Utah Genealogy Search

Utah is the home of FamilySearch and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the largest genealogy library in the world, so Utah families are among the best documented anywhere: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints kept membership, emigration and temple records from the 1847 arrival of the pioneers, and its Church History Library and FamilySearch hold them. The Utah State Archives holds the territorial and state records, the Utah Division of Archives posts free death certificates, and the county records of 29 counties go back to the 1850s.

Statewide vital registration began in 1905, with Salt Lake City and Ogden keeping records from the 1890s.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

Utah statewide genealogy links

• Utah State Archives Research
• Family Search and Genealogical Society of Utah
• Utah Department of HealthVital Records
• Researching Property History
• Cemetery and Burial Database
• Utah Genealogical Association
• Collections Available at the Utah State History Research Center
• UTGenWeb ProjectSearch the GenWeb Site
• Utah Family History Resources

Utah began statewide birth and death registration in 1905, with Salt Lake City keeping records from 1890 and Ogden from 1896, and the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics in Salt Lake City holds the certificates. Birth records become public after 100 years and death records after 50, and the Utah State Archives posts free online images of Utah death certificates from 1904 to the public years with a name index. Marriage licenses were issued by each county clerk from the county's founding, with the Archives holding a statewide marriage index, and divorce records sit with the district court clerk.

• Utah death certificates indexFree online images of Utah death certificates from 1904 from the State Archives, checked September 25, 2026
• Utah Office of Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1905, checked September 25, 2026
• Utah Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public

The Utah State Archives holds the territorial and state records from 1850, the Utah State Prison registers, the territorial and state militia and Utah's Spanish-American War and World War I service records, county records on microfilm, naturalization records from the territorial courts and the 1856 territorial census, with its research center in Salt Lake City and online indexes. The Family History Library holds the Church's membership records, the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel database and records from every state and country, all free to use. The Utah Division of State History holds the Utah Historical Society collections, and the National Archives at Denver holds Utah's federal court and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

• Utah State ArchivesTerritorial and state records, indexes and county records, checked September 25, 2026
• FamilySearch Family History LibraryThe largest genealogy library in the world, free in Salt Lake City and online, checked September 25, 2026
• National Archives at DenverFederal court and Indian agency records for Utah, checked September 25, 2026

Utah county recorders hold deeds, mortgages and mining claims from each county's founding, county clerks hold marriage licenses and, historically, probate records, and district court clerks hold probate, divorce and civil files, with most recorders posting online indexes. The State Archives has microfilmed the older books of the 29 counties, and the Salt Lake County records, covering Salt Lake City, are the largest set. Utah's counties formed from the original six of 1850, so early records for a family in Davis or Weber county are among the oldest in the West.

• Utah County Public RecordsCounty recorders and district courts for all 29 counties
• Utah Court RecordsDistrict court case and probate searches

These federal and national sources complement Utah's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Utah state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

NARA, National Archives The federal government's primary archive. Holds the U.S. census (1790, 1950), ship passenger lists, naturalization records, military service files, and land entry files.

FamilySearch Free online genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Digitized microfilm copies of many county and state records worldwide.

Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy The LoC's research guides, city directories, newspapers, and Civil War records, most accessible free online through loc.gov.