How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Utah?

In Utah, the Utah District Court appoints the personal representative and the District court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; an informal (registrar) track is available.

State

Document Type

Getting appointed in Utah

Personal Representative (executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

The form that opens the estate

1002ES

Application for Informal Probate of Will and Informal Appointment of Personal Representative · Attorney-drafted pleading · View source

Where you file

Utah District Court (the county where the decedent resided or owned property)

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters Testamentary

issued by District court

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

E-filing is mandatory for attorneys in civil/probate/domestic cases (UCJA 4-503) but self-represented filers cannot e-file probate: MyCase document filing covers only its listed case types (debt collection, eviction, small claims, name/sex designation change, protective orders, criminal matters), which do not include probate. Self-represented probate filers file in person, by mail, or by email (e.g., Utah County accepts emailed papers at ProvoFiling@utcourts.gov).

Bond

Required before Letters: No
Waivable by will: No
Waivable by beneficiaries: No

Other official forms

Informal application: 1002ES (with will) / 1001ES (no will); Statement of Informal Probate 1007ES (with will) / 1006ES (no will)View source
Letters form: 1010ES / 1009ESView source

What to file with the petition

Official death certificate, submitted with the probate paperwork (Utah Courts instruction — not a statutory requirement)
The will and any codicils (where there is a will): the original held by the court, or a copy filed while the applicant keeps the original (Utah Code 75-3-301(3)(a))
Utah District Court Cover Sheet for Probate Actions (1158XX)
Acceptance of Appointment as Personal Representative (1008ES) — required before Letters issue (Utah Code 75-3-601)
Waiver of Notice (1003ES) and, from a person with equal or higher priority, Renunciation or Nomination (1004ES)
Bond only if required by the will, demanded by an interested party, or ordered (Utah Code 75-3-603, 75-3-605)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: 1110XXView source
Form name: Affidavit for Collecting Personal Property in a Small Estate Proceeding

State-specific notes

Two tracks: INFORMAL (registrar, no hearing) is the default and is fully form-driven; FORMAL testacy/appointment (Utah Code 75-3-401, 75-3-402) is contested litigation decided after notice and hearing and is drafted to statute with no statewide fillable petition form. Utah Code 75-3-601: "Prior to receiving letters, a personal representative shall qualify by filing with the appointing court any required bond and a statement of acceptance of the duties of the office" — which is the Acceptance of Appointment (1008ES); the court then issues 1010ES (Letters Testamentary) with a will or 1009ES (Letters of Administration) without. Timing: no proceeding more than three years after death (75-3-107(1)), and the registrar may not order an informal appointment until 10 days after the 75-3-310 notice, or 120 hours after death if everyone entitled to notice has waived it in writing (75-3-307(1)). Venue is the county of the decedent's domicile at death, or (nonresident) any county where the decedent's property was located (75-3-201(1)). Small estates up to $100,000 (Utah Code 75-3-1201) use a collection-by-affidavit presented to third parties, not the court, and never produce Letters; it cannot transfer real property.

General information about how a personal representative is appointed, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

Utah has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the Utah District Court. District court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Utah generally requires: Official death certificate, submitted with the probate paperwork (Utah Courts instruction — not a statutory requirement); The will and any codicils (where there is a will): the original held by the court, or a copy filed while the applicant keeps the original (Utah Code 75-3-301(3)(a)); Utah District Court Cover Sheet for Probate Actions (1158XX); Acceptance of Appointment as Personal Representative (1008ES) — required before Letters issue (Utah Code 75-3-601); Waiver of Notice (1003ES) and, from a person with equal or higher priority, Renunciation or Nomination (1004ES).

Utah does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one.

Utah permits a self-represented person to open an estate. E-filing is attorneys only. The Utah self-file probate assessment sets self-filing against attorney costs.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes its assets to the beneficiaries without a court appointment in Utah: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Utah

In Utah, a personal representative is appointed by the Utah District Court. District court issues the Letters that prove authority over the estate — Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). Utah has adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

Utah publishes no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the court. The court filing fee runs $375, and Utah offers an informal (registrar) appointment track for qualifying estates.

Utah does not require a bond by default before Letters issue, though the court can order one where it is needed to protect creditors or heirs.

Estates under $100,000 in Utah may qualify for a simplified procedure that avoids a full appointment entirely (1110XX). The self-file probate assessment carries an Utah cost comparison.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 8, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Utah statutes and official state code. How we research.

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