Divorce in Utah, start to finish

Spot something out of date? See our corrections or email hello@thecusp.app.

Utah rebuilt its entire family law code in 2024 and, within the last year or two, retired the online tool most self-represented filers used for a quarter-century. What’s left — Title 81 and MyPaperwork — is a genuinely good system, if you know which parts of what you’ll find online are still current. That’s this.

Start with your dates

Put in the day you filed and this page works out every deadline in your case, then hands you a calendar file that reminds you a week before each one and again the day before. It opens in the calendar you already use. Free, no account, nothing stored.

Jump to the deadline calculator ↓

Built from Utah Code Title 81 (effective 9/1/2024) and the current utcourts.gov Self-Help Center, checked 08/2026
Utah DIY Divorce Kit

Which forms do you actually need?

Your route and its conditions, the forms grouped by route, how filing actually works in Utah, and the sequence with its costs.

First, which route you are on. Each one opens to the conditions the rule actually sets.

Utah’s simplest realistic path

Utah Code Title 81, the Utah Domestic Relations Code; 30-day waiting period

This is the position where all of these are true:

  • There are no minor children of the marriage and neither spouse is pregnant.
  • Property, debts and (where applicable) custody, parent-time and support are already settled.
  • Neither spouse is asking the court for alimony.
  • The spouses are filing together, or the other spouse will sign an Acceptance of Service.
Utah’s standard divorce process

Utah Code Title 81; mediation under § 81-4-403

This is the route where any of these is true:

  • There are minor children of the marriage, or a pregnancy.
  • Property, debts, or (where applicable) custody and support are not yet settled.
  • Alimony is being asked for.
  • The other spouse is not agreeing to accept service.
The forms, grouped by the route they belong to

Grouped exactly as Utah labels them, and nothing is added. Every one links to the official PDF.

All  4 forms
  • MyPaperwork — Petition for Divorce, Divorce Stipulation, Financial Declarations and Decree — generated as a set. Where terms are not yet agreed, the petition and financial declarations generate first and the stipulation and decree generate once the case is fully agreed.
  • 1051FA — Declaration of Jurisdiction and Grounds for Divorce
  • 1110FA — Request to Submit for Decision — once the 30 days have run and the case is ready for a judge
  • 1301FA — Motion to Waive Fees, where the filer qualifies
Minor children  2 forms
  • 1052FA — Income Verification and Compliance with Child Support Guidelines
  • 1202FA / 1203FA — Motion & Order to Waive Required Classes — optional, only where a waiver is requested
Standard route  2 forms
  • 1211FA / 1212FA — Motion & Order to Waive the 30-Day Waiting Period — only for extraordinary circumstances
  • 1561FA — Motion to Grant Divorce and Decide Other Issues Later (bifurcate) — optional
Uncontested; and standard route where terms are agreed  1 form
  • 1350FA — Default Certificate — where the other spouse does not file a formal Answer
Where formal service applies  2 forms
  • 1015FA — Summons — to be served in Utah
  • 1011GEJ — Answer, Divorce — for reference; the responding spouse files this one
You file on paper

Utah does not let you e-file a divorce yourself

The checklist is not something you file. It is your worktable — what to do, in what order, and what it costs. The forms are what reaches the court, and this is how they get there in Utah.

Portal
MyCase (self-represented parties); the district court electronic filing system for attorneys
Paper
Required of you for a divorce, by email, by mail or at the clerk’s counter. MyCase does not take divorce cases.
What it costs
Nothing to you, because you cannot use it for a divorce.
Account
Not needed. MyCase is open to self-represented parties for the case types it lists, and divorce is not one of them: “If your type of case is not on this list, you cannot file through MyCase right now.” Email, mail and in-person filing need no account.
With a fee waiver
Not directly published. The Utah Courts filing procedures page states there is a filing fee for nearly all complaints and petitions and that "fee waivers are available if parties cannot afford them," but does not address a separate e-filing charge.
Worth knowing
Utah gives self-represented filers four routes, and unusually one of them is plain email to the court. Worth flagging for divorce filers: the official MyCase eligibility list on the Utah Courts filing procedures page enumerates debt collection, eviction, small claims, name or sex designation change, and several protective order types — divorce is not among the listed MyCase case types, which points a pro se divorce filer toward email, mail, or the clerk's counter. The Courts also warn: "A document is not filed until the court receives it. If the document goes missing in the mail, it has not been filed," and in-person filers must reach the clerk's office before closing.
The sequence

Each step with the forms it names and the money it costs. The full detail of every step is in the section below. Print this part.

