A guardianship lawyer Salt Lake City families hire files adult and minor guardianship petitions in the Third Judicial District Court, usually at the Matheson Courthouse, 450 South State Street. The filing fee is $375, or $35 when a parent petitions for their own child. For an adult, the court must find incapacity by clear and convincing evidence and must prefer a limited guardianship.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Takeaways
- Salt Lake County guardianship cases belong in the Third Judicial District Court. Venue is where the person lives or is present under Utah Code 75-5-302.
- For an adult, the judge needs clear and convincing evidence of incapacity and shall prefer a limited guardianship. A full guardianship requires a specific finding that nothing less will do (75-5-304).
- The filing fee is $375, but only $35 when the prospective ward is the petitioner’s biological or adoptive child, under 78A-2-301.
- Utah rewrote its guardianship chapter in 2025 and again in 2026. Wards appointed on or after May 7, 2025 hold a list of rights the court cannot waive, enforceable by a private lawsuit.
- Many families do not need a guardianship at all. A power of attorney, an advance health care directive, or a supported decision-making agreement often does the job for far less.
Where a Salt Lake City Guardianship Case Is Filed
Salt Lake County is part of Utah’s Third Judicial District, which also covers Summit and Tooele counties. A guardianship lawyer in Salt Lake City files in that district court. For an adult, venue lies in the county where the person resides or is present, and also in the county of any court that ordered the person into an institution. For a minor, 75-5-205 uses the same resides or is present test.
That “is present” language matters along the Wasatch Front. A parent who lives in Davis County but has been in a Salt Lake City hospital or care facility for weeks can often be the subject of a petition filed here.
| Where to go | Address | What it handles |
|---|---|---|
| Matheson Courthouse, Third District | 450 S State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84114, (801) 238-7300 | Guardianship and conservatorship petitions, hearings, letters, annual reports |
| West Jordan District Court | 8080 S Redwood Road, Suite 1701, West Jordan, UT 84088, (801) 233-9700 | Third District matters for the southwest part of the county |
| Adult Protective Services intake | 1-800-371-7897, daas.utah.gov | Reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult |
Do You Actually Need a Guardianship?
An honest guardianship lawyer in Salt Lake City starts by asking whether the case should be filed at all. A guardianship takes legal rights away from a person. The court must prefer a limited guardianship and may grant a full one only if no other alternative exists, and several tools reach the same practical result without any court order:
- A durable financial power of attorney, if the person still has capacity to sign one. Capacity is often still present in early dementia; see whether it is too late for a power of attorney when a parent has dementia.
- An advance health care directive, which names a health care agent. Utah replaced its advance directive law effective January 1, 2026; the current form is covered in our Utah advance health care directive guide.
- A supported decision-making agreement under Part 7 of the chapter, enacted in 2025. The adult keeps the decision and a supporter helps gather information and communicate it.
- A parental power of attorney for a child. Under 75-5-103, a parent may delegate care, custody, and property powers for up to six months with no court involvement, which covers most “grandma is keeping the kids while we deploy” situations.
- A single court-approved transaction. Section 75-5-409 lets the court approve one sale, contract, or trust without appointing anyone.
The court follows the same logic. The Utah courts maintain a page on alternatives to guardianship, and a petition that ignores them invites a hard question from the bench.
“A court may not consider an individual’s execution of a supported decision-making agreement as evidence of the individual’s incapacity.”
