Utah State Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Utah and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Utah celebrates holidays that are recognized by the federal government including New Year’s Day, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. If a holiday falls on Sunday, it is celebrated on Monday. If it falls on a Saturday, the holiday is celebrated on Friday. Holidays added by the President of the United States or the governor may also celebrated in Utah.
Utah celebrates Washington and Lincoln’s birthday on the third Monday in February, calling it President’s Day. On July 24, Utah celebrates Pioneer Day to commemorate the entry of Brigham Young and the first of the Mormon pioneers to the state.
State employees are given paid days off on holidays. In addition, each state employee is given a Personal Preference Day that may be scheduled in accordance with Department of Human Resources Management rules. There are no laws that require private employers to give paid holidays. Private employers are also not required to pay higher rates of pay if an employee must work on a holiday or to count unworked holiday hours toward overtime pay.
Many employers in Utah, however, do offer paid holidays as a benefit. In addition, many pay higher rates if an employee must work on a holiday or provide an additional day off on another work day to encourage staff to work on holidays.