Utah Court Records
How Utah's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Utah's state courts share a statewide case management system, and the courts sell online access to it through a subscription service called Xchange. Public terminals at courthouses offer free access.
Utah's Clean Slate law automatically expunges many eligible criminal records, so some cases may no longer be public.
Utah also offers MyCase, a free account for parties to see their own cases, and the courts publish calendars for each courthouse online. Most justice courts run by cities and counties also report to the same statewide system as the district courts.
How Utah's courts are organized
Utah's courts have two appellate levels and three kinds of trial courts.
Utah Supreme Court
Five justices hear appeals in first-degree felony and capital cases and other major cases, and review Court of Appeals decisions.
Utah Court of Appeals
Hears most other appeals from the trial courts.
District courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts, in eight judicial districts. They hear felonies, civil cases, divorce and probate.
Juvenile courts
Hear juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, and termination of parental rights cases.
Justice courts
Local courts that hear misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
Business and Chancery Court
A statewide court created in 2024 for complex business disputes.
Searching Utah court records online
Xchange is Utah's statewide online search.
- XchangeSubscription access to Utah state court case information statewide.
- Utah CourtsOpinions, court directories, forms and self-help.
Getting records from the clerk's office
Contact the clerk of the district, juvenile or justice court where the case was filed. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Deeds are kept by the county recorder.
Utah courts accept records requests online, by mail or in person, and charge set fees for copies and certification. Many documents filed electronically can be sent by email.
- Utah court directoryFind any Utah court.
What is public, and what is not
Utah Code of Judicial Administration Rule 4-202 classifies court records as public, private, protected, safeguarded or sealed. Juvenile, adoption and mental health records are not public.
Utah allows expungement of many records by petition, and its Clean Slate law automatically expunges some eligible records. Expunged records are removed from public view.
Utah's Code of Judicial Administration classifies records as public, private, protected, safeguarded, juvenile court or sealed, and each category has different rules for who can see it. Private records, such as adoption and many family records, can only be seen by the parties and their lawyers.
- Utah Courts: ExpungementHow expungement works in Utah.
Older and archived records
Historical court records are held by the Utah State Archives in Salt Lake City.
Older Utah district court records, including territorial records, are held by the Utah State Archives, which has an online index for some historical court records.
- Utah State ArchivesHistorical state and county records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification keeps the state's criminal history records. Checks generally require the subject's consent.
- Utah BCIHow to request a Utah criminal history record.
- Utah sex and kidnap offender registryPublic search of registered offenders.
- Utah Department of CorrectionsInformation about people in Utah state custody.
Federal court records in Utah
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Utah's state courts. Utah is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Utah's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Use a courthouse public terminal for free access to statewide case information.
- Justice courts are run by cities and counties and may keep their own records.
- Expunged records will not appear in Xchange.
- Xchange is a paid subscription. For one case, a public terminal at any courthouse or a records request is usually cheaper.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Utah State Law LibraryPublic law library in Salt Lake City.
- Utah Courts Self-Help CenterFree help by phone, text and email.
- Utah Legal ServicesFree civil legal help for eligible residents.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.