Guide
About Utah public records
Look into Utah criminal records, personal history such as divorces and property ownerships. Access vital records offices and request death certificates, marriages as well as divorces or dissolution decrees. Find legal documents and files from family court, civil court, superior court, trial court, and supreme court, as well as federal courts. Asset search that can reveal real estate deeds, judgment liens and bankruptcy filings. directory of Utah's agency websites providing document open to the public.
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State background and court information
Utah was the 45th territory in the U.S. to gain statehood on January 4th 1896. There are 29 counties and 243 incorporated municipalities carrying out Utah's local government duties. County and city governments elect officials, create department and divisions making up their agencies servicing citizens. Essential county duties include law enforcement, record keeping, tax collections, justice courts, economic development and elections. Open record laws in Utah give its residents better access to information held by government agencies, departments and divisions. All local and statewide agencies fall under the Open Record Act and do not give individual departments and division the discretion to deny anyone records that are considered public. Any member of the public can make a record request in Utah without having to show a reason. Despite these laws being enacted to promote a transparent government, many request are simply made for personal needs and are not related to oversight of state and local department affairs. Criminal records background check are available from the Utah Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Identification. Find out how to obtain a copy of another person's criminal history. See instructions to retain an official B.C.I. report of your own adult and previous juvenile record. The UT D.P.S. lists tips regarding expungement of your criminal history. Locating official records for personal purposes such as birth or marriage certificates can be directly requested from the Utah Office of Vital Records. The state's health department shows visitors how to order official divorce and death records, plus births and marriages that have occurred within Utah. Online databases from the state's various department can offer valuable information to uncover previous U.C.C. filings, verify professional licensure, offenders registered in a particular area, most wanted lists and other public safety precautionary data.
The state's judicial system's x-change case look up can supplement your investigation with electronic access to court records. General jurisdiction courts also known as district courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor and felony criminal cases, civil trials of divorces and other proceedings. Justice courts with jurisdiction of traffic cases, smaller B and C misdemeanors filings and small claims are available using the Courts Information System (CORIS). Other case details that you can obtain include judgments, verdicts, transcripts, jury awards and more online.
The Utah justice courts preside over cases involving torts, contracts up to $5,000, small claims of up to $5,000, misdemeanors, traffic and hold venue to preliminary hearings. Jury trials are available in some case types. Juvenile courts have exclusive jurisdiction to hear cases involving minors.
District courts are the state's trial courts with jurisdiction to hear torts, contracts, real property rights, small claims up to $5,000, has exclusive estate, mental health, miscellaneous civil, and civil appeals jurisdiction, domestic relations, and criminal appeals jurisdiction. Criminal cases in district courts hear felony, and misdemeanors and traffic violations.
Courts of appeal have mandatory jurisdiction in civil, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, original proceeding cases and jurisdiction in interlocutory decision cases. Utah's highest court is the supreme court, which have mandatory jurisdiction in civil, capital criminal, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, disciplinary, original proceeding cases and have discretionary jurisdiction in interlocutory decision cases.
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Court records and filings
Access Utah Courts online directly. Search court records; from Utah county courts to Supreme courts. Find criminal filings, Utah dissolution of marriage or divorce records from official state websites. File small claims lawsuits. Bankruptcy courts by jurisdiction or by districts. Utah state courts contact information such as telephone numbers and more.
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Court search routes
Criminal, civil and divorce records in Utah can be held by more than one court, so search each court that may hold the case. The official court site below lists the Utah courts and how to reach each one.
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Criminal records and background checks
Utah criminal records are maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) under the Department of Public Safety. Name/DOB background checks cost $20, and fingerprint-based Western Identification Network checks also cost $20. Individuals can obtain a copy of their own criminal history in person or by mail. Court records are searchable through the Utah Courts case search system. BCI maintains offender registries including sex/kidnap/child abuse offenders. The Utah Department of Corrections provides an offender search by name or UDC ID number.
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Vital records
Certified copies of Utah birth and death certificates are issued by the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics. Marriage records are also kept by the local office that issued the license, and divorce records by the court that granted the divorce.
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Property and asset records
Deeds and mortgages in Utah are recorded at the county level, and property taxes are handled by county or local offices. Business and UCC filings are kept by the state, bankruptcy cases are federal court records, and the state runs a free search for unclaimed property.
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Government records and agencies
Utah.gov keeps an agency list, and the Utah Code is online from the Utah Legislature.
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Driving and vehicle records
Utah.gov offers your personal motor vehicle record online, and the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles issues vehicle titles.
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Expungements and record clearing
Utah's Expungement Act is Title 77, chapter 40a. Since January 1, 2026 the court finds and clears cases that qualify for automatic expungement, with no form needed. For a petition, you first get a certificate of eligibility from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and then file within 180 days.
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Genealogy and historical research
For family history, start with the Utah State Archives and the Utah Historical Society.
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Missing children resources
The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification runs the Utah Missing Persons Clearinghouse.
- Utah missing personsBureau of Criminal Identification
- NamUsU.S. Justice Department database of missing and unidentified people
Need a different Utah record?
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