How to Find Utah Birth Records

How to Find United States Births Utah Births

In 1896, Utah was created a state from the Territory of Utah. Statewide registration of births began in 1905 in Utah and was generally complied with by 1917. The counties have copies of these records.

Next Step: When did the birth occur?	Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record: Births before 1898 Births from 1899 thru 1976 Births after 1977 I don't know when the birth is

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1898

Looking for a birth certificate for an ancestor might seem like the first place to start your genealogical research, but no government agencies in Utah were required by law to record birth before 1898. Though not required to do so, Salt Lake City and Ogden began registering births in 1890 and Park City began registering births in 1892. State registration of births began in 1905 and were generally complied with by 1917. During the time period from 1898 to 1905 or later, you may wish to search individual county records. See Utah Vital Records.

Before 1890, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

Records that give birth information:
Death Records Cemetery Records Newspapers	Church Records Census Military Records

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births from 1899 thru 1976

In 1896, Utah was created from the Territory of Utah.

• 1898 - Utah law required counties to record births
• 1905 - Utah Statewide registration began
• 1917 - Utah statewide registration generally complied
  

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

STEP ONE: Find Birth Information  

For births that exist during the time period, try the following databases.

Utah Births Databases Index
Try 1st:
	Utah, Births and Christenings, 1892-1941	Free at FamilySearch.org: 48,049 Utah Births mixed across various counties. See Utah Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Recorrds) for coverage table.
Try 2nd:
		For more information on this topic see How to Find Birth Information in Utah
Can't find your ancestor in the online index?		Tips for searching online indexes
No birth record for your ancestor?		Other records with birth information

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate

With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:

To Order Birth Certificates
From County of Birth		From UT Dept. of Health State office
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	County websites can be more difficult to use	Offers a search of the state index for an additional fee	May be more expensive than ordering from the county

1906-1910 Birth Certificates available online from Utah Department of Archives and Record Service If you do not know the exact date or place of birth:
For a fee, the Utah Department of Health office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
• The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
• The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
• The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births after 1977

• From 1977 to the present, the births and deaths are indexed by computer and may be found at the county vital records offices. Before 1905, you will need to contact county offices also.
  

With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:

To Order Birth Certificates
From County of Birth		From UT Dept. of Health State office
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	County websites can be more difficult to use	Offers a search of the state index for an additional fee	May be more expensive than ordering from the county

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth:
For a fee, the Utah Department of Health office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
• The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
• The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
• The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

• Learn more about U.S. Birth Records
• How to find U.S. death records
• United States Record Selection Table
• U.S. Vital Records Overview
• United States Vital Records
• Locating United States Vital Records
• United States Death Records
• United States Marriage Records

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.