In Utah, criminal records are not as freely available as they are in other states. The state's laws allow these records to remain protected. As a closed records state, this means that personally identifying information including criminal records is not available for a general public viewing. Even businesses who wish to obtain these documents will need to obtain permission to do so. The only people who are able to access any type of criminal records in the state are those who work through law enforcement. However, it is possible for individuals to gather information on their own records.

The type of criminal record available to the public is only non-specific, incident reports. It may be possible to get some information from local resources, but this is limitedly available as well. By contacting local authorities for records searches, it may be possible to learn more about a person's history. Nevertheless, as a rule, most inquiries for other people's records are not made available to the public.

For those who wish to access their own criminal records, that is possible to do. To do so, individuals will need to contact the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. This agency is responsible for gathering all data from various sources and reporting it in one database. This information comes from various resources at the state, county and local level, as well as through various other linked databases. The agency does require individuals to pay a fee, which is currently $10, for processing of this type of individual records search. To conduct a Utah criminal records search for yourself, contact the following office.

Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification

3888 West 5400 South

PO Box 148280

Salt Lake City, Utah 84114

It is possible to use the State of Utah website to gather additional information. Another way to get additional information is to call the agency directly at 801 965-4445. Keep in mind that in all of these methods, you can only gather information for yourself, not for others. For situations related to employment, businesses who wish to employ an individual can request that the individual sign a waiver. This waiver provides access to some criminal information. For those that do not wish to sign this type of form, it is not required.

Another avenue for accessing an individual's criminal record is through the local enforcement agencies at the town and county level. This information is available to help individuals to prove their worth for hiring, long-term business contracts or even for traditional leasing for living arrangements.

Although Utah criminal records are not readily available to the public, these records are in fact available to law enforcement. Should there be a need to access the information that is vitally important, individuals can make a formal request with law enforcement to gather this information. This is done on a case-by-case basis only. Keep in mind that all juvenile records remain sealed in most cases. Utah criminal records may be difficult to obtain in some situations.

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