Utah Division of Water Rights

What Utah Division of Water Rights does

The Utah Division of Water Rights (DWRi) is a Utah state government agency within the Department of Natural Resources that administers the measurement, appropriation, apportionment, and distribution of Utah's water resources. Established as the Office of the State Engineer in 1897 and renamed the Division of Water Rights in 1967, the agency operates under exclusive statutory authority granted by Utah Code Title 73. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City with six regional offices (Cedar City, Logan, Price, Richfield, Vernal, Weber) and serves individual water right holders, municipal governments, irrigation/water companies, well drillers, dam operators, and stream alteration permit holders across the entire state.

The Division's technology platform consists of approximately 19 interconnected web-based systems and databases, including the Water Right Search System, application trackers for water right, change, and exchange applications, a Dam Safety Database, Stream Alteration Database, Well Drilling Database, Canal Inventory System, Water Use Reporting System, Adjudication Management System, Proof of Beneficial Use System, Groundwater Management System, Geothermal Resources system, Title Transfers system, Livestock Certificates database, and an Esri-based Interactive Mapping System. The architecture is built on classical database and GIS technology with an electronic document management layer. In 2024, the Division launched a new Online Application Filing Portal supporting six application types. The agency also maintains collaborative research relationships with Utah State University, including a white paper on Utah's water distribution and accounting practices and streamflow research in the Great Salt Lake Basin.

The Division is funded entirely through Utah State Government appropriations within the Department of Natural Resources and generates no commercial revenue; nominal filing fees may apply for certain applications. As a non-market regulator, its value proposition is statutory service delivery rather than revenue capture, and its outputs are public records, application adjudication, well drilling regulation, dam safety, stream alteration permitting, and real-time water distribution information.

Name

Utah Division of Water Rights

Legal name

Utah Division of Water Rights

Website

https://waterrights.utah.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Utah Division of Water Rights is a Utah state agency within the Department of Natural Resources that administers water rights statewide under statutory authority, serving individuals, municipalities, irrigation companies, and water users through 19 web-based records and application tracking systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Rights Administration

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

NRW Data Management & Water Balance (IWA Methodology, GIS/SCADA Integration, Digital Twins) (EUANAKAJ), Wellhead Protection & Source Water Protection Studies (EUAHAFAK)

Keywords

• Water rights administration
• Water resource management
• Dam safety regulation
• Well drilling licensing
• Stream alteration permitting

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriations: Funded through Utah State Government appropriations within the Department of Natural Resources. No commercial revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Utah Division of Water Rights (DWRi) is a state government agency that administers the measurement, appropriation, apportionment, and distribution of Utah's water resources. It processes water rights applications, maintains comprehensive water right records, regulates well drilling and pump installation, oversees dam safety, manages stream alteration permits, and provides public access to water rights databases through online tools and a network of regional offices.

Product overview

The Utah Division of Water Rights (DWRi) is a Utah State Government agency within the Department of Natural Resources that administers water rights in Utah. Rather than a traditional tech company, it provides government services through a web-based platform consisting of multiple interconnected databases and online systems. The core offerings include the Water Right Search System, Change Application Tracker, Water Right Application Tracker, and Exchange Application Tracker for filing and tracking water rights applications. Additional services include Dam Safety Database, Stream Alteration Database, Well Drilling Database, Canal Inventory System, Water Use Reporting System, Adjudication Management System, Real-time Distribution Information, Enforcement Database, Proof of Beneficial Use System, Groundwater Management System, Geothermal Resources, Title Transfers, Interactive Mapping System, and Livestock Certificates. The Division recently launched a new Online Application Filing Portal designed to make it easier for the public to submit water rights applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Application Filing Portal Public-facing electronic filing system that allows individuals, companies, and municipalities to submit water rights applications to the Division online, replacing paper-based submissions.
• Water Right Search System Public online search tool that allows users to query water right records by water right number, name/source, water use group, point of diversion, place of use, and map search.
• Dam Safety Program Regulatory program overseeing dam inventory, safety permits, reservoir level monitoring, and dam application forms for dam operators throughout Utah.
• Stream Alteration Permitting Regulatory service issuing permits for activities affecting Utah's streams and waterways, including recreational dredging and sluicing permits.
• Well Drilling Licensing and Permits Program administering well drilling permits, pump installation reports, well driller and pump installer licensing, and groundwater management oversight.
• Water Rights Application Processing Core regulatory function of processing applications to appropriate water, change applications, exchange applications, and proofs of beneficial use, with associated filing fees.
• General Adjudication Judicial and administrative process for determining and confirming water rights within specific drainage areas, including hydrographic survey maps and decree management.
• Water Distribution and Regulation Service overseeing the measurement, distribution, and regulation of water among rights holders, including real-time distribution information and streamgage data.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Utah State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated on a report describing Utah's current water distribution and accounting practices. Published a white paper summarizing how the Utah Division of Water Rights administers water rights through coordinated processes of water distribution and accounting. Also collaborated on research characterizing streamflow gains and losses within the Great Salt Lake Basin.
• Utah State University ResearcherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers characterized streamflow gains and losses within the Great Salt Lake Basin and compared results to historical seepage studies to understand where additional measurement infrastructure or additional seepage studies are needed.
• Natural ResourcescoreOthersThe Division is an agency of Utah State Government within the Department of Natural Resources.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Division of Water Resources: Colorado's state water rights administration agency (Office of the State Engineer successor) administering Prior Appropriation water rights with similar well permitting, augmentation plans, and adjudication functions — the closest analog to Utah's model.
• Idaho Department of Water Resources: Idaho's state agency administering water rights, well drilling, dam safety, and stream channel alterations under a Prior Appropriation doctrine — directly comparable in mandate, scope, and Western water law context.
• Wyoming State Engineer's Office: Wyoming's water rights administration agency operating under Prior Appropriation with comparable permitting, adjudication, and groundwater management functions — a near-twin regulator in a neighboring state.
• Nevada Division of Water Resources: Nevada's water rights regulator managing appropriations, permits, and well drilling in one of the most water-stressed states — sharing the same Doctrine of Prior Appropriation framework and administrative scope.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources: Arizona's state water agency administering water rights, Active Management Areas, and groundwater regulation — directly comparable in mandate and increasingly in climate-stress exposure.
• Oregon Water Resources Department: Oregon's state water rights administration agency handling water right applications, transfers, and well construction in a Western prior-appropriation-influenced hybrid system — closely comparable in regulatory scope.
• New Mexico Office of the State Engineer: New Mexico's water rights administration agency managing appropriation, declaration, and transfer of water rights under the Prior Appropriation doctrine — analogous in statutory structure and Western water-law context.
• Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation: Montana's combined natural resources agency administering water rights, well permitting, and dam safety under a Prior Appropriation framework — comparable in mandate and geographic-aridity profile.

Broad incumbents

• California State Water Resources Control Board: California's broader water regulatory body administering water rights, water quality, and supply planning — overlapping regulatory function but operating with a wider portfolio and a different legal regime (reasonable use).
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Federal agency managing water infrastructure, delivery contracts, and water accounting across the Western US — adjacent rather than directly comparable, but engages with state water rights administration on Colorado River and other basin operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UTWaterRights
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLhX3rovw8Do_oU-AIybtWA
• Facebookfacebook.com/utahwaterrights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/utwaterrights
• Instagraminstagram.com/utwaterrights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Utah Division of Water Rights