Utah Court Case Lookup

In Utah, a court case is any dispute between two opposing parties brought to a law court for a judge to decide guilt or liability. It could be a Civil case involving conflicts between individuals, businesses, or organizations where one party is called the "plaintiff" and the other "defendant". The plaintiff is the party who feels wronged by the defendant's actions or inactions and seeks redress. A court case can also be Criminal where a Federal or State law has been broken and the government prosecutes such a person for violating stipulated rules and regulations.

There are different Courthouses in Utah with jurisdiction over certain types of cases. For example, the Federal District Court in Utah has general jurisdiction to preside over both civil and criminal cases while the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Utah has jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. Most criminal and civil cases in Utah, however, go to the Trial and Appellate Courts:

The Utah District Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction over civil cases, criminal felonies, and class A misdemeanors in Utah. The District Courts also preside over domestic relations cases, small claims cases, probate cases, and appeals from justice courts.
The Juvenile Courts in Utah have jurisdiction over cases involving minors ( individuals below 18 years of age) who break federal, state, or municipal laws. They also handle cases involving child abuse, neglect, or dependency. Juvenile courts liaise with District and Justice courts in cases where adults are involved in a minor's abuse or neglect. They also have the authority to decide child custody, support, and visitation in some cases.
Utah Justice Courts are trial courts established by counties and municipalities in Utah responsible for hiring judges. The Justice Courts have the power to handle class B and C misdeeds, violations of statutes and laws, small claims, and infringements committed within their territorial jurisdiction.
There are also two Appellate courts in Utah; the Courts of Appeals in Utah and the Supreme court in Utah. The Court of Appeals hears appeals of trial court judgments while the Supreme Court is the court of last resort and handles all cases above the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals including reviewing their decisions.

Interested persons who wish to carry out a Court case lookup in Utah have options but the first task is to find out the courthouse responsible for maintaining the desired records. Finding the record custodian is especially important if the requestor seeks to obtain physical copies of the court documents.

Alternatively, the requestor may look up Utah court case records online. Interested persons can also contact the Clerk's Office in person or via mail to access court case records and obtain copies at a cost. At the Clerk's office, the inquirer can make use of the public access terminals and print dockets and documents at $0.10 per page. The Clerk's office staff can also be contracted to provide such records at $0.50 per page.

Records can also be obtained from the Federal Records Center (FRC), National Archives, State Archives, or Utah State Law Library at stipulated charges.

Utah Court Case Lookup can also be conducted using third-party websites at a cost. It is also important to note that information obtained from such websites is variable and not always reliable.

Are Court Cases Public Record in Utah?

Yes, Court cases are public records in Utah. As such, members of the public are allowed access to such records, per the Government Records Access and Management Act.

However, some court records are classified as private, sealed, or protected records and cannot be inspected by everyone but are limited to persons with legal permission. Some examples of these records gotten from court cases include:

Juvenile records
Expungements
Adoption
Petition for Divorce
Medical records
Attorney-client privileges
Court security plans
Records sealed by a judge to protect an individual
Records containing security numbers, licenses, financial details, addresses or phone numbers, etc.

Can I Get Utah Court Case Documents Online?

Yes, interested persons can get access to Utah Court Case documents online as long as those documents are not termed private, sealed, or protected by law. Some records exempt from public access include records of minors, criminal cases, adoption papers, or divorce proceedings amongst others.

The inquirer can make use of XChange, MyCase, or PACER to access these documents online. These documents can also be requested from the Clerk's office via email by filing a request form online and mailing it to kate_baker@utd.uscourts.gov. Accessing these Court Case documents online usually accrues varying charges depending on the option explored.

Xchange is a depository of district and justice court case information and provides summarized information online about a case such as names of parties, assigned judges, documents filed, the status of filed cases, etc. The information provided on XChange is uploaded by court staff in the courthouses where such case files are generated into the Courts Information System(CORIS). Members of the public can access XChange for free at the District Courts or subscribe monthly for a fee.

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is another online option available for accessing public court records in Utah with a $0.10 fee per page attached for downloads. It provides access to civil case dockets dating as far back as July 1989 and criminal cases from November 1992. MyCase can also be used to view state court cases online but is restricted to parties involved in the case alone and has no charges attached to its use.

How to Conduct a Utah Court Search by Name

To conduct a Utah Court Search by name, the inquirer must know the full name of the individual or organizations involved in the case. This will ease the search process when using online case management systems provided by the presiding court. Such a person can also visit the court under which the case was filed and use the name of the parties involved in the case to search. Another option would be to mail the name of the parties to the court and allow the staff to search for a cost.

What is a Court Case Number?

A Court Case number is a distinct identification method used to differentiate cases in a court and as such, no two cases have the same numbers. It is usually assigned by the court clerk and makes it easier to track or retrieve a case. It is used to identify the year and type of case filed, the court it was filed under, and the judicial officer assigned to handle the case. Case numbers can either be alphabets, characters or numerical values, or a combination of one or more.

A case number is usually expected to contain the following information:

Year the case was filed, usually in a two or four-digit format;
Case type, either a civil case, criminal or administrative;
An assigned sequence number generated by the court clerk;
The court under which the case was filed, shown as letters or numbers.

