State Resources
Utah
Utah’s statewide court search is a paid subscription, which catches people out. Business and UCC search are free and good, and GRAMA gives you a ten-day clock with a free appeal to the State Records Committee.
At a glance
| Record | Held by | Cost | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and entity search | Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | Free to search | Yes |
| UCC filings | Division of Corporations — UCC | Free to search | Yes |
| Professional licenses | Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | Free | Yes |
| Property and land records | County recorder and county assessor | Free online in most counties | By county |
| Court records | Utah Courts — XChange | Subscription; free at courthouse terminals | Paid only |
| Criminal records | Bureau of Criminal Identification, DPS | Fee; consent required | Consent required |
| Vital records | Department of Health, Office of Vital Records | Certified copies carry a fee | Yes |
| Unclaimed property | State Treasurer — MyCash | Free | Yes |
| Voter and resident records | Lieutenant Governor — Voter Search | Free | Yes |
Worth knowing about Utah
XChange is a subscription, and there’s a free way in
Utah runs a genuine statewide court records system called XChange, and it isn’t free. It works on a paid subscription with per-search charges, which surprises people expecting the free portals that Idaho, New Mexico and Arizona publish.
What is free:
- Courthouse terminals. Every Utah district court has public access terminals at no charge.
- Calendars. Court calendars are published free and will confirm that a named person has a hearing scheduled, which is sometimes all you need.
- The clerk. Utah clerks will generally run a name check on the phone.
If you work Utah regularly the subscription pays for itself. If you touch it twice a year, use the clerk.
GRAMA has a free appeal that actually decides things
Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act gives you ten business days for a response, and an appeal route that costs nothing.
You appeal first to the chief administrative officer of the agency, then to the State Records Committee — a standing body that holds hearings and issues binding orders. No lawyer needed, no filing fee.
That’s a materially better position than a state where the only remedy is a lawsuit. The Committee publishes its decisions, and citing a prior decision on the same issue in your original request often ends the argument early.
GRAMA also has an unusually explicit fee waiver provision where release benefits the public rather than you personally. Ask for it in the request, not after the invoice.
Record by record
Business and entity search
Open business search →- Held by
- Division of Corporations and Commercial Code
- Cost
- Free to search
Free entity search returning status, registration date, registered agent and the officers or managers listed.
Utah requires an annual renewal, so an entity in good standing has been touched within the year. An expired entity stopped renewing on a date you can use.
UCC filings
Open UCC search →- Held by
- Division of Corporations — UCC
- Cost
- Free to search
Free UCC search by debtor name. A UCC-1 names the debtor, the secured party and the collateral, and the secured party is usually a lender — one of the few free routes to where a business banks.
Professional licenses
Open DOPL →- Held by
- Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL)
- Cost
- Free
A single division covering most Utah professional and occupational licenses, with free verification returning name, status, dates and disciplinary history.
Property and land records
- Held by
- County recorder and county assessor
- Cost
- Free online in most counties
No statewide property search. The county recorder holds documents and the assessor holds ownership and value across 29 counties.
Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties are the deepest online, and between them hold most of the state’s population — Utah is heavily concentrated along the Wasatch Front, which makes a near-complete property sweep practical.
Court records
Open XChange →- Held by
- Utah Courts — XChange
- Cost
- Subscription; free at courthouse terminals
Statewide district and justice court records. Paid subscription for remote access; free at the courthouse. See above for the free alternatives.
Utah has two tiers — district courts for felonies and larger civil, justice courts for misdemeanors, traffic and small claims. Both are in XChange, but justice court coverage varies by city.
Criminal records
Open BCI →- Held by
- Bureau of Criminal Identification, DPS
- Cost
- Fee; consent required
Utah doesn’t sell a name-based criminal history to the general public. A background check on another person requires the subject’s signed, notarized consent.
Court records through XChange or a courthouse terminal are the practical route.
Vital records
Open vital records →- Held by
- Department of Health, Office of Vital Records
- Cost
- Certified copies carry a fee
Births, deaths, marriages and divorces from the state office. Utah restricts certified copies to the subject and immediate family.
Unclaimed property
Open MyCash →- Held by
- State Treasurer — MyCash
- Cost
- Free
Free name search. The holder named on a reported item is a confirmed bank, insurer or employer relationship with a last known address.
Voter and resident records
Open voter search →- Held by
- Lieutenant Governor — Voter Search
- Cost
- Free
Individual registration lookup confirming status and county. Utah restricts voter records and allows registrants to withhold their record from the public list, so absence doesn’t mean unregistered.
Public records requests in Utah
- Statute
- Utah Code §§ 63G-2-101 et seq. (GRAMA)
- Response deadline
- Ten business days; five if expedited
- Appeal to
- Agency head, then the State Records Committee
- Appeal window
- 30 days to appeal to the agency head
Ten business days as standard, and five if you can show an expedited need — a genuine public interest or a legal deadline.
Appeal to the chief administrative officer within 30 days, then to the State Records Committee, which holds hearings and issues binding orders. Free, and no lawyer required.
GRAMA classifies records as public, private, controlled or protected rather than working from a list of exemptions — similar in spirit to Minnesota. Arguments here are about the classification of the specific record, so name the record and ask what class it’s in.
Fee waivers are explicitly available where release primarily benefits the public. Ask up front.
What Utah will not give you
- A free statewide court search. XChange is a paid subscription. Courthouse terminals are free.
- Name-based criminal history. Not sold to the public. Notarized consent required.
- Driver and vehicle records. Closed under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
- Voter records marked private. Utah lets registrants withhold their record from the public list.
- Expunged records. Removed from the public index.
Course
The Ultimate FOIA and Public Records Course
Every state page here tells you what the law says. The course shows you how to write the request, what to do when it comes back gutted, and how to appeal without a lawyer — the part that decides whether you actually get the records.
See the FOIA courseRelated
- Idaho — free statewide portal to the north
- Colorado — the other paid-search state
- Nevada — two counties cover the whole state
- Appealing a public records denial
- UCC filings name the lender
Fees and procedures verified August 2026. Clerks change their counter rules more often than the statutes change — call before you drive.