{"data":{"id":"us-ut/utah-code-76-2-304","jurisdiction":"us-ut","citation":"Utah Code § 76-2-304","heading":"Ignorance or mistake of fact or law.","body":"(1) Unless otherwise provided, ignorance or mistake of fact which disproves the culpable mental state is a defense to any prosecution for that crime.\n(2) Ignorance or mistake concerning the existence or meaning of a penal law is no defense to a crime unless:\n(a) due to an actor's ignorance or mistake, the actor reasonably believed the actor's conduct did not constitute an offense; and\n(b) an actor's ignorance or mistake resulted from the actor's reasonable reliance upon:\n(i) an official statement of the law contained in a written order or grant of permission by an administrative agency charged by law with responsibility for interpreting the law in question; or\n(ii) a written interpretation of the law contained in an opinion of a court of record or made by a public servant charged by law with responsibility for interpreting the law in question.\n(3) Although an actor's ignorance or mistake of fact or law may constitute a defense to the offense charged, the actor may nevertheless be convicted of a lesser included offense of which the actor would be guilty if the fact or law were as the actor believed.","path":["Title 76 Criminal Offenses","Chapter 76-2 Principles of Criminal Responsibility","Part 76-2-3 Defenses to Criminal Responsibility"],"source_url":"https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter2/76-2-S304.html","current_through":"2026 General Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T11:34:34Z","sha256":"c0bef92e58428e220c455bcc0e965802bad1b952a5a28424eb8a8900d3e68148","source_id":"us-ut","stale":false,"prev":"us-ut/utah-code-76-2-303","next":"us-ut/utah-code-76-2-304.5"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}