Guardian, Conservator, or Supporter: Which One Fits
Families often ask for “guardianship” when what they actually need is control of money. Utah separates the two, and the rules run in opposite directions in places.
| Role | What it controls | Key rules | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian | Personal decisions: residence, health care, daily care | Bond only if the court requires one (75-5-105). Limited order preferred | An adult who cannot meet essential needs for health, safety, or self-care |
| Conservator | Money and property | Bond required unless excused for good cause (75-5-411). Inventory within 90 days (75-5-418). The order has no effect on the person’s capacity (75-5-408(2)) | Assets that will be wasted or dissipated, or a minor receiving an inheritance or settlement |
| Supporter | Nothing; the adult decides | Unpaid with narrow exceptions. May not sign for the principal or make health care decisions (75-5-705(3)) | An adult who can decide with help |
| Agent under a power of attorney | Whatever the document grants | No court. A valid power of attorney does not bar a conservatorship (75-5-401(3)) | Planning done while capacity exists |
Guardianship and conservatorship petitions about the same person may be consolidated, so a family that needs both does not have to run two separate cases. For the money side alone, see the Salt Lake elder law attorney page, which covers planning that can avoid a conservatorship.
What the Third District Must Find
Incapacity in Utah is a functional test, not a diagnosis. Under 75-1-201, an adult is incapacitated only if their ability to receive and evaluate information, make and communicate decisions, or provide for food, shelter, clothing, health care, or safety is impaired to the point that they cannot meet essential requirements, even with appropriate technological assistance. A dementia or autism diagnosis alone proves nothing. The question is what the person can and cannot do.
For an adult, 75-5-303 and 75-5-304 build in protections that a guardianship lawyer in Salt Lake City plans around from the first draft of the petition:
- Counsel for the respondent. The court shall appoint a lawyer for the person unless they already have one. That lawyer is paid by the respondent unless the respondent and their parents are indigent.
- A functional assessment. A health care provider assesses functional abilities with evidence-based screening tools, and the assessment may not rest solely or predominately on the petitioner’s opinion.
- A court visitor may interview the proposed guardian, visit current and proposed homes, and file a written report.
- The respondent’s presence. The person shall be present and see or hear all evidence. Presence can be waived only on strict conditions.
- Trial rights. The respondent may present evidence, cross-examine the health care provider and the visitor, and demand a jury.
- The burden. Clear and convincing evidence of incapacity, and that appointment is necessary or desirable for continuing care and supervision.
The limitations in a limited guardianship go into both the order and the letters of guardianship, so a hospital or bank can see exactly what the guardian may and may not do. A minor’s guardianship is decided on a lower standard: a preponderance of the evidence under 75-5-207.
The Process, Step by Step
The statutory clocks below are fixed. How long the whole case takes depends on service, on whether anyone objects, and on the court’s calendar, so no guardianship lawyer in Salt Lake City can promise a hearing date at the outset.
| Step | Rule | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Petition filed | The respondent or any person interested in their welfare may file | 75-5-303(1) |
| Notice | Personal service on the respondent, and on the spouse and parents if found in Utah. Others get at least 10 days’ notice. Adult Protective Services gets notice if it has a referral about the case | 75-5-309, 75-1-401 |
| Emergency guardian | Without notice, for up to 30 days. A hearing within 14 days on request | 75-5-310 |
| Temporary guardian | After notice and hearing on good cause. Suspends any existing permanent guardian and may not let the ward be removed from Utah | 75-5-310.5 |
| Hearing | Counsel, assessment, visitor report, clear and convincing evidence | 75-5-303, 75-5-304 |
| Letters issued | Limitations stated on the letters | 75-5-304(2)(b) |
| First move of the ward | File and serve notice at least 10 days before, absent an emergency | 75-5-312(2)(h) |
The Utah courts publish the forms and a walkthrough for adult guardianship.
What a Salt Lake City Guardianship Costs
Court fees are set by statute and are the same in every Utah county. The larger variable is whether anyone contests the petition.
| Item | Amount or rule | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Filing fee, most petitions | $375 | 78A-2-301(1)(a) |
| Filing fee, parent petitioning for own child | $35 | 78A-2-301(1)(b)(vii) |
| Respondent’s appointed counsel | Paid by the respondent unless the respondent and their parents are indigent | 75-5-303(2)(b) |
| Petition found without merit | The petitioner pays attorney fees and court costs | 75-5-303(2)(c) |
| Petitioner or nominee appointed | The petitioner may recover reasonable attorney fees and costs from the incapacitated person | 75-5-303(2)(d) |
| Guardian bond | Only if the court requires it | 75-5-105 |
| Conservator bond | Required unless excused for good cause | 75-5-411 |
The fee-shifting rules cut both ways: a well-founded petition can be reimbursed from the ward’s estate, and one filed to win a family argument can leave the petitioner paying everyone’s lawyers.