#StepForms it namesCost
1Confirm county residencyNone named—
2Build your packet in MyPaperwork and file itNone named$350
3Serve your spouse within 120 daysNone named—
4Their Answer is due 21 or 30 days after service1350FA—
5Exchange Initial Disclosures and Financial DeclarationsNone named—
6Finish your classes, if you have children 60 / 30 daysNone named—
7Attend a Case Management Conference, then mediation if anything’s contestedNone named—
8Wait out the 30 days from filingNone named—
9Submit your final decree1110FA—
What it costs

Every figure here is this page’s own, from the costs section below. A fee waiver application is free to file and is listed with the forms above.

Filing fee — petition for divorce (statewide, Utah Code § 78A-2-301)$350
Counter-petition, if your spouse files one$130
Sheriff service of process, per person (base fee + mileage — Salt Lake, Utah & Davis Counties all charge $20 base + $2.50/mile)~$40–$100
Divorce Orientation course, per parent (if children)$30 ($15 in-person early-bird)
Mandatory Parenting course, per parent (if children)$35
Certified copy of your divorce certificate, Dept. of Health & Human Services Vital Records$18
Mediation session (split equally between spouses; varies by mediator)check with mediator
Typical all-in, uncontested, no children, doing it yourselves~$385–$445
Typical all-in, uncontested, with children~$515–$580
What this cannot do for you. It cannot tell you which forms your case needs — that depends on facts only you, and if you need one your lawyer, can weigh. Nothing here is new: every route condition, form label and figure is taken from this page’s own verified sections below. Download every form fresh, because clerks reject superseded revisions.
The short version8 points · tap one to jump to it
  1. The two routes, and what the rule requires — Utah does not run a separate “simplified” track the way some states do — one process covers every divorce, and the same 30-day waiting period applies to all of them.
  2. Every form Utah publishes for a divorce — The Cusp is not a law firm and cannot tell you which forms are right for your case.
  3. Getting the forms and filing them in — Utah's self-help system assumes you don't have a lawyer — it's built around that, not despite it.
  4. Your deadlines, calculated — Almost every Utah divorce deadline counts from one of two dates: the day you filed, or the day your spouse was served (or signed an Acceptance of Service).
  5. The order it actually happens in
  6. The rejection-proofing checklist — Same principle as most states: relief you don't request is relief you may not get.
  7. The Financial Declaration — what it covers — Utah's Financial Declaration (current form numbers 1903FA–1905FA, depending on your role) is filed with the court and exchanged with your spouse — it's a sworn statement, not a draft.
  8. What this costs — This part is different: it's member-reported, illustrative data from The Cusp's own users, not a verified state figure — attorney billing isn't published anywhere official, so treat this as a rough sense of range, not a quote.
In this subject 8

1 · The two routes, and what the rule requires

Utah does not run a separate “simplified” track the way some states do — one process covers every divorce, and the same 30-day waiting period applies to all of them. What changes the workload is whether the case is fully agreed, whether there are children, and whether the other spouse will cooperate on service. Getting the residency question wrong is the most common way a $350 filing fee gets wasted.

Residency comes first, and it is per-county. Utah Code § 81-4-402(1) requires one spouse to have lived in the county where the case is filed for at least 90 days — not just in the state of Utah. Someone who recently moved counties may still qualify in the old county, or may simply need to wait out the 90 days where they now live. There are narrow exceptions: active-duty military stationed in Utah under orders, or both spouses affirmatively consenting to the court’s jurisdiction. The clerk in the county under consideration can confirm before any filing fee is paid.

Utah’s simplest realistic path

Utah Code Title 81, the Utah Domestic Relations Code; 30-day waiting period

Not a separate statutory track — the same process, with the fewest moving parts. Mediation generally will not apply because nothing is contested, a live hearing can generally be skipped, and the case finishes by Request to Submit for Decision.

This is the position where all of these are true:

  • There are no minor children of the marriage and neither spouse is pregnant.
  • Property, debts and (where applicable) custody, parent-time and support are already settled.
  • Neither spouse is asking the court for alimony.
  • The spouses are filing together, or the other spouse will sign an Acceptance of Service.

The 30-day waiting period still applies in full. The case can be submitted once the other spouse has accepted service (or let the Answer window pass) and the 30 days have run.