The importance of a case number in documenting court records includes but is not limited to the fact that it:

Allows for easy referral of court cases;
Provides detailed information about a case such as where, when, and how that case was filed;
Helps in identifying the presiding judge assigned to the case;
Provides a uniform method to access case information with the federal judicial system;
Assists in the proper placement and storage of court documents.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Utah

Interested persons who wish to conduct a Case number search in Utah can begin by visiting the courthouses in person. Possession of the correct case number assigned to the case by the presiding court will ease the search process.

They can also access the online case management systems provided by the court and make use of the case number search feature available on the website for free or at a cost depending on what is obtainable.

Persons who cannot visit the court in person or make use of the online options can also search mail using the authorized mailbox details of the court responsible for maintaining the records needed.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Utah

Removing Court Cases from public records is also known as sealing the records or expungement in Utah. Expunging a court case record means all history of proceedings involved in the case are sealed and can only be accessed by court order. This history includes:

Records of the arrest
Investigation files
Detention records
Conviction records, including a verdict or finding of guilty after trial or a guilty plea.

The first step in the expungement process is to determine eligibility because not all court cases can be expunged. This eligibility can be confirmed by previewing one's court history and checking if the cases recorded are eligible for expungement according to the law. Individuals with some types of misdemeanor or felony records will not qualify for immediate expungement and are expected to petition the court to get all of their records expunged.

Per Utah’s Expungement Act, a petitioner must first have fully paid all fines and restitutions ordered by the court as part of their previous conviction. Also, an amount of time must have passed since the end of the sentencing, including probation and parole time. For most misdemeanors or felonies involving drug abuse seven to 10 years must have passed. For Class A, B, and other misdemeanors, five, four, and three years, respectively, must have passed for such a person to qualify for expungement. It is expected that the petitioner filing for expungement must have refrained from crime or legal misdeeds since the end of the previous sentence. Also, expungements cannot be granted for active cases.

However even if an individual has met all eligibility criteria, if the previous conviction falls under any of the following crimes listed below they will not be considered for expungement except by official pardon:

Capital felony
First-degree felony
Violent felony
Felony automobile homicide
Felony DUI
Registerable sex offense
Registerable child abuse offense

After eligibility status has been determined, the next step is to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) by filling out an application form. A fee of $65 is attached to the application. If the certificate is granted, the petitioner then proceeds to submit the certificate and a copy of the petition with other required documents to the appropriate court within 90 days.

After the court proceedings have been concluded, an order is issued by the judge for such records to be sealed. The individual is then expected to send copies of the court order to the BCI and other government agencies.

How to Check a Court Case Status in Utah

To check a court case status in Utah, individuals can visit the court in which the case was filed and check with the clerk. They will need to provide the case number or name of the parties to track the status of the case. PACER, XChange, and MyCase are also online platforms through which the status of a court case can be accessed. There is also an option of obtaining this information via mail from the presiding court.

How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Utah

Supreme Court decisions in Utah are also referred to as Opinions. They are considered public records and are accessible by members of the public. These decisions can be assessed online using the authorized website provided by the court. Case numbers and party names can be used for appellate docket search. Records dating as far back as 1986 are available to be accessed. These records can also be obtained from the Appellate Court Clerk physically at the location:

Utah State Appellate Clerk's Office
450 South State Street, 5th Floor
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Phone: (801) 578-3900

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Utah?

According to the Utah Judicial Council report, Utah District Courts received over 220,000 case filings, Juvenile Courts received about 20,000 cases, and the Justice Courts handled nearly 367,000 case filings in 2022. However, only a small percentage of case filings make it to trial. The majority of cases are disposed of via plea bargains, mediated agreements, or other means of case resolution.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Utah?

There is no stipulated time frame for court cases in Utah. The length of time for a case to be resolved depends on the type of case, peculiarities surrounding the case, crime committed, parties involved, and decision of the presiding judge. Most cases can last for days or weeks whereas others can take years to get a judgment.

How to File a Case in Court in Utah

In Utah, filing a case simply means submitting a document to a court against a party in a bid to seek redress. A plaintiff files a civil case while a prosecutor files a criminal case. The type of case determines the court to which documents will be submitted. The documents can be submitted in person, online, or via mail. A document cannot be considered as filed until the court confirms receipt of such documents. The individual filing a document is responsible for ensuring such documents do not contain non-public information as mandated by law.

The individual filing a complaint or petition must ensure that such documents are filed under courts with jurisdiction over such cases and in the right county. For instance, most civil cases involving divorce or eviction are filed in district courts. Small claim cases are handled by Justice courts and child protective orders or parental rights are filed in juvenile courts.

The person filing the case must do so within stipulated deadlines and different documents have different deadlines attached to them. There is also a mandatory filing fee, but an individual can apply for a waiver from the court. The last step in filing a case is to serve the documents filed to the other parties involved in the case.

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

For a Court case to be resolved before the trial date, it means the court or parties involved in the case explored other resolution measures other than a trial proceeding. Once a case has been resolved before trial, the case is considered closed and no further proceeding will take place. The alternative resolution methods common in Utah include:

Mediation: Here a neutral third party serves as the mediator and helps both parties reach a consensus.
Arbitration: This is a more lenient form of trial. An arbitrator is contracted for a fee to hear both parties and offer judgment.
Plea bargain: This is obtainable in criminal cases, where the defendant pleads guilty and accepts a lesser sentence.
Case dismissal: A party or both parties can request for the case to be dismissed before the trial date. A court can also decide to dismiss a case before the trial date depending on the decision of the judge.