Who the Court Appoints
Under 75-5-311, the court shall appoint the person named in the respondent’s most recent written, signed nomination made before incapacity, unless that person is disqualified or there is other good cause. The statute prints the nomination form, and the form contains no notary block. The courts post it on the nomination of guardian page.
Without a nomination, the priority list runs: a person nominated by other means when the respondent was 14 or older with sufficient capacity, then a spouse, an adult child, a parent, a relative the person lived with for more than six months before the petition, a person nominated by whoever provides care or pays benefits, a specialized care professional who does not profit beyond direct costs, any competent person or suitable institution, and finally the Office of Public Guardian.
A Disabled Child Turning 18 in Salt Lake County
This is the most common reason a parent calls a guardianship lawyer in Salt Lake City, and Utah has built a specific track for it. Under 75-5-317, a parent may file once the child is 17 years and six months old and ask that the order take effect on the 18th birthday. A physician or psychologist evaluation is required, and one done within six months of filing can be accepted instead of a new one.
Three rules make this track friendlier than a general adult petition:
- Priority goes to the parent with legal decision-making. If filed early or within two years after the 18th birthday, the court appoints whoever held sole legal decision-making when the child turned 17 and a half, or both parents as coguardians if they shared it.
- The fee is $35, not $375, because the ward is the petitioner’s own child.
- Parent guardians are exempt from the annual report penalties under 75-5-312(7)(d).
The courts’ page on guardianship of an adult disabled child walks through the forms.
Guardianship of a Minor in Salt Lake County
A court may appoint a guardian for a child only through one of three gateways in 75-5-204: each parent consents after understanding the legal effect, parental rights have been terminated, or each parent is unwilling or unable to act. The court shall appoint the nominee of a child who is 14 or older unless that is contrary to the child’s best interests.
Utah adds a rule most states lack. The school district where the petitioner lives gets notice and may participate, and under 75-5-206(3) it can defeat a petition by proving that its primary purpose is avoiding nonresident tuition. If the district objects without a reasonable basis and loses, the court may award the petitioner fees. A parent also keeps residual parental rights during the guardianship, and the guardianship ends if the child is adopted. For the long-term comparison, read guardianship versus adoption in Utah. Forms for this track are on the courts’ minor guardianship page.
Duties After the Court Issues Letters
Appointment is the start of the obligations, not the end of the case. Under 75-5-312 a Salt Lake County guardian must, among other things:
- Encourage the ward to participate in decisions and to develop or regain capacity, and weigh the ward’s own stated preferences and values.
- File and serve a notice at least 10 days before moving the ward, absent an emergency.
- Give immediate notice of a hospital stay of three days or more, hospice admission, or death to those who asked for it.
- Report annually to the court. If there is no conservator and the estate exceeds $50,000 excluding the residence, that is a full accounting; below that, an informal annual report.
- Not pay themselves or close family from the ward’s funds for room and board without a court order.
A substantial misstatement, gross impropriety, or willful failure to file after written notice and a two-month grace period can bring a penalty of up to $5,000, paid by the guardian personally and never from the ward’s estate.
Visits from family are protected
Under 75-5-312.5, a guardian may not restrict an adult ward’s contact with relatives, out to first cousins, or with close friends and clergy, without a court order. If the ward cannot express consent, consent is presumed from a prior relationship. The guardian carries the burden of proof, and a guardian acting in bad faith faces mandatory attorney fees and a sanction of up to $1,000, neither payable from the ward’s estate.
The ward’s rights since May 7, 2025
For guardianships granted on or after May 7, 2025, 75-5-301.5 lists rights the court may not waive, suspend, or limit, including counsel at any time, copies of filings, the greatest freedom consistent with the reasons for the guardianship, and the right to ask the court to restore capacity at the earliest possible time. As amended in 2026, any right may be enforced through a private cause of action.
