Traffic Stops
Utah Code 53-3-217 — the license in immediate possession, and insurance shown on paper or a phone
A licensed driver has the license certificate in immediate possession at all times while driving a motor vehicle, and displays it on demand of a peace officer, a justice of the peace, or a field deputy or inspector of the Driver License Division.
Who handles this in Utah: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Utah directory.
- It is a defense to the charge to produce in court a license certificate issued to the driver that was valid at the time of the citation or arrest.
- Not having the license, or not displaying it, is an infraction.
A driver who does not have evidence of owner's or operator's security for the vehicle in immediate possession, and does not display it on demand of a peace officer, commits operating a motor vehicle without owner's or operator's security, a class C misdemeanor.
- Evidence of security includes a copy of the policy, its declaration page, a binder, a renewal notice, or the card the insurer issues.
- It may be shown in hard copy or on a mobile electronic device, and an officer viewing it on the device may not view any other content on the device.
- An officer may not cite or arrest a driver for not displaying it when the Uninsured Motorist Identification Database shows the vehicle or the driver is insured.
Showing a card that is not good. Giving an officer evidence of security while knowing, or having reason to believe, that it is false or is not in effect is a class B misdemeanor.
The Fourth Amendment sets limits on every stop, and the Supreme Court of the United States has drawn several of them. It has held that a stop is reasonable where the officer has probable cause to believe a traffic violation occurred, whatever the officer's actual motive; that an officer making a lawful stop may order the driver, and the passengers, out of the vehicle; that a passenger is seized by the stop and may challenge it; and that a stop may last no longer than its purpose requires, so it may not be extended for a dog sniff without separate reasonable suspicion. It has also held that consent to a search has to be voluntary, judged on all the circumstances, and that the prosecution does not have to prove the person knew they could refuse. Those holdings are a floor: a state's own constitution and statutes can give more protection than they do, never less.
Sources for this section (9)
- Utah Code 53-3-217 — License to be carried when driving motor vehicle -- Production in court -- Violation
- Utah Code 41-12a-302 — Operating motor vehicle without owner's or operator's security -- Penalty
- Utah Code 41-12a-303.3 — Providing false evidence of owner's or operator's security -- Penalty
- Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996) — A traffic stop is reasonable when there is probable cause of a traffic violation
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U.S. 106 (1977) — An officer may order the driver out of a lawfully stopped car
- Maryland v. Wilson, 519 U.S. 408 (1997) — An officer may order passengers out of a lawfully stopped car
- Brendlin v. California, 551 U.S. 249 (2007) — A passenger is seized by a traffic stop and may challenge it
- Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348 (2015) — A stop may not be extended beyond its purpose to run a dog sniff
- Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (1973) — Consent to a search must be voluntary
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Utah attorney.