Utah Courts – Page 2 – Utah Court Rules

Posted: July 23, 2026

Rules of Juvenile Procedure – Comment Period Closed September 8, 2026

URJP020. Discovery generally. Amend. The proposed changes to Rule 20 include: (a) renaming the rule to “Discovery and subpoenas in delinquency and criminal proceedings,” reflecting the expanded scope and applicability to delinquency and criminal proceedings in juvenile court; (b) removing language not related to discovery in delinquency or criminal proceedings; (c) explicitly requiring prosecutors in the county of occurrence to disclose discovery materials prior to arraignment; (d) adopting and clarifying that Rule 14 of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure governs subpoenas; and (e) articulating the timing and content requirements for notice of expert witnesses in trials and hearings, and potential sanctions for noncompliance.

URJP023A. Hearing on factors of Utah Code section 80-6-503; bind over to district court. Amend. The proposed amendments to Rule 23A update statutory references while removing procedural provisions duplicative of Utah Code section 80-6-504. Additionally, the proposal simplifies the procedures for binding a minor over to district court following a probable cause determination.

Posted: July 23, 2026

Rules of Civil Procedure – Comment Period Closed September 8, 2026

URCP005. Service and filing of pleadings and other documents. AMEND. The amendments require a party seeking default judgment to serve notice on a non-moving party’s attorney if known, even if no formal appearance has been entered. Additionally, they expand service requirements on defaulting parties to mandate serving the proposed default judgment along with all accompanying and supporting documents.

URCP029.Stipulations regarding disclosure and discovery procedure. AMEND. This amendment corrects a typographical error by updating a cross-reference from Rule 26(b)(2) to Rule 26(b)(3) regarding proportionality standards.

URCP030. Depositions upon oral questions. AMEND. The amendments to paragraph (f) remove outmoded requirements for deposition officers to physically seal and label transcripts with specific markings, streamlining delivery requirements to reflect modern practice and eliminate unnecessary costs.

URCP037. Statement of discovery issues; Sanctions; Failure to admit, to attend deposition or to preserve evidence. AMEND. The amendments align paragraph (a)(2) with Rule 7(q) by adding a 1,500-word limit option for statements of discovery issues, and update a cross-reference in paragraph (a)(7) from Rule 26(b)(2) to Rule 26(b)(3) regarding proportionality standards.

URCP064. Writs in general. AMEND. The amendments to paragraph (d)(2) align the rule with S.B. 156 by explicitly permitting writs to direct an officer to establish a periodic payment schedule with a defendant in lieu of seizing and selling property, or to communicate with the defendant regarding payment of the writ.

URCP064E. Writ of execution. AMEND. The amendment to paragraph (a) aligns the rule with S.B. 156 by clarifying that a writ of execution is available to enforce a judgment or order for the payment of money whether the payment is in an amount sufficient to satisfy the final judgment or subject to a periodic payment schedule.

URCP074. Withdrawal of counsel. AMEND. The amendment to paragraph (e) removes the requirement for former counsel’s signature on a notice of substitution of counsel, ensuring that obtaining former counsel’s signature or permission is not a prerequisite for a client to secure new representation.

URCP0105. Shortening 30 day waiting period in divorce actions. AMEND. The amendments replace references to a “motion for a hearing” with a “request to enter a decree of divorce” to reflect the modern practice of submitting stipulated proposed findings rather than holding actual hearings, alongside minor plain-language and stylistic updates.

URCP110. Judicial interview of a minor child. NEW. This new rule applies to district court proceedings in which the court is permitted to interview a minor child, and explicitly excludes juvenile court matters, child testimony, and non-judicial interviews. Adapted generally from the Uniform Judicial Interview of Children Act (UJICA), the rule covers interview criteria, required judicial training, recording requirements, guardian ad litem attendance, and post-interview access to records.

Posted: July 23, 2026

Rules of Appellate Procedure – Comment Period Closed September 8, 2026

URAP001. Scope of rules. Amend. The Committee proposes amending Rule 1 to: 1) clarify which rules do not apply to substantiation proceedings under Utah Code § 80-3-504; and 2) clean-up for clarity and consistency.

URAP019. Extraordinary relief. Amend. The Committee proposes amending Rule 19 to: 1) clarify that the contents of the petition must include headings and be in order; and 2) add a procedure for the clerk to reject a petition if all required contents are not included.

URAP027. Form of briefs, motions, and other documents. Amend. Rule 27 was previously posted for public comment for proposed amendments to add a requirement that cases involving pretrial detention, parental rights, or child custody must state that it is such a case on the cover of the brief. The new proposed amendment expands that list to include capital charges. These amendments expand on the already effective requirement that the cover must note if an individual is incarcerated.

URAP048. Time for petitioning. Amend. This rule was previously posted for public comment to put into rule an internal process that states a rejected petition of writ of certiorari will be construed as an extension of time if filed prior to the admitted time expiring. The Committee proposes changing the new language to remove “or other filing” in new paragraph (e)(3) and change the language on extensions from “per party” to “per petition.”

Posted: June 30, 2026

Rules of Juvenile Procedure – Comment Period Closed August 14, 2026

URJP016. Transfer of delinquency case and venue. Amend. The proposed amendments primarily clarify the procedures for transferring delinquency cases, establishing the minor’s county of residence as the primary venue. Additionally, the proposal specifies that cases not adjudicated at arraignment must be transferred to the county of occurrence for “pretrial conference and all other hearings up to and including adjudication” before returning to the county of residence for disposition, and it allows either court to handle competency motions following mutual consultation.

