Are Utah Vital Records Public?
Yes. Utah vital records generally become public records after at least 50 years from the record’s date. In the meantime, the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act only opens access to vital records to subjects named on the record, parents or legal guardians, and any other parties who can prove a direct and tangible interest in the record.
What Information Shows Up in Utah Vital Records?
Utah vital records are documents generated following a marriage, birth, divorce, death, fetal death, induced termination of pregnancy, dissolution of marriage, or annulment in the state. These records are maintained by the State Department of Health and can be used for a variety of functions, including identification, genealogy, and research.
How Do I Search for Utah Vital Records Online?
Publicly available vital records are managed and disseminated by some third-party aggregate sites. These sites are generally not limited by geographical record availability and may serve as a convenient jump-off point when researching specific or multiple records. However, third-party sites are not government-sponsored. As such, record availability may differ from official channels. To find a record using the search engines on third-party sites, the requesting party will be required to provide the following:
- The location of the record in question, including the city, county, or state where the case was filed.
- The name of someone involved, provided it is not a juvenile.
Requesters must provide relevant information associated with the record to conduct an online search for vital records. Some of these include:
- The registrant's name
- Date of the event
- Place of the event
- City or county where the life event occurred
- First and last name of parents
- Presiding judge (for marriage or divorce records)
When carrying out online searches for vital records, interested parties will be required to provide certain necessary information to facilitate the search. This information typically includes:
- Name of the subject on the record
- The date the vital event occurred
- The city or county in the event occurred
- Name and contact details of the requestor
- The reason the document is being requested
Some record-specific information may also be required, such as the subject’s date of birth or the location of the court proceeding when searching for birth records and divorce records, respectively.
How Do I Obtain Utah Vital Records?
Parties who wish to obtain Utah vital records will be required to provide a valid form of identification, usually a government-issued photo ID. In addition to this, requestors will also be required to pay any applicable fees before copies of records may be obtained.
Certified Copy vs. Informational Copy: Understanding the Difference
Certified copies of records in Utah are endorsed true copies of the document and may be used for official, legal, and commercial purposes. In contrast, informational copies of the duplicate records have no official, commercial, or legal uses.
Are Utah Marriage Records Public Information?
Marriage records in Utah only become public information after 75 years. Therefore, only the subjects on the record can obtain certificates for marriages less than 75 years old. Their immediate family members or legal guardians, who are representatives of these parties, can also request marriage certificates.
How Do I Obtain Marriage Records in Utah?
Parties who wish to find and obtain Utah public marriage records may do so online or by contacting the clerk’s office in the county where the marriage license was issued. Marriage license lookup varies by county. Generally, an inquirer should be able to conduct a marriage license lookup online, by phone, mail, or in person at the County Clerk’s Office. For instance, an individual can conduct a free marriage license records search to view a marriage license via the online tool provided by the Utah County Clerk/Auditor Office. However, individuals will have to pay $10 to obtain certified copies of marriage licenses requested online. Alternatively, marriage license lookup can be done in person at the Utah County Marriage License Office.
Finally, copies of marriage certificates for marriages that occurred between 1978-2010 are available at the Utah Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records and Statistics located at:
Cannon Health Building
288 North 1460 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Parties who wish to obtain records from this office will be required to complete and submit a marriage certificate request form. They can also submit this form via mail-in to:
Vital Records
P.O. Box 141012
Salt Lake City UT 84114-1012
Mailed requests have an average processing time of 3 weeks. Certified copies of marriage records typically cost $18. This fee may vary depending on the county where the record is domiciled. Contact the Office of Vital Records and Statistics for more information on how to find marriage records in Utah.
How to Get a Marriage Certificate in Utah
A record seeker can get a marriage certificate in Utah in the following ways:
- Online: The Utah Vital Records Office has an online tool that record seekers can use to request marriage certificates in the state. Requesters would have to create a Utah.gov Account before accessing the online portal.
- Mail requests: A requester would have to mail a completed Marriage/divorce Certificate Request Form, correct fees, and valid ID to the Vital Records Office. Processing time takes 3 weeks.
- In-person requests: Individuals can visit local health department offices to request marriage certificates.
Contact the Utah Vital Records Office for more information on how to find marriage records in the state.
Are Utah Divorce Records Public Information?
Access to Utah divorce records ranging from the date the courts created the record to 75 years after their creation is typically restricted to only either the subjects on the records, members of their immediate family, or their legal representatives. However, any divorce record older than 75 years is public information.
How Do I Obtain Divorce Records in Utah?
