Utah is a federal-floor wage state by design — the legislature has chosen to track the federal minimum and the FLSA rather than build a separate state system.
Minimum wage: the federal $7.25
The Utah Minimum Wage Act lets the Labor Commission set the rate by rule but expressly prohibits exceeding the federal minimum, so Utah's minimum wage is $7.25/hour (Utah Code § 34-40-103). The tipped cash wage is the federal $2.13, and there is a $4.25 youth training wage for workers under 20 during their first 90 days — but that is the federal youth minimum wage, 29 U.S.C. § 206(g), not Utah law. Utah’s own subsidised rate at § 34-40-104(3) is a learner wage the commission may set: capped at the first 160 hours of employment, with no age limit and no rate stated in the statute.
Local wage laws are preempted
Utah cities and counties cannot set a higher local minimum wage, require their contractors to pay above the federal minimum, or give contracting preference to employers who pay above it (Utah Code § 34-40-106) — so a single statewide wage standard applies everywhere. That section is limited to minimum wage; it does not address paid sick leave.
Overtime: FLSA only
Utah has no state overtime law — the federal FLSA controls: 1.5× the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, with no daily overtime. The white-collar exemption follows the federal duties tests and the $684/week ($35,568/yr) salary level (29 C.F.R. Part 541).
Practical takeaways
Don't over-engineer Utah wage compliance — the federal rules govern. Classify exempt vs. non-exempt under the FLSA, track hours for non-exempt staff, and pay close attention instead to Utah's genuinely distinctive rule: the 24-hour final-paycheck deadline (see our Utah final-pay guide).
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