By Megan Banta | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah officials are combating a growing obstacle in the state’s housing crisis — more than $30 million in construction fraud in recent years.
The state’s Division of Professional Licensing, or DOPL, received 2,146 construction complaints in 2024, according to a news release.
As of early August, the agency has processed 1,047 so far this year. One investigation into complaints revealed an “alarming pattern of unlicensed practice, inadequate supervision and fraudulently aggressive sales tactics.”
To fight the growing problem, the Utah Department of Commerce established a new task force focused on fraud in residential construction and appointed Utah’s first full-time prosecutor dedicated to these kinds of cases.
Three main objectives
The task force, according to state officials, will bring together state employees with expertise in professional licensing and consumer protection, staff from the Utah attorney general’s office, law enforcement, prosecutors, industry representatives and policymakers to focus on three main objectives:
- Aggressive enforcement through interagency cooperation and assistance for local attorneys.
- Empowerment through education and outreach, including equipping consumers with guides and best practices, training industry professionals on compliance and helping local prosecutors to handle construction fraud cases effectively.
- Drafting improved regulatory rules after researching laws in other states and working with industry groups to identify gaps.
Read more at SLTrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.