major disqualifying offense. A first conviction disqualifies you from operating any commercial motor vehicle for one year, whether the hit-and-run happened in your personal car or a commercial truck. If you were hauling hazardous materials, that jumps to three years. A second major offense of any kind — including a hit-and-run stacked on a prior DUI — brings a lifetime CDL disqualification.⁸ For a commercial driver, one hit-and-run can end a career.

Insurance Consequences and SR-22

A hit-and-run conviction flags you as a high-risk driver. Expect a substantial premium increase at renewal, and some carriers will decline to renew at all. Replacement coverage often has to come from insurers that specialize in high-risk drivers, at higher rates.

Utah may also require an SR-22 certificate, which is proof filed by your insurer that you carry at least the state’s minimum liability coverage, monitored by the Driver License Division. The SR-22 requirement typically runs three years from the conviction date, and any lapse in coverage during that window can trigger an additional license suspension.⁹ Not every insurer writes SR-22 policies, which narrows your options further.

Civil Lawsuits from the Other Driver

The criminal case is only half the exposure. The other driver can sue you in civil court for medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repairs, and pain and suffering. Utah uses a modified comparative fault system: the plaintiff can recover as long as the defendant’s share of fault is greater than the plaintiff’s own.¹⁰ In hit-and-run cases, the driver who fled usually carries most of the fault, so that threshold rarely helps the defense.

Punitive damages are also on the table when the conduct goes past ordinary negligence into reckless indifference. Fleeing alone doesn’t automatically produce a punitive award, but combined with drunk driving, speeding through a crosswalk, or knowingly leaving a seriously injured person, it can persuade a jury to punish rather than only compensate.

How Long the State Has to File Charges

Prosecutors have two years to file misdemeanor hit-and-run charges and four years to file felony charges.¹¹ A quiet few months after a crash is not a clean bill of health. Investigators regularly identify drivers well after the fact using surveillance footage, paint transfer analysis, and witness canvassing. On the civil side, the injured party has four years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, and that clock runs whether or not you’ve been criminally charged.

One Program That Does Not Cover Hit-and-Run Victims

Utah’s Crime Victims Reparations program, which helps victims of violent crimes pay for medical bills and lost wages, specifically excludes hit-and-run cases from eligibility.¹² The exception is when the crash also involved a DUI or the driver struck the victim intentionally, either of which can qualify under separate categories. If you were hit by a driver who fled and was never identified, your own uninsured motorist coverage is the primary financial backstop, because Utah defines an unidentified hit-and-run vehicle as an uninsured motor vehicle for UM purposes.¹³

1
Utah Legislature. 2025 Utah Code Title 41 Chapter 6a Part 4 Section 401
2
Justia. Utah Code 41-6a-401 – Accident Involving Injury, Death, or Property Damage
3
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 76-3-301 – Fines of Individuals
4
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-6a-401.3 – Accident Involving Injury – Penalties
5
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-6a-401.5 – Accident Involving Death – Penalties
6
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 76-3-203 – Felony Sentencing
7
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 53-3-220 – Offenses Requiring Mandatory Revocation, Denial, Suspension, or Disqualification of License
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
9
Utah Driver License Division. SR22 Insurance
10
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 78B-5-818 – Comparative Negligence
11
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 76-1-302 – Statute of Limitations
12
Utah Office for Victims of Crime. Application Process
13
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-305 – Uninsured Motorist Coverage