Utah R392-200 — The School Pest Management Rule Excludes Places of Higher Education

Citation

Utah Admin. Code R392-200, Sanitation and Safety of Schools (Utah Department of Health and Human Services), Date of Last Change October 21, 2025. Read from the official HTML and PDF on the Utah Office of Administrative Rules site on September 24, 2026. The rule's current title is “Sanitation and Safety of Schools.”

What It Says (Verbatim)

R392-200-3, Applicability, complete:

“(1) This rule applies to any school, as defined, and any associated grounds and accessory structures.

(2) This rule does not apply to a:

(a) child care center;

(b) home-based microschool;

(c) home school;

(d) micro-education entity;

(e) place of higher education;

(f) professional school; or

(g) trade school.”

R392-200-2(26)(a), definition of School:

“(26)(a) "School" means a public or private educational institution including any charter school, elementary school, middle school, or secondary school established to provide education for grades kindergarten through 12 regardless of students' age, including any attached preschool.”

R392-200-2(22), definition of Place of higher education:

“(22)(a) "Place of higher education" means a postsecondary institution of learning that provides non-compulsory education, completion of which typically results in a named degree, diploma, or certificate of higher studies.

(b) A higher-educational institution includes any university, college, teacher-training school, junior college, and institute of technology.”

R392-200-18, Pest Management, complete:

“(1) The governing body shall:

(a) minimize in school buildings or on school grounds the presence of any pest that:

(i) is a vector for disease;

(ii) carries an allergen that is likely to affect an individual with allergies or respiratory problems; or

(iii) may sting or bite, causing a mild to serious reaction in some individuals;

(b) adopt IPM practices and principles to prevent harmful levels of pest activity on the school premises with the lowest possible risk to people, property, and the environment by adopting and implementing an IPM plan written by the governing body or the contracted pest management entity that contains the following topics:

(i) an IPM policy statement;

(ii) IPM implementation and education;

(iii) pest identification, monitoring procedures, reporting and control practices;

(iv) approved pesticides for school use;

(v) procedures for pesticide use;

(vi) a policy for the notification of students, parents, and staff; and

(vii) pesticide applicator requirements;

(c) use non-chemical management methods when possible to provide the desired control; and

(d) use a full range of control alternatives including:

(i) identification and removal or repair of conditions that are conducive to pests;

(ii) structural repair and sealing;

(iii) improved sanitation;

(iv) removal of clutter or harborage;

(v) elimination of food sources;

(vi) exclusionary measures to protect doors, windows and any other opening to the outside against the entrance of insects, rodents, and other animals; and

(vii) taking no action when the pest does not create a nuisance, or has no public health or property damage significance.

(2) The plan described in Subsection (1)(b) shall be made available to the local health officer upon request.

(3) The governing body shall ensure that:

(a) if the governing body chooses to not use a contracted pest control contractor, school personnel who apply pesticides comply with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Rule R68-7, Utah Pesticide Control Rule; and

(b) a pesticide applicator at a school only applies a pesticide according to the labeled directions.

(4) A local health officer may require modification of an IPM plan if the plan fails to adequately address risks to the health or safety of school occupants.”

R392-200-24, Inspections and Investigations:

“Upon presenting proper identification, the governing body shall permit a local health officer to enter the school or premises to perform inspections, investigations, and other actions as necessary to ensure compliance with this rule.”

What It Means in Plain Language

For a K–12 school, Utah's rule is specific: a written IPM plan with seven named topics, non-chemical methods when possible, a full range of control alternatives, and a plan the local health officer can request and require to be modified.

For a university, the rule is just as specific in the other direction. R392-200-3(2)(e) says the rule “does not apply to a … place of higher education.” R392-200-2(22) defines that term and adds that “a higher-educational institution includes any university, college, teacher-training school, junior college, and institute of technology.” Child care centers are excluded as well, at R392-200-3(2)(a).

The two meet on some campuses. The definition of “school” includes “any charter school.” Utah State University's Logan campus hosts the Edith Bowen Laboratory School, which describes itself as a K–6 public charter school located on the campus of Utah State University. The Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering & Science (NUAMES), a public charter school serving grades 10–12, holds classes on Weber State University's Layton and Ogden campuses. By the rule's definitions, each of those schools is a “school,” and each university around it is a “place of higher education.” The rule does not say how it applies where a school occupies university buildings, and this page does not answer that question.

The rule sets no inspection frequency. It names the local health officer as the inspector (R392-200-24).

Who It Applies To

The governing body of each school as defined in R392-200-2(26): public and private K–12 schools, including charter schools and attached preschools. Not universities, colleges, child care centers, professional schools, or trade schools.

Documentation Evidence

• The written IPM plan, containing each of the seven topics in R392-200-18(1)(b)
• Records of pest identification, monitoring, reporting, and control
• The notification policy for students, parents, and staff, and records of notifications given
• Applicator qualifications, including R68-7 compliance for any school personnel who apply pesticides
• Any modification the local health officer required, and its completion

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence for the rule text, read from the official HTML and cross-checked against the official PDF on September 24, 2026. There is no subsection R392-200-7(12) in the current rule; school pest management is R392-200-18. The descriptions of the on-campus schools are from the schools' and universities' own published pages. The Office of Administrative Rules lists October 21, 2026 as this version's end date, five years after its October 21, 2021 Notice of Continuation; the rule will be re-read after that date.