Utah’s standard divorce process

Utah Code Title 81; mediation under § 81-4-403

The same process with the full sequence in Section 5 attached. It does not mean contested in front of a judge — most Utah divorces on this route still settle before trial.

This is the route where any of these is true:

  • There are minor children of the marriage, or a pregnancy.
  • Property, debts, or (where applicable) custody and support are not yet settled.
  • Alimony is being asked for.
  • The other spouse is not agreeing to accept service.

On this route: mediation is mandatory once contested issues remain after a response is filed (§ 81-4-403); financial declarations are exchanged and filed by both spouses; and where there are children, the parenting-course deadlines apply. Even where one spouse files alone as petitioner, a cooperative spouse can still sign a notarized Acceptance of Service rather than the filer paying for a sheriff or process server.

2 · Every form Utah publishes for a divorce

The complete list for both routes, not a shortlist — because which forms a case needs depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Each row says which route it belongs to. Utah moved several of its highest-traffic forms — the petition, the stipulation, the decree, the financial declaration — out of flat numbered downloads and into MyPaperwork, its guided form-assembly tool, and a handful of other forms were renumbered in the 2024–2025 recodification. The links below were checked to resolve rather than copied from a saved set.

This is information, not legal advice

The Cusp is not a law firm and cannot tell you which forms are right for your case. Everything here is general information about how Utah handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Utah itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Utah family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.

FormWhat it isRoute
MyPaperworkPetition for Divorce, Divorce Stipulation, Financial Declarations and Decree — generated as a set. Where terms are not yet agreed, the petition and financial declarations generate first and the stipulation and decree generate once the case is fully agreed.AllOpen
—Domestic Relations Cover Sheet — filed with the petitionAllOpen
—Certificate of Divorce, Dissolution or Annulment (Dept. of Health) — filed with the petitionAllOpen
1051FADeclaration of Jurisdiction and Grounds for DivorceAllOpen
—Acceptance of Service, Appearance, Consent and Waiver — signed before a notary or clerkWhere the other spouse accepts serviceOpen
1015FASummons — to be served in UtahWhere formal service appliesOpen
1011GEJAnswer, Divorce — for reference; the responding spouse files this oneWhere formal service appliesOpen
1052FAIncome Verification and Compliance with Child Support GuidelinesMinor childrenOpen
—Parenting Plan (Form 1902FA, or 1901FA where a servicemember is involved) — via MyPaperwork or the self-help pageMinor childrenOpen
1202FA / 1203FAMotion & Order to Waive Required Classes — optional, only where a waiver is requestedMinor childrenMotion · Order
—Mediation — mandatory once contested issues remain after a response is filed (§ 81-4-403)Where terms are not agreedOpen
—Motion to Excuse Mediation — only where there is good cause to skip itWhere terms are not agreedOpen
1350FADefault Certificate — where the other spouse does not file a formal AnswerUncontested; and standard route where terms are agreedOpen
1110FARequest to Submit for Decision — once the 30 days have run and the case is ready for a judgeAllOpen
1211FA / 1212FAMotion & Order to Waive the 30-Day Waiting Period — only for extraordinary circumstancesStandard routeMotion · Order
1561FAMotion to Grant Divorce and Decide Other Issues Later (bifurcate) — optionalStandard routeOpen
1301FAMotion to Waive Fees, where the filer qualifiesAllOpen

Every one of these is free. Petition, stipulation, decree and financial declaration come from MyPaperwork rather than a flat PDF — download everything else fresh from the pages linked here rather than a saved copy, since Utah renumbered several forms in 2024–2025.

3 · Getting the forms and filing them in

Utah’s self-help system assumes you don’t have a lawyer — it’s built around that, not despite it. Here’s how the pieces actually fit together.

Utah does not let you e-file this yourself You file on paper

Who may e-file
Nobody, for a divorce, through the self-represented portal. Utah does not bar you — UCJA 4-503(2)(A) offers a self-represented party email, mail, MyCase, or in person. But MyCase publishes the case types it accepts, and divorce is not among them: ‘If your type of case is not on this list, you cannot file through MyCase right now.’
Portal
MyCase (self-represented parties); the district court electronic filing system for attorneys
Paper
Required of you in practice. Deliver your papers to the court, mail them, or email them to the court under the rule.
What it costs
No portal fee published.
Account
A MyCase account lets you see your case, but not file a divorce through it — divorce is not among its filing case types. Email, mail and in-person filing require no account.
With a fee waiver
No interaction found. Utah’s mandatory e-filing rule reaches attorneys and licensed paralegal practitioners, so a fee-waived self-represented filer is outside the mandate either way.
Worth knowing
Utah is the one state on this list with no prohibition anywhere — just a list that divorce is missing from. That makes it the hardest closure to discover before you have already tried. Note also that Utah lets a self-represented party file by email to the court, which is electronic in every ordinary sense but is not e-filing and does not go through MyCase.

