Free state parks passes available at Davis libraries

FARMINGTON — Davis County residents can now get into the state park of their choice free by way of the Davis County Library.

The Davis County Library Board approved the purchase of six passes to Utah state parks to bring the county's total to seven — one for each branch. Branches are located in Bountiful, Centerville, Farmington, Kaysville, Layton, Clearfield and Syracuse.

The passes are blue tags that hang from a vehicle's rear-view mirror and allow entrance for a single vehicle to any of the 43 state parks in Utah except This is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. An Antelope Island Causeway fee still applies to patrons visiting that park.

Library director Chris Sanford expects the passes to be in circulation by May 8.

Libraries in Logan, Weber County and Salt Lake County also have passes available to check out.

Nicole Mallory, marketing and outreach coordinator for the division, said the program started in Utah three weeks ago as a way to get children to connect with nature. The program is based on a similar program in Connecticut.

Now, 64 libraries across the state are featuring the passes, Mallory said, and more may follow.

Davis County commissioners also approved a change to the Davis library fine structure to allow for a $10-a-day late fee if the passes aren't returned within one week of checkout, with a total maximum fine of $70 — the cost of replacing a parks pass — plus a $4 processing fee. It's a similar fine structure to other library systems.

There will be no grace period for a late return, and the passes must be returned the branch from which they were checked out. Patrons won't be able to reserve the passes.

"The whole premise is to keep it going from patron to patron," Sanford told the library board Tuesday. "We're excited to get these up and running."

E-MAIL: jdougherty@desnews.com