UTAH

DENIES UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO OBC (Court order required)

 

Who May Access Information
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 78B-6-143; 78B-6-144
Non-identifying information is available to:
• The adoptive parents
• The adopted person’s legal guardian if the adoptive parents are deceased
• The adopted person
• The adopted person’s spouse or guardian of the adopted person’s child if the adopted person is deceased
• The adopted person’s child or descendant
• The birth parent or adult birth sibling

 

Identifying information is accessible to:
• The adult adopted person
• Birth parents
• A birth sibling who is age 18 or older

 

Access to Original Birth Certificate
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 78B-6-103(3); 78B-6-141
An ‘adoption document’ is an adoption-related document filed with the office, a petition for adoption, a decree of adoption, an
original birth certificate, or evidence submitted in support of a supplementary birth certificate.
An adoption document is sealed and may only be open to inspection and copying as follows:
• By a party to the adoption proceeding while the proceeding is pending or within 6 months after the adoption decree is
entered
• When a court enters an order permitting access to the documents by a person who has appealed the denial of that person’s
motion to intervene
• Upon order of the court expressly permitting inspection or copying, after good cause has been shown
• As provided under § 78B-6-144
• When the adoption document becomes public on the 100th anniversary of the date the final decree of adoption was entered
• When the birth certificate becomes public on the 100th anniversary of the date of birth
• To a mature adopted person or a parent who adopted the mature adopted person without a court order, unless the final
decree of adoption is entered by the juvenile court
• To an adult adopted person, to the extent permitted below

For an adoption finalized on or after January 1, 2016, a birth parent may elect, on a written consent form provided by the office, to
permit identifying information about the birth parent to be made available for inspection by an adult adopted person. A birth parent
may, at any time, change the election or elect to make other information about the birth parent, including an updated medical
history, available for inspection by an adult adopted person.
A birth parent may not access any identifying information or an adoption document under this subsection.

Access to Non-identifying Information
Citation: Ann. Code § 78B-6-143
A detailed health history and a genetic and social history of the adopted person that is on file with the Office of Vital Records and
Statistics shall be available upon request to the persons listed above.

 

Mutual Access to Identifying Information
Citation: Ann. Code § 78B-6-144
The adult adopted person and birth parents, upon presentation of positive identification, may request identifying information from
the adoption registry maintained by the office. The office may release identifying information only when it receives requests from
both the adopted person and the birth parent. After matching the request of an adult adopted person with that of at least one birth
parent, the office shall notify both the adopted person and the birth parent that the requests have been matched and disclose the
identifying information to those parties. However, if the adult adopted person has a sibling of the same birth parent who is under age
18, and who was raised in the same family setting as the adult adopted person, the office may not disclose the requested identifying
information to that adult adopted person or the birth parent.
Adult adopted persons and adult siblings, upon presentation of positive identification, may request identifying information from the
registry, following the same procedure outlined above.
Information registered with the office is available only to a registered adult adopted person, and his or her registered birth parent or
registered adult sibling. The office may not disclose information regarding a birth parent who has not registered a request with the
office.

Where the Information Can Be Located
Utah Department of Administrative Services, Division of Archives and Record Service, Adoption Records

​

FIND YOUR BIRTH PARENTS