Step one — start with MyPaperwork, not a search engine

For 25 years Utah’s guided tool was called OCAP (the Online Court Assistance Program). It’s being retired and replaced by MyPaperwork, which now covers divorce, parentage, protective orders, name changes and guardianship reports. It’s free, it asks you plain-language questions, and it assembles your petition, stipulation (if you have one), financial declaration, parenting plan, and decree into court-ready documents.

utcourts.gov — MyPaperwork · Start the divorce interview directly ↗

Registration takes an email address

You’ll register with an email and confirm your account before the interview opens. Save your login — the tool expects you to come back after the 30-day waiting period to generate your final decree paperwork once it’s eligible. Utah doesn’t send you a reminder when that day arrives; that’s what Section 4 below is for.

Step two — signing: mostly declarations, not notarized

Most of Utah’s core packet — the petition, the declaration of jurisdiction, the financial declaration — is signed as a sworn declaration under criminal penalty for a false statement, not notarized. Sign where indicated, use your full legal name consistently across every document, and don’t leave fields blank.

One document really is notarized

If your spouse is waiving formal service by signing an Acceptance of Service, Appearance, Consent and Waiver, that signature has to happen in front of a notary public or a court clerk — under oath, with ID. Never sign it in advance, and never let your spouse sign it before the petition exists to accept service of.

Step three — filing: this is where Utah differs from states with self-serve e-filing

Utah’s district-court e-filing system is limited to attorneys (UCJA Rule 4-503) — self-represented parties aren’t eligible for an e-filing account for civil, probate and domestic cases. MyPaperwork can file a couple of case types directly (protective orders, name changes), but as of this writing, divorce isn’t one of them: you download your completed packet and deliver it yourself — in person, by mail, or by whatever upload option your specific district court clerk accepts.

File at the district court for the county where you meet the 90-day residency test. Salt Lake County is the 3rd District, Utah County is the 4th District, and Davis County is the 2nd District — each has its own clerk’s counter and its own local practices for drop-off, so a quick call before you drive over is worth it.

Can’t afford the fee?

File Form 1301FA, the Motion to Waive Fees and Statement in Support. Utah’s income thresholds are published on the court’s fee-waiver page — as of this writing, roughly $1,883/month for a household of one, rising by about $673 per additional household member — and receiving SNAP, Medicaid, SSI or TANF generally qualifies you outright.

4 · Your deadlines, calculated

Almost every Utah divorce deadline counts from one of two dates: the day you filed, or the day your spouse was served (or signed an Acceptance of Service). Put in what you have and we’ll turn Utah’s rules into actual dates on your calendar — then add all of them to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.

Date you filed (or plan to file) the petition
Leave blank if you haven’t filed yet
Date your spouse was served, or signed Acceptance of Service
Leave blank if this hasn’t happened yet
Do you have minor children together?

