Senate Bill 340 — titled “Protected Person’s Amendments” — proposes several new rules relating to the construction of security improvements on private property.
It establishes a process for people “at risk of harm” to apply to the commissioner of public safety for approval to build a “security improvement” on one’s property.
With the state’s approval, the bill would require local land use authorities to approve the construction of a “certified” security improvement even if it doesn’t comply with city or county development code.
As defined by the bill, a security improvement could include building enhancements that provide “safe egress from, or safety within, the protected property, including an underground improvement.”
A resident could qualify if they’ve received a credible threat or had been physically harmed in the past five years.
SB340 defines a “credible threat” as any course of action “to cause death or serious bodily injury that a state or federal law enforcement agency has confirmed to be authentic.”
Old Town resident Eric Hermann claims the legislation could help his nextdoor neighbor Matthew Prince, the CEO of the cybersecurity company Cloudflare and owner of The Park Record, circumvent local land use authorities.
Prince and Hermann are involved in a 3rd District Court lawsuit over the CEO’s plans to construct a new 11,000-square-foot home on King Road.
Prince first applied for permits to build the home overlooking Old Town in 2022. Hermann and other residents have sought to block it citing modern design plans that don’t match the historic character of Park’s City’s Main Street.
Hermann alleges that Prince is trying to use security concerns to subvert Park City’s development code.
During a planning commission meeting last year, Prince discussed the need to protect his family due to the nature of his cybersecurity company’s work.
“I am personally sanctioned by the Russian government for our support of Ukraine, and I’m on a kill list,” Prince said in February 2024. “I’m not kidding.”
KPCW has not independently verified those claims.
Hermann also said that Prince “may” have constructed a tunnel between King Road and a property he owns on Norfolk Avenue.
In an email Thursday, Prince told KPCW he had “no idea what Eric is talking about” and that he had not been on Utah’s Capitol Hill during the 2025 legislative session.
Park City Municipal spokesperson Clayton Scrivner said the city has “no records or applications on file” for a tunnel in that area.
Scrivner added that Park City is generally opposed to any law that “interferes with local decision-making regarding land use control.”
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Senator Don Ipson of St. George, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Ipson’s bill passed the Senate and now sits with the House Rules Committee. Utah’s legislative session ends Friday.
According to Forbes, Prince has a net worth of $4.7 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the state.
