Rioting or participating in a riot generally means the assembly of multiple persons resulting in conduct that (1) creates an immediate danger of damage to property or injury to persons; (2) substantially obstructs law enforcement or other governmental functions or services; (3) is tumultuous or violent and likely to cause public alarm; or (4) deprives any person of a legal right or disturbs any person in the enjoyment of a legal right by using force or the threat of force.

Rioting laws vary from state to state and some states have related offenses such as inciting a riot, unlawful assembly, failing to disperse, and disturbing the peace. These laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Utah, rioting is addressed under the Utah Criminal Code, specifically in Title 76, Chapter 9, Part 3. According to Utah law, a person is guilty of riot if they participate in any disorderly and violent group activity that creates an immediate danger of damage to property or injury to persons, substantially obstructs law enforcement or other governmental functions, or by force or threat of force unlawfully disturbs or deprives any person of a legal right. Rioting is classified as a third-degree felony if the person commits or threatens to commit a felony during the riot, otherwise, it is a class B misdemeanor. Related offenses such as inciting a riot, which involves urging others to engage in riotous behavior, and failure to disperse, where individuals do not leave the area of a riot when ordered by law enforcement, are also codified in the state statutes. These laws are designed to maintain public order and safety by penalizing those who engage in or promote tumultuous or violent activities that disrupt the peace and infringe upon the rights of others.