Legislators in the Utah House and Senate both overwhelmingly passed a bill (H.B. 81) that prohibits the addition of fluoride to public water systems and expands the ability to prescribe fluoride supplements to pharmacists as an alternative. The legislation was supported by Governor Spencer Cox who, an hour before the midnight deadline, signed the bill to officially make Utah the first state in the nation to prohibit the addition of fluoride to drinking water.. The law will take effect on May 7th, 2025.

Sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain and state Sen. Kirk Cullimore, . She quotes the Fluoride Action Network’s victory in federal court as the motivation behind its introduction during House testimony. 

“So this bill is fairly simple. It simply removes the addition of fluoride, hydrofluoric acid, from our public water systems. It also deregulates the prescription so that anyone in the state of Utah who wants to have fluoride can go into a pharmacy and get a prescription from the pharmacist without having to go to a doctor or a dentist,” she said.

As of 2024, two counties, Salt Lake and Davis, put fluoride in their water, as does Brigham City in Box Elder County.. Utah has 484 public water systems, 66 of which add fluoride to their water systems. Those systems serve roughly 1.6 million people across several counties in Utah.

While Governor Cox has the ability to veto the bill, he has publicly stated that he’s in support of it, saying

The bill has prime sponsors from both the House and Senate, as well as 34 additional co-sponsors. It was recommended for passage by the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee by a vote of 10-3 with a majority of testifiers in support of the bill.  It then passed on the House floor by a vote of 51-19. In the Senate, it was recommended for passage out of committee by a vote of 5-1, then passed on the Senate floor by a 18-8 vote.