Parties interested in obtaining Utah divorce records may contact the clerk of court at the district court where the divorce occurred. In addition, the Utah judicial branch maintains a court directory from which researchers can glean contact information on these record custodians. Dissolution of marriage records may also be obtained online or directly from the Utah State Office of Vital Records and Statistics by completing a divorce certificate request form, which applicants may submit either in person or by mail. It should, however, be noted that this office only has records of divorces that occurred from 1978-2010.
How to Get a Certified Divorce Certificate in Utah
The Office of Vital Records and Statistics maintains records of divorces in Utah. Hence, an individual can get certified divorce certificates by sending a request to the Office. Dissolution of marriage records requests can be made online, by mail, or in person. To get divorce certificates online, interested persons must create a Utah.gov Account and log in to the portal with their usernames and passwords. Mail and in-person requests require a complete application, correct fees, and valid identification.
Are Utah Birth Records Public Information?
Utah birth records become public information after 100 years. Access to birth records that are not public yet is restricted to the registrant, the registrant’s immediate family or legal guardians, and a legal representative of any of these parties. Public birth records can be obtained from the Utah State Archives Office.
How Do I Find Utah Birth Records?
In addition to carrying out searches and obtaining copies of Utah birth records online, interested parties may also obtain copies of birth certificates in person at any local health department vital records offices located in the state. Requesters can also order replacement birth certificates by completing and submitting a birth certificate application form at the state Office of Vital Records and Statistics.
The Office of Vital records and Statistics maintains copies of records for births that occurred from 1905 to date. These birth certificates cost $20, with an additional $10 for each copy of the same record ordered. Applicants should note that this fee may vary depending on the method chosen to obtain these records.
Is a Birth Certificate Public Record in Utah?
Birth certificates in Utah become public records after 100 years. Public birth records can be retrieved online from the Utah State Archives. Birth certificates less than 100 years old are confidential. Hence, they are restricted to record holders, parents, siblings, spouses, children, grandparents, grandchildren, and legal representatives. Original birth certificates or replacement birth certificates can be obtained online, by mail, or in person from the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics.
Are Utah Death Records Open to the Public?
Utah death records become public information after 50 years. Non-public death records are only available to parties who can prove a direct, tangible, and legitimate interest in the document. Requesters seeking answers to the question “Are death certificates public records?” should contact the Office of Vital Records and Statistics.
How Do I Obtain Death Records in Utah?
Interested parties may obtain copies of death records in Utah in person by either visiting any local health department’s vital records office or directly from the state office of vital records and statistics. In addition, interested persons may initiate a death certificate search by mailing a completed death certificate application form to the state office. It should be noted that only records of deaths from 1905-date are available at the office of Vital Records and Statistics. The fee for performing a death record search by name depends on the method chosen to obtain them. However, a certified copy of a death certificate in Utah typically costs $30, and extra copies of the same record cost $10.
Is a Death Certificate Public Record in Utah?
Vital records questions like ‘Are death certificates public records in Utah?” should be forwarded to the Office of Vital Records and Statistics. This helps record seekers know if they can retrieve death records in the state.
In Utah, death certificates become public records after 50 years. Inquirers can get public death certificates via the online tool provided by the State Archives Office. Death certificates under 50 years are restricted to the deceased person’s immediate family members, legal guardians, or designated legal representatives.
How Do I Obtain Sealed Vital Records in Utah?
Adoption records in Utah are sealed by state law, and adoption decrees may only be requested by an adoptee at least 18 years old or the adoptee’s adoptive parent on the record. Any other party who wishes to access adoption records has to obtain a court order authorizing the unsealing of the records. In addition, adult adoptees and parents of adoptees who want to obtain any adoption record other than an adoption decree are also required to obtain a court order. Authorized parties who wish to access any of these records should contact the district court where the adoption proceeding happened.
Utah also maintains a mutual consent voluntary adoption registry that allows adoptees and their birth parents to seek each other out. Interested parties who wish to register with this registry must complete an adoption registry application form that they can submit in person or via mail at the state Office of Vital Records and statistics. Interested parties will also be required to provide a valid photo ID and a copy of their certified birth certificate, as well as a fee of $25.
What are Utah Vital Statistics?
Per 26-2-2 of the Utah Vital Statistics Act, vital statistics are data obtained from registered certificates and reports of marriage, birth, divorce, death, fetal death, induced termination of pregnancy, dissolution of marriage, or annulment. The Utah Bureau of Vital Statistics started publishing birth, death, marriage, and divorce data in 1953. Record seekers who want to find vital statistics can call (801) 538-6105 or review the vital statistics report on the Bureau of Vital Statistics website.