5 · The order it actually happens in

1
Confirm county residency
Utah Code § 81-4-402(1): you or your spouse must have lived in the county where you’re filing for at least 90 days — not just Utah generally. Active-duty military stationed here under orders can count that instead.
2
Build your packet in MyPaperwork and file it
Petition, declaration of jurisdiction, financial declaration, and (if you have kids) a parenting plan, filed with the district court for your county along with the $350 filing fee or a fee-waiver motion.
3
Serve your spouse within 120 days
Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 4: complete service and file proof within 120 days of filing, or the case can be dismissed. A cooperative spouse can instead sign a notarized Acceptance of Service — no sheriff or process server needed.
4
Their Answer is due 21 or 30 days after service
21 days if they were served inside Utah, 30 days if served out of state. No Answer and no stipulation means you can move toward a default with Form 1350FA, the Default Certificate.
5
Exchange Initial Disclosures and Financial Declarations
Both of you file and exchange these — they’re sworn declarations of income, expenses, assets and debts, not just an informal exchange. Either of you can also file a Motion for Temporary Orders at any point from here on.
6
Finish your classes, if you have children 60 / 30 days
Utah Code §§ 81-4-105 and 81-9-103: the petitioner completes the Divorce Orientation and Mandatory Parenting courses within 60 days of filing; the respondent within 30 days of being notified. The court can’t finalize orders affecting children without proof of completion, or a judge’s waiver.
7
Attend a Case Management Conference, then mediation if anything’s contested
Utah Code § 81-4-403 makes mediation mandatory once contested issues remain after a response is filed — at least one good-faith session, cost split equally between you unless you agree or the court orders otherwise. Fully stipulated cases can move to a Motion to Excuse Mediation instead.
8
Wait out the 30 days from filing
§ 81-4-402(3)(a): the court cannot enter a decree until 30 days after you filed, unless a judge finds extraordinary circumstances on Form 1211FA. This is a floor — most contested or partly-agreed cases take considerably longer once mediation and a Case Management Conference are added in.
9
Submit your final decree
If you’re stipulated, go back into MyPaperwork once the 30 days have run to generate your Findings and Decree, file a Request to Submit for Decision (Form 1110FA), and a judge signs it — often without a hearing. Contested cases proceed to a pretrial conference and, if needed, trial.

6 · The rejection-proofing checklist

These are the specific things that get Utah filings bounced, delayed, or defaulted against you — every one of them costs weeks.

Signing and the Acceptance of Service trap

Alimony not asked for in the petition can be waived

Same principle as most states: relief you don’t request is relief you may not get. If alimony is even a possibility, say so in your petition — you can narrow it later, but adding it after the fact is much harder than removing it.

Forms people forget

Timing

7 · The Financial Declaration — what it covers

Utah’s Financial Declaration (current form numbers 1903FA–1905FA, depending on your role) is filed with the court and exchanged with your spouse — it’s a sworn statement, not a draft. MyPaperwork will build it with you; here’s what it’s actually asking for.

  • Gross income from every source Wages, self-employment, bonuses, commissions, unemployment, disability, and any other regular income.
  • Monthly living expenses, itemized Housing, utilities, insurance, transportation, food, and any child-related costs.
  • All bank, brokerage and retirement account balances Checking, savings, money market, CDs, 401(k)/IRA/pension accounts, with approximate current values.
  • Real estate and major personal property, with estimated value Including any mortgage or lien balance owed against it.
  • All debts Credit cards, loans, medical debt, anything owed jointly or individually.
  • Health insurance information Who currently carries coverage and at what cost, especially if you have children.
  • Supporting documents on request Pay stubs and statements aren’t attached to the declaration itself, but be ready to produce them if your spouse or the court asks.
The form number moved — the form didn’t disappear

If you find a saved PDF called 1352FA, that’s the old numbering from before the 2024–2025 recodification. It may still open, but don’t file it — get the current version from the Financial Declaration self-help page or generate it fresh inside MyPaperwork.

8 · What this costs

ItemCost
Filing fee — petition for divorce (statewide, Utah Code § 78A-2-301)$350
Counter-petition, if your spouse files one$130
Sheriff service of process, per person (base fee + mileage — Salt Lake, Utah & Davis Counties all charge $20 base + $2.50/mile)~$40–$100
Divorce Orientation course, per parent (if children)$30 ($15 in-person early-bird)
Mandatory Parenting course, per parent (if children)$35
Certified copy of your divorce certificate, Dept. of Health & Human Services Vital Records$18
Mediation session (split equally between spouses; varies by mediator)check with mediator
Typical all-in, uncontested, no children, doing it yourselves~$385–$445
Typical all-in, uncontested, with children~$515–$580
These figures are the state’s, not ours

Every number above comes from a current statute or a county sheriff’s published fee schedule — we don’t mark them up. Where a cost genuinely varies (mediator rates, service mileage to a rural address), we say so instead of inventing a figure.

What members are reporting for attorney-assisted cases

This part is different: it’s member-reported, illustrative data from The Cusp’s own users, not a verified state figure — attorney billing isn’t published anywhere official, so treat this as a rough sense of range, not a quote.

CountyUncontested, attorney-reviewedContested, full representation
Salt Lake County$1,800–$3,200$9,000–$25,000+
Utah County$1,500–$2,800$7,500–$20,000+
Davis County$1,600–$2,900$8,000–$21,000+

Illustrative demo data for this prototype — self-reported ranges, not a market survey. Contested cases involving a business, complex custody, or hidden assets routinely run well above these ranges.

