Life events · Reviewed 2026-07-22

Utah vital records: choose the right office

Choose a Utah birth, death, marriage, or divorce record by event year, requester, identification, office, current fee, and document type.

The person named on the record, an immediate family member, a legal guardian, or a designated legal representative can request a nonpublic certificate, subject to the office's proof requirements. Public access opens after 100 years for births, 50 years for deaths, and 75 years for marriages and divorces.

For current identification, Utah accepts one item from its primary list or two items from its secondary list. A mailed request needs an identifiable copy of the front and back of the ID or the office says the application will be returned.

As of July 1, 2026, an initial birth, marriage, or divorce certificate is $25 and an initial death certificate is $35. Extra copies of the same record ordered the same day are $10; online, shipping, verification, and expedited charges are separate.

Guide details

Birth and death certificates use the state record path

Utah Vital Records maintains birth, stillbirth, and death records from 1905 to the present. Requests can be made online, in person at most local health departments, or by mail with the application, fee, and identification.

Example: an adult ordering a parent's death certificate should bring current ID and proof of the parent-child relationship if requested. A mail order should be planned around the office's stated minimum six-week processing and mailing window.

Marriage certificate, license, and divorce decree are not the same

Vital Records has marriage and divorce certificates for 1978 through 2010. For a marriage outside that span, contact the county clerk where it was filed. A new marriage license also comes from the county clerk.

For a divorce outside that span, contact the district court where it was filed. The district court also supplies the decree because Vital Records issues only an abstract divorce certificate.

Eligibility and identification come before payment

First identify the requester category and the relationship to the person on the record. Immediate family can be asked for linked birth or marriage certificates; a guardian can be asked for the appointment order; a legal representative needs a letter explaining the legal need.

For a nonpublic record, use current identification. One accepted primary ID or two accepted secondary IDs satisfy the published list; a driving privilege card and novelty ID are specifically excluded.

Use the fee page for the transaction total

The certificate fee is only the starting charge. Online convenience and identity checks, shipping, expedited processing, amendments, searches, or other record services can add separate fees.

Check the fee schedule on the day you order and make sure the requested document is the one the receiving agency needs. Paying for a certificate does not convert it into a decree, license, amendment, or apostille.

Official doorways

Continue with the controlling source

Choose by document and year before entering an order. The wrong office can sell a different record from the one a court, passport office, school, or insurer requested.

Certificate Live check Start the Utah record order Confirm year coverage, requester eligibility, proof, and the online, in-person, or mail method. Open ordering page Cost Live check Check the current fee schedule See the initial-copy amount and separate additional-copy, online, shipping, verification, and expedite charges. Check fees Identification Build the accepted ID set Use one current primary ID or two current secondary IDs for a nonpublic record. Check accepted ID County record Find the filing county Reach the county clerk for an out-of-range marriage record or a new marriage license. Find county office Court record Find the filing district court Use the judicial-district locator, court contacts, and district homepages for an out-of-range divorce record or decree. Find district court

First moves

1
Write down the exact record type, event date, event place, person on the record, and the document the receiving agency asked for.
2
Use 1978 through 2010 to branch marriage and divorce certificates between Vital Records, the county clerk, and the district court.
3
Confirm requester eligibility, relationship proof, and one current primary ID or two current secondary IDs before paying.
4
Open the current fee schedule and choose online, in-person, or mail ordering with enough time for the published processing window.

Watch for

A marriage certificate is not a new marriage license, and a divorce certificate is not the court decree.
An event in another state belongs to that state's vital records office.
Mail requests without the required ID copy can be returned.
The certificate price does not include every online, shipping, verification, amendment, or expedite charge.

Where to confirm this

Order a vital record certificate
Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics

Record-year coverage, eligible requesters, ordering methods, relationship proof, and mail timing.

Checked 2026-07-22
Vital Records fee schedule
Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics

Fee schedule effective July 1, 2026, including certificate and separate transaction charges.

Checked 2026-07-22
Acceptable identification list
Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics

Current primary, secondary, mail-copy, and excluded-ID requirements.

Checked 2026-07-22
Vital Records frequently asked questions
Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics

Controls the certificate, marriage-license, divorce-decree, and out-of-range office distinctions.

Checked 2026-07-22
Utah city and county directory
Utah.gov

County-government doorway for the clerk that filed an out-of-range marriage record.

Checked 2026-07-22
Utah district courts
Utah State Courts

Judicial-district locator, court contact information, and district-court homepages for the court that finalized an out-of-range divorce.

Checked 2026-07-22

The current ordering page and fee schedule control the transaction. Utah Porch does not determine requester eligibility, amend a record, or decide which legal document another agency will accept.