Posted: June 22, 2026

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed August 6, 2026

CJA03-421. Working Interdisciplinary Network of Guardianship Stakeholders (WINGS) (AMEND)
To provide greater flexibility, community stakeholder members serving on the WINGS committee may be exempt from standard term limits.

CJA04-906. Guardian ad litem program (REPEALED)
CJA04-906. Guardian ad Litem Office, Oversight Committee, and Director (NEW)
CJA04-906.01. GALs, staff, and volunteers (NEW)
CJA04-906.02. Private GALs (NEW)
CJA04-906.03. Complaints (NEW)
Rule 4-906 is repealed and replaced with four distinct rules to reflect the legislative changes in House Bill 372 (effective May 6, 2026) regarding the Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Oversight Committee and the GAL Office Director’s responsibilities. The amendments also incorporate a new appeal process for complaints, while maintaining the substance of the provisions related to GAL staff, volunteers, and private GALs.

Posted: June 4, 2026

Supreme Court Rules of Professional Practice – Comment Period Closed July 20, 2026

Rule 4-1001. IOLTA. Amend. These amendments make stylistic updates and define allowable reasonable service fees for IOLTA accounts.

Rule 5-1001. IOLPPTA. Amend. These amendments make stylistic updates and address how unclaimed and unidentified funds are handled in Licensed Paralegal Practitioner’s client trust accounts.

Posted: May 28, 2026

Rules of Court-Annexed Alternative Dispute Resolution Comment Period Closed July 13, 2026

URCADR0104. Rules of Court-Annexed Alternative Dispute Resolution, Rule 104. Code of Ethics for ADR Providers. AMEND. The proposed amendments include language that adds the facilitators who conduct Online Dispute Resolution for the Justice Courts to the ethical requirements found in this rule, along with amendments to update the rule and to conform to the Supreme Court’s style guide for the rules.

Posted: May 21, 2026

Code of Judicial Administration – Comment Period Closed July 6, 2026

CJA03-306.04. Interpreter appointment, payment, and fees (AMEND)
The proposed amendments require that all interpreter appointments be made using an interpreter scheduling process approved by the Council.

CJA03-409. Court facilities planning (AMEND)
The proposed amendments (1) remove references to the now disbanded Court Facility Planning Committee, (2) update the responsibilities and reporting duties of the Court Facilities Director and court executives, and (3) make non-substantive formatting changes.

CJA04-202.12. Request by victim to use initials rather than name (NEW)
Under House Bill 102, for offenses occurring on or after July 1, 2026, a crime victim can choose to use their initials rather than their names in charging documents and other public-facing filings and documents. The amendments: 1) establish a process for victims to make a request; 2) require prosecutors to file a corrected charging document if a request is made after the charging document was filed; and 3) classify charging documents listing the victim’s name as “private” records pending the receipt of an amended charging document.

CJA03-110. Judicial officer financial disclosures (NEW)
New rule requiring all judicial officers to submit annual financial disclosures on a form approved by the Council.

CJA04-202.02. Records classification (AMEND)
The amendments: 1) classify court records identifying a victim by name rather than initials as “private,” if a valid and timely request is made under CJA rule 4-202.12, and 2) classify unredacted judicial officer financial disclosure forms as “protected records.”

CJA03-412. Procurement of goods and services (AMEND)
The amendments bring the rule in line with the Utah Procurement Code.

CJA04-102. Case, calendar, and panel assignments (AMEND)
In response to Senate Bill 257, the amendments direct district courts to assign any case or proceeding involving the same child or family to a single judge, to the extent possible.

CJA01-205. Standing and Ad Hoc Committees (AMEND)
The amendments: 1) dissolve the Court Facilities Planning Committee, 2) amend the membership of the Uniform Fine Committee and the Committee on Children and Family Law, and 3) amend the membership of and certain provisions regarding the Guardian ad Litem Oversight Committee to coincide with amendments in House Bill 372.

Posted: April 23, 2026

Rules Governing the Utah State Bar – Admissions – Comment Period Closed June 8, 2026

USB4-722. Petition to Waive a Rule in Extraordinary Circumstances. New. The proposed rule establishes a process for an applicant to seek a rule waiver. It clearly sets forth the “extraordinary circumstances” standard and adds an advisory note referencing relevant opinions from this Court. The change also states that the Court will not grant a rule waiver without requesting a response from the Bar, which will alleviate some burden on the Bar to respond to every petition filed under the rule.

Posted: April 21, 2026

Supreme Court Rules of Professional Practice – Comment Period Closed June 5, 2026

SCRP01-530. Unprofessional Conduct Complaints. AMEND. The proposed amendments are intended to clarify the Lawyer discipline process before the Office of Professional Conduct (OPC) and the Utah Supreme Court’s Ethics and Discipline Committee (the Committee), including what relief may be sought, who may file a disciplinary Complaint, the OPC’s investigation of the allegations in a Complaint, and the circumstances when the OPC may dismiss or decline to prosecute a disciplinary Complaint. The amendments also address the manner in which a Complainant may appeal the OPC’s dismissal of or declination to prosecute a Complaint to the Committee chair, the standards applicable to such appeals, and what records the chair will review in connection with an appeal. In addition, the amendments specify what may occur when the Committee chair reverses an OPC dismissal.