Californiato
Utah, Truck driverMoving from California to Utah as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in California has to do to work in Utah, what the move does to your pay, and who in Utah is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Utah resident you surrender the California CDL at a Utah driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Utah. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Utah leaves you roughly $2,886 a year more than California does, because Utah's rate is lower.
| Salary | California state tax | Utah state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $3,724 | $1,800 | +$1,924 |
| $60,000 | $5,586 | $2,700 | +$2,886 |
| $90,000 | $8,379 | $4,050 | +$4,329 |
Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. In California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: California to Utah
Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; to work in Utah you apply to the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: California to Utah
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. California is not in the compact, so your California licence is single-state. Apply to the Utah board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Utah is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.
Electrician: California to Utah
Reciprocity likely. Utah licenses electricians at state level through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing, and reciprocity with most western states for journeymen who passed an equivalent exam. Your California licence comes from the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10), a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Utah pay you to come?
No statewide program in Utah pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.
Openings filed in Utah
48 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Utah employers who could not fill them locally.
- Farm/Irrigation/Livestock WorkerCarson Angus Ranch, LLC · Elberta · $12.63/hr
- Range Livestock HerderJohnsons Mountain Ranch LLC · Aurora · $2,132.41/mo
- Snow RemoversGrowpro, LLC · Lehi · $15.93/hr
- Open Range Livestock WorkersScott Stubbs Livestock · Parowan · $2,132.41/mo
- Open Range Livestock HerderC&R Farms, LLC · Cedar City · $2,132.41/mo
- Range Livestock HerderLarson Farms · Ephraim · $2,132.41/mo
Your own route from California to Utah
Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Utah employers.
Plan my move to UtahSame move, by trade
CNA: California to Utah · RN or LPN: California to Utah · Electrician: California to Utah · All licences: California to Utah
From California to the states next to Utah
Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Colorado (flat 4.4% state income tax) · New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax) · Nevada (no state income tax)
To Utah from the states next to California
Everything about working in Utah · All moves between states · All 50 states