Driving with a Drug in Your System
Utah Code 41-6a-517 — any measurable controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor
Where the conduct is not a DUI, no one may operate or be in actual physical control of a motor vehicle in Utah with any measurable controlled substance, or a metabolite of one, in the body. It is a class B misdemeanor.
Who handles this in Utah: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Utah directory.
- The rule does not apply where 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol is the only controlled substance present in the body.
- It is an affirmative defense that the substance was taken involuntarily, prescribed by a practitioner for the person, taken as medical cannabis in a medicinal dosage form under the state program, or otherwise legally taken.
- An officer may arrest without a warrant on probable cause, even when the violation did not happen in the officer's presence.
A conviction of a driver 21 or older brings a license suspension of 120 days, or a revocation of two years with a prior conviction within 10 years.
Sources for this section (1)
- Utah Code 41-6a-517 — Definitions -- Driving with any measurable controlled substance in the body -- Penalties -- Arrest without warrant
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Utah attorney.