Does cheating change the money in Utah?

It can. Marital conduct is a factor the court is allowed to weigh. The rule: “the court may consider the fault of the parties” (§ 81-4-502(2)(a)); fault is defined to include sexual relations outside the marriage (§ 81-4-501(3)(a)). How all fifty states answer this.

Reconciled, and it did not work? We read Utah’s code and found no forgiveness provision in it, which is not the same as the doctrine being dead there: condonation, state by state. If the decision itself is what you are sitting with rather than the law, start here.

What this is. A guide to Utah’s own process, built from the Utah Domestic Relations Code (Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 4, effective September 1, 2024, including §§ 81-4-402, 81-4-403 and 81-4-405), the Utah court-fee statute (§ 78A-2-301), the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure (including Rules 4 and 109), and the current self-help pages and forms published by the Utah State Courts at utcourts.gov. The forms themselves are free, and this guide links you to the court’s own pages and MyPaperwork rather than reselling them.

What this is not. The Cusp is not a law firm and does not practice law. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here tells you which choice is right for your particular situation — only what Utah requires of each path. If your case involves contested custody, a business, hidden assets, domestic violence, or a spouse with a lawyer, talk to one yourself; many offer free consultations, and one hour of advice is cheaper than a case that stalls on a missed deadline.

On the 2024 recodification. Utah repealed and renumbered most of its family law statutes into Title 81 effective September 1, 2024, with further amendments effective May 7, 2025. Older material online — including some search results and AI answers — may still cite superseded sections like Title 30, Chapter 3. Where this guide could not verify a current form number, fee, or deadline with confidence, it says so or points you to your district court clerk rather than guessing.

Authority: Utah Code tit. 81 ch. 4 — county residency at § 81-4-402(1), the 30-day decree bar at § 81-4-402(3)(a), grounds at § 81-4-405; the filing fee is § 78A-2-301 — read it on Utah’s own site. Checked 15 Sep 2026.
Next step
Before you do anything with the house

Four things can happen to the house in a Utah divorce

Utah is one of the twenty. The moment a petition is filed, an automatic order takes effect on both of you, barring either from selling or encumbering property. Nobody is served with it separately and nobody explains it. Breaking it is contempt.

One of you buys the other out, you sell later, you sell now, or the court decides. For a great many people the right answer is not to sell at all – and three of the four routes earn us nothing.

The four routes, compared · Keeping it: the buyout and the carrying cost · Selling: capital gains, basis and timing · Finding an agent who has done a divorce sale · What two households cost

Need a vetted attorney, mediator, or financial analyst in Utah?

Browse The Cusp’s professional directory — rated only by verified clients, never ranked by who paid the most.

Browse the directory →

The Cusp · All 50 state kits · Find a professional · About

If the house is part of this

Ask for an introduction to an agent → — who we would introduce you to, what the referral fee is and who pays it, and why the answer is sometimes that you should not sell at all.

The decree is not the last deadline

The most expensive mistakes in a divorce are made in the year after it, by people who thought the case was over. After the divorce is the checklist for that year — the health-coverage clock, the retirement order a decree cannot replace, and the beneficiary form that outranks your will.

When people ask what they can do

Filing is one household becoming two, and the second one starts empty. The two-household list is what to send the people who keep asking how they can help — the second of everything, and the half of it that costs nothing. Some people call it a divorce registry.

Sources last checked14 September 2026
Page published18 August 2026
What this means. This is when the sources on this page were last read against their originals — statutes, court rules, official schedules — taken from the date this page was built from its sources. It is not the date the page was last edited. Adding a link or fixing a typo does not move it; re-reading the statute does. Law changes without notice, so treat anything time-sensitive as needing a fresh check. Where we get something wrong we publish it at thecusp.app/corrections with the date, what changed, and how long the error was live.
Know someone who could use this? Divorce, co-parenting, stepfamilies, starting over — send them here. Free, and nobody finds out they looked.

Common questions about filing for divorce in Utah

Short answers to what people ask most before they start. Each one points at the part of this page that covers it in full.

How do I file for divorce in Utah?

This page sets out the order it happens in for Utah: which form opens the case, what has to be served on the other person and when, and what the court needs before it will finish. It is written to be followed in sequence rather than read through.

