Utah
- The form
- The agency's own form and instructions were read, not just the statute. The form governs what the office will accept, and it can require more than the statute says: Arizona's statute never mentions a notary, and its form requires one.
- Read on October 5, 2026:
- The law
- The statute was read on a government website during the current verification pass.
- How this page was checked
- statute read on le.utah.gov in its current form (81-13-213 and 81-13-207, effective May 6, 2026, renumbered from 78B-6-121 and 78B-6-110 on September 1, 2025); form DHHS-OVRS-301 (2026) and the Vital Records putative father page read on vitalrecords.utah.gov; the Utah courts' paternity self-help page read on utcourts.gov. The form is where the notary requirement, the mailing address, the no-fee statement and the required copy of the court filing come from. One conflict is unresolved: the form says the notice may be hand delivered to 288 N 1460 W in Salt Lake City, while the office's contact page says it no longer has a walk-in window open to the public.
Utah Putative Father Registry (registry of notices from unmarried biological fathers)
Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Records and Statistics
On filing, the office gives the registrant a photocopy of the registered notice showing its registration number and the date and time it was accepted, and a receipt showing the date and time it was accepted.
What Utah requires
Start a parentage proceeding in a Utah court
Required by statute- What the statute requires
- For a child placed at 180 days old or younger, he must initiate proceedings in a court with jurisdiction under Title 78A to establish parentage under the Uniform Parentage Act, before the mother executes her consent or relinquishes the child. He may file in any county if he does not know the county where she resides. The statute gives him at least one business day after the birth to comply fully. A father who knew or should have known of a Utah connection has until the later of 20 days after he knew of it or the mother's consent.
- Utah Code 81-13-213(4)(a), (6), (8)(b); 81-13-207(3)(d)
- When it counts as filed
- It counts when the court files it.
- Notarization
- Not required
- Fee
- Not listed here. The court clerk can say what the filing fee is.
- Filed with the court
In person
Through the court's electronic filing system
This deadline is tied to an event a father generally cannot see (the mother's consent, the child's placement with adoptive parents, or a court petition to end parental rights). There is no countdown to show. The statute rewards filing as early as possible, including before the birth where the state allows it.
File the sworn affidavit of willingness and ability to parent in the parentage case
Required by statute- What the statute requires
- He must file with the court presiding over the parentage proceeding a sworn affidavit stating that he is fully able and willing to have full custody of the child, setting forth his plans for the care of the child, and agreeing to a court order of child support and the payment of expenses incurred in connection with the pregnancy and the birth.
- Utah Code 81-13-213(4)(b)
- When it counts as filed
- It counts when the court files it.
- Notarization
- Not settled
- The statute calls for a "sworn affidavit", and Utah's courts publish no form for it. Utah's Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act lets a declaration under penalty of perjury stand in for most sworn statements, but nothing official says whether a court accepts one here. Signing it before a notary satisfies either reading.
- Fee
- Not listed here. The court clerk can say what the filing fee is.
- Filed with the court
In person
Through the court's electronic filing system
This deadline is tied to an event a father generally cannot see (the mother's consent, the child's placement with adoptive parents, or a court petition to end parental rights). There is no countdown to show. The statute rewards filing as early as possible, including before the birth where the state allows it.
File notice of the parentage proceeding with the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics
Required by statute- What the statute requires
- He must file notice of the commencement of the parentage proceeding with the Office of Vital Records and Statistics, in a confidential registry it keeps for that purpose. The notice is considered filed when received by the office.
- Utah Code 81-13-213(4)(c); 81-13-213(5)(a)
- When it counts as filed
- It counts when the office receives it, not when it is mailed.
- Notarization
- Required
- The state's own form
- DHHS-OVRS-301, Notice of commencement of paternity proceedings (2026)
- Fee
- No fee
- Where it goes
By mail
Office of Vital Records and StatisticsAttn: Court orders, PO Box 141012Salt Lake City, UT 84114-1012Certified mail with a return receipt is not required, but it gives the sender a dated record that the envelope arrived.
- What the form itself requires
- A copy of the paternity proceeding filed in a Utah district court, showing its court case number, must be submitted with the form.
- Every field is required, including the father's Social Security number. Missing information may delay registration.
- He signs under penalty of perjury, before a notary.
- The office does not accept faxes or any other electronic filing.
- If mailed, the form recommends certified or other traceable mail.
This deadline is tied to an event a father generally cannot see (the mother's consent, the child's placement with adoptive parents, or a court petition to end parental rights). There is no countdown to show. The statute rewards filing as early as possible, including before the birth where the state allows it.
Offer and pay a fair and reasonable amount of the pregnancy and birth expenses, and keep a record of each offer and payment
Required by statute- What the statute requires
- He must have offered to pay and paid, during the pregnancy and after the birth, a fair and reasonable amount of the expenses of the pregnancy and the birth, in accordance with his financial ability. That does not apply if he did not have actual knowledge of the pregnancy, if the person or agency with lawful custody of the child prevented him from paying, or if the birth mother refused his offer to pay.
- Utah Code 81-13-213(4)(d)
- Notarization
- Not required
This deadline is tied to an event a father generally cannot see (the mother's consent, the child's placement with adoptive parents, or a court petition to end parental rights). There is no countdown to show. The statute rewards filing as early as possible, including before the birth where the state allows it.
Who gets notice of an adoption
A father who fully and strictly completed every required act before the mother's consent. One who did not is considered to have waived and surrendered any right to notice of the adoption and to consent or refuse consent. A father who did not know, and could not reasonably have known, of a Utah connection is instead measured against the requirements of the last state where he knew the mother resided, or the state of conception, and must also show a full commitment to his parental responsibilities. Notice of an adoption is served by certified mail at the last address he filed with the office, so that address must stay current.
What filing does, under this state's law
- The statute ties filing to a support obligation for the child.
- Filing bears on an adoption only. It does not stop another man from signing an acknowledgment of paternity.
The state's own page
Sources
This page states what the law and the state agency say. It is not legal advice about any particular situation and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. See which states could decide a case.