Changing or Ending a Guardianship
A ward who has recovered does not need a formal motion to be heard. Under 75-5-306, a request to end the guardianship may be made by informal letter to the court, and anyone who knowingly interferes with that request may be sanctioned. The original order may bar a restoration petition for up to one year without leave of court.
Removal has seven grounds in 75-5-307(2), including fraud in obtaining the appointment, failure to perform statutory duties, and a frivolous or bad-faith petition to restrict family visits. The seventh ground needs no misconduct at all: removal is allowed if it would be in the ward’s best interest. That ground fits a family that simply needs a better match.
Guardianship Lawyer Salt Lake City: When You Need One, and When You Do Not
Utah does not require a lawyer to petition, and the court’s self-help forms are usable. A parent filing the 75-5-317 petition for their own adult child, with the other parent in agreement and the child not objecting, can sometimes finish without one.
Hire a guardianship lawyer when any of these is true:
- Someone objects, including the respondent. The respondent has a lawyer and a jury right, and you will be cross-examining a health care provider.
- Money is involved, so a conservatorship or a trust question is in play alongside the guardianship.
- There is an emergency and you need an order without notice under 75-5-310.
- An existing guardian is the problem: unexplained spending, isolation from family, or a move without notice.
- Exploitation is suspected. Every person in Utah is a mandatory reporter of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult under 26B-6-205, and improperly using a vulnerable adult’s guardianship or power of attorney for someone else’s profit is a crime under 76-5-111.4, a second degree felony at $5,000 or more.
Guardianship Lawyer Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County Coverage
This firm handles guardianship matters throughout Salt Lake County and the rest of the Third District, from Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake to the southwest county; see the Herriman guardianship lawyer page for that end of the valley. For the statewide picture, start with how Utah courts decide guardianship. When a guardianship turns into an estate after a death, the Salt Lake City probate attorney page covers the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I file for guardianship in Salt Lake City?
In the Third Judicial District Court, usually at the Matheson Courthouse at 450 South State Street. Venue is the county where the person resides or is present, so a parent hospitalized in Salt Lake City can often be the subject of a petition filed here.
How much does guardianship cost in Salt Lake County?
The court filing fee is $375, or $35 when a parent petitions for their own biological or adoptive child. The respondent’s appointed lawyer is paid by the respondent unless they and their parents are indigent, and a meritless petition can leave the petitioner paying fees.
Can I get guardianship of my disabled child before they turn 18?
You can file once the child is 17 years and six months old and ask that the order take effect on the 18th birthday. A physician or psychologist evaluation is required, and the parent who held legal decision-making gets priority.
Is a power of attorney enough instead of guardianship?
Often, yes, if the person still has capacity to sign it. A power of attorney does not legally bar a conservatorship, but Utah law requires the court to consider whether the power of attorney is adequate before appointing a conservator, and it frequently makes one unnecessary.
What does the court have to prove for an adult guardianship?
Incapacity by clear and convincing evidence, measured functionally rather than by diagnosis, and that appointment is necessary or desirable for continuing care. The court must prefer a limited guardianship and make a specific finding before granting a full one.
How fast can I get an emergency guardian in Utah?
A court may appoint an emergency guardian without notice for up to 30 days when immediate action is needed for the person’s welfare. On request by an interested person, the court must hold a hearing within 14 days.
Can a guardianship be ended if my parent recovers?
Yes. The ward or any interested person may ask the court to end it, and the request may be made by informal letter to the court. Anyone who knowingly interferes with that request may be sanctioned.
Trying to decide whether a Salt Lake County family member needs a guardianship, a power of attorney, or something in between? That question is usually answered in one conversation.
Schedule a consultation or call (801) 613-1472. Offices in Lindon and West Jordan, serving Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Statutes, fees, and court procedures change. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.