What forms do I need to file for divorce in Utah?

The form list on this page gives the official Utah form numbers, each one’s revision date, and a link to the copy on the court’s own site rather than a copy hosted here. Using a superseded revision is one of the most common reasons a filing comes back, which is why the dates are shown.

How much does it cost to file for divorce in Utah?

$350 to open the case, and that is only the filing fee — it does not cover service, copies, any required class, or a lawyer. The full breakdown for Utah, with every figure traced to the court’s own published schedule and dated, is at what it costs to file in Utah.

What gets a Utah divorce filing rejected?

This page has a section on exactly that — the specific mistakes that get a filing returned in Utah rather than a general list. Most of them are procedural and cost weeks rather than money: the wrong form revision, a missing signature or notarization, service done in a way the state does not accept, or filing before a residency requirement is met.

How long does a divorce take in Utah?

There is a timeline on this page built from Utah’s own statutory day-counts, not from averages. The honest short answer is that the waiting period is a floor and not a prediction: an uncontested case can finish close to it, and a contested one is governed by the court’s calendar rather than the statute.

Where does the information on this page come from?

Utah’s own courts and statutes. Every form links to the court’s site, every fee is quoted from the published schedule with the date it was last checked, and where something could not be confirmed from an official source this site says so instead of estimating. It is free, with no account and no paywall.

Does cheating change the money in Utah?

It can. Marital conduct is a factor Utah allows the court to weigh, which is not the same as a rule that decides the outcome — it sits alongside need, earning capacity and the length of the marriage, and how much weight it gets is the judge’s. Eighteen states are in this position. The fifty-state table sets out the section this comes from, and the card higher up this page quotes your state’s own words.

If the house is being sold as part of a Utah divorce

Choosing an agent for a divorce sale is a different problem from choosing one for an ordinary sale: who the agent is allowed to talk to, who has to sign, what happens when one of you will not, and the three separate conflicts of interest that come up when one spouse found the agent first. How to choose a real estate agent for a divorce sale sets out what to ask, and how to check a credential yourself — no divorce credential is official with the National Association of Realtors.

The Cusp receives a referral fee from agents it vets and trains to handle divorce clients.

Key deadlines at a glance

These are the same deadlines the calculator above works out, shown as days counted from the day you file or the day your spouse is served. Use the calculator for your exact dates.

No minor children

StepWhenWhat it means
Petition filedThe day you fileThe 30-day waiting period and the 120-day service deadline both start counting from here.
Spouse served / signed Acceptance of ServiceThe day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver)Their response clock starts now.
Earliest a judge can sign your decree30 days after filingUtah Code § 81-4-402(2) — a floor, not a target, unless a judge grants Form 1211FA for extraordinary circumstances.
Their Answer is due, if served in Utah21 days after service21 days from service. If they were served outside Utah, this is 30 days instead — check your proof of service.
Deadline to complete service and file proof120 days after filingUtah Rule of Civil Procedure 4.

With minor children

StepWhenWhat it means
Petition filedThe day you fileThe 30-day waiting period and the 120-day service deadline both start counting from here.
Spouse served / signed Acceptance of ServiceThe day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver)Their response clock starts now.
Earliest a judge can sign your decree30 days after filingUtah Code § 81-4-402(2) — a floor, not a target, unless a judge grants Form 1211FA for extraordinary circumstances.
Their Answer is due, if served in Utah21 days after service21 days from service. If they were served outside Utah, this is 30 days instead — check your proof of service.
Their divorce classes are due30 days after service30 days from being notified of the requirement.
Your (petitioner’s) divorce classes are due60 days after filingDivorce Orientation and Mandatory Parenting courses — Utah Code §§ 81-4-105 and 81-9-103.
Deadline to complete service and file proof120 days after filingUtah Rule of Civil Procedure 4.

Your county

Divorce rules are set by the state, but each county or court has its own forms, deadlines, classes and filing habits. Choose yours.

Utah has a unified state court system, so the divorce process is largely the same in every county. Statewide rules include a 3-month county residency requirement, a 30-day wait between filing and finalizing, service within 120 days, usually mediation once an answer is filed, and required parenting and divorce orientation classes ($35 and $30 per person). Counties differ mainly in court contact details, the court’s own filing email, in-person class locations and a few district standing orders. This is general information, not legal advice. See the statewide forms.

Cache County Call or check the court website to confirm

Cache County follows the statewide divorce process. No county-specific divorce differences were confirmed from an official page, so check with the clerk.

