Utah Divorce Laws
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The following is a summary of Utah divorce laws, and is by no means intended to be an all-inclusive description of what to expect in your particular case. In some cases, the exact text of the statute may have been simplified and/or modified to provide for easier understanding. For a more specific understanding of the laws, you should consult the full Utah Statutes and/or consult with an attorney about how the law might apply to your particular situation.

 

Residency Laws.
To file for divorce under Utah laws, either party must have been an actual and bona fide resident of Utah and of the county where the divorce is filed, or stationed in Utah as a member of the U.S. Armed forces, for at least three months immediately before filing the divorce papers.

-From 30-3-1 of the Utah Statutes.

 

Grounds for Divorce.
A divorce can be granted under Utah laws if there are irreconcilable differences in the marriage, or when the husband and wife have lived separately under a decree of separate maintenance of any state for three consecutive years without cohabitation. Utah laws also allow the following fault-based grounds:

(a) impotency of the respondent at the time of marriage;

(b) adultery committed by the respondent subsequent to marriage;

(c) willful desertion of the petitioner by the respondent for more than one year;

(d) willful neglect of the respondent to provide for the petitioner the common necessaries of life;

(e) habitual drunkenness of the respondent;

(f) conviction of the respondent for a felony;

(g) cruel treatment of the petitioner by the respondent to the extent of causing bodily injury or great mental distress to the petitioner; or

(h) incurable insanity;

-From 30-3-1 of the Utah Statutes.

 

Additional Information.
Utah laws require a mandatory parenting course for divorcing parents, designed to educate and sensitize divorcing parties to their children's needs, both during and after the divorce process. The course shall instruct both parties about divorce and its impacts on their child(ren), their family relationship, and their financial responsibilities for their child(ren).

-From 30-3-11.3 of the Utah Statutes

 

Final Hearing.
Unless the court orders otherwise for good cause shown, the final divorce hearing can't be held until at least 90 days have passed since filing the divorce complaint. The 90-day period shall not apply in any case where both parties have completed the mandatory educational course for divorcing parents.

-From 30-3-18 of the Utah Statutes.

 

If your divorce is uncontested, we would love to guide you through the process from beginning to end. Learn more about how our uncontested divorce services can help you through your divorce.

Other pages on Utah divorce laws:
General Utah Divorce Laws
Alimony Divorce Laws in Utah
Utah Child Custody Laws
Utah Child Support Laws
Utah Laws on Property Division

 

© Help Yourself Divorce 2002-2008

 

IMPORTANT: Help Yourself Divorce is a paralegal service, not a law firm. Please don't rely on this information for legal advice. Seek help from an attorney if you need legal advice.

This information has been summarized from the Utah statutes. You can find the full-text version of these and other Utah divorce statutes online here: Utah Divorce Laws.