Spanish Fork and Lehi both passed ordinances this week prohibiting targeted protests or picketing outside of individuals’ homes.
The ordinances come after multiple pandemic-related protests outside of private residences, including those of Gov. Gary Herbert in Orem, Gov.-Elect Spencer Cox in Fairview and state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn in Salt Lake City.
The two cities are far from the first to pass ordinances prohibiting targeted picketing or protesting. Orem passed a similar one last month following protests outside of Herbert’s residence there. And Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and Holladay have prohibited such picketing since the late 2000s.
Both ordinances bar demonstrations targeting a specific person within 100 feet of their home. Spanish Fork’s passed unanimously. Lehi’s passed 4-1, with council member Katie Koivisto opposing.
“I just don’t want to be able to take those rights away from individuals,” Koivisto said during a council meeting on Dec. 8. “If they have the right to be on the street that’s in front of my house, they should be able to do that. The moment that it becomes violent, or it becomes a nuisance, that’s where we have those laws in place to protect us.”
Council member Paige Albrecht disagreed. “I also believe I have a right to feel safe in my own home,” she said in response to Koivisto’s concerns during the council meeting. “Just because they’re not throwing rocks through my windows doesn’t mean I feel comfortable and safe — and it doesn’t mean my children feel comfortable and safe.”
The Spanish Fork ordinance expresses a similar sentiment to Albrecht’s. It states that residents have the right to “enjoy in their homes and neighborhoods a feeling of well-being, tranquility, and privacy, and enjoy freedom from being a captive audience to unwanted speech.”
Individuals who violate Lehi’s ordinance can be charged with a class B misdemeanor. Violators in Spanish Fork could receive an administrative notice — which will end in a court citation if not handled administratively — and a second violation could result in a class B misdemeanor.
The Lehi ordinance took effect immediately while Spanish Fork’s will kick in later this month.