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Davis County Call or check the court website to confirm

Davis County is part of the Second District, which also covers Morgan and Weber Counties. The district page posts four standing orders (court security screening, private records access, filing non-document attachments prohibited, medical release of incarcerated individuals) and a CD request form; none is specific to divorce. Contact details were not confirmed here, so use the state court directory or the clerk.

Local rules · Court website

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Salt Lake County Call or check the court website to confirm

Salt Lake County follows the statewide divorce process. The Third District forms page lists no divorce forms (it covers items like copy requests and judgment-debtor questions), so statewide forms apply. In-person parenting and orientation classes are offered at Matheson Courthouse and in West Valley City, and any location can be used regardless of where the case is filed.

Who to contact: Matheson Courthouse, 450 South State St, P.O. Box 1860, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1860; (801) 238-7300

Local forms

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Utah County Call or check the court website to confirm

Utah County follows the statewide divorce process. The Provo district court address and phone are published in the state court directory. In-person divorce classes are offered at the Provo City Library at Academy Square. Local forms, rules and the court’s filing email were not confirmed, so confirm with the clerk.

Who to contact: 137 N Freedom Blvd, Suite 100, Provo, UT 84601; (801) 429-1000

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Washington County Call or check the court website to confirm

Washington County follows the statewide divorce process. No county-specific divorce differences were confirmed from an official page, so check with the clerk.

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Weber County Call or check the court website to confirm

Weber County is part of the Second District with Davis and Morgan Counties and shares the same posted standing orders, none of which is divorce-specific. Statewide divorce rules and forms apply. Address, phone and filing email were not confirmed, so check with the clerk.

Local rules · Court website

Where this comes from

Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date

Not listed? Your county clerk of court can tell you the local rules. These are general information from court and clerk pages, last checked 2026-11-10, not legal advice.

Serving the papers in Utah? Any adult 18 or older who is not a party; not you. Deadline: 120 days. (As we read the rules on 29 October 2026.) See who can serve a divorce summons and whether you can do it yourself, and find Utah in our state-by-state serving table.

How we can help

Understand the house first. Then talk to someone who gets it.

The house is usually the largest decision in a divorce, and the one people are least ready for. Here is what we do, in the order that makes sense.

1. Start with the facts, free

22 states have automatic orders that freeze both spouses the moment a divorce is filed, barring either one from selling or borrowing against the property. Is yours one of them?

Plain-English guides on what can happen to the house, what an automatic order stops you doing, and how the tax rules decide what a sale is worth. No account and nothing to buy.

2. Know when not to call an agent

Often the right answer is to wait, or to talk to your lawyer or an accountant first. We say so plainly. An agent is the wrong first call if nothing is filed, or if an order restricts what either of you can do with the property.

3. Talk to someone who gets it

When you do need an agent, we introduce you to a local agent who has completed our divorce real estate training and passed its 20-question exam. Before any introduction we check the license with the state regulator (any unresolved disciplinary action is a no), the agent’s closed sales, and a review rating of 4.7 or better. The introduction is free, and you are free to say no.

Ask for an introduction

How we are paid

You pay us nothing. Agents are not charged for the training, the exam or the free resources. If an introduction leads to a closed sale, the agent’s brokerage pays a referral fee out of its own commission, not out of your proceeds. A place on the panel cannot be bought.

General information, not legal or tax advice. The Cusp is not a law firm.

Selling a home in a divorce: what to ask a local listing agent

Selling the house is often the largest single decision in a divorce. These questions help you judge whether an agent has done it before. They do not replace your lawyer, who should approve the plan before anything is listed.

  • Have you sold homes where both spouses had to sign, or where a court had to approve the sale? How many, and how recently?
  • Does filing already restrain a sale in my state? Check the 50-state table and ask my lawyer before we sign anything.
  • Who decides on price changes and which offers to accept when we disagree, and how will that be written down?
  • Who pays the mortgage, taxes and insurance until closing, and what does the listing agreement say about it?
  • Where will the sale proceeds be held until the decree says who gets what?
  • How will you handle showings, access and lockboxes if we are not speaking?
  • Will you give both spouses and both lawyers the same information at the same time?
  • What happens to the listing agreement if we settle, reconcile or the case is delayed? What are the cancellation terms?
  • Can I have your fee terms in writing and the names of past clients who sold during a divorce?