Sources checked:
Quick answer. Utah: no deposit cap in the law read; deposit returned within 30 days; 15-day notice to end month-to-month; 3-business-day notice for unpaid rent; $20,000 small claims limit. 13 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 10 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- No cap in the law read
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 15 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 3 business days
- Time to answer or appear
- 3 court days
- Writ to lockout
- 3 days
- Small claims limit
- $20,000
Security deposit (5 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Utah Code 57-17-3.
-
ConfirmedDeposit limit
No maximum in 57-17-3.
Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedReturn deadline
No later than 30 days after the renter vacates and returns possession: the balance with a written itemization (57-17-3(2)).
Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written notice that itemizes and explains the reason for each deduction (57-17-3(2)(c)).
Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
None stated in Utah Code 57-17-3.
Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
None stated in 57-17-3.
Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025), checked November 2026
-
Not confirmedPenalty the law states
Not confirmed — check Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025). Not confirmed from official text. Check Utah Code 57-17-5.
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (2 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | For a tenant for an indefinite time, notice served 15 calendar days or more before the end of the month or period. | Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026, checked November 2026 (Utah Code 78B-6-802(1)(b)(i)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Not confirmed — check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026. Not in Part 8. Check the lease and Utah Code Title 57, Chapter 22. | |
| Rent increase notice | Not confirmed — check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026. Not in Part 8. Check the lease. | |
| Unpaid rent notice | Three business days after service of a notice to pay or vacate. | Source: Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026, checked November 2026 (Utah Code 78B-6-802(1)(c)) |
| Entry notice | Not confirmed — check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026. Not in Part 8. Check Utah Code 57-22-5. | |
| Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026. Not in Part 8. Check the lease. |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (5 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Three business days after service of a notice to pay or vacate.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
-
ConfirmedCourt
The court's eviction forms are for the district court of the county.
In the District Court of Utah
Source: Utah Courts: Order of Restitution, form 1200EVJ (rev. April 14, 2025), checked November 2026
-
Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
- The tenant's answer or appearance
-
ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
Three business days to respond after receiving the court papers.
You only have 3 business days to respond
Source: Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants, checked November 2026
-
- Hearing or trial
-
Not confirmedHearing after filing
Not confirmed — check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
-
Not confirmedJudgment to writ
Not confirmed — check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
-
ConfirmedWrit to lockout
After the Order of Restitution is served, the tenant usually has 3 days to move.
usually within 3 days
Source: Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The Order of Restitution tells a sheriff or constable to remove the tenant.
tells a sheriff or constable to remove you from the rental unit.
Source: Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants, checked November 2026
-
- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
-
ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
In a case based only on unpaid rent, the complaint is dismissed if the tenant pays what is owed within three calendar days of being served notice of the landlord's possession bond.
shall be dismissed if the defendant, within three calendar days
Source: Utah Code, Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible Entry and Detainer), checked November 2026
-
Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
An occupancy hearing is held within 10 days after someone requests it.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer due (if served the day of filing) | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: The court's Self-Help Center, Utah Legal Services (for tenants in government housing) and Utah Community Action or Utah Dispute Resolution for mediation.
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
-
ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$20,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
Utah Code 78A-8-102 (last amended 2022, ch. 210): $20,000 from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029; $25,000 from January 1, 2030 (was $15,000 May 4, 2022 - Dec 31, 2024). Limit includes attorney fees, excludes court costs and interest; judgment cannot exceed the limit.
Source: Utah Code Title 78A Chapter 8 Small Claims Courts, checked November 2026
More: Small claims court limits by state
Still to confirm
- Penalty the law states: check Utah Legislature: Utah Code 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025)
- Ending month-to-month (tenant): check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026
- Rent increase notice: check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026
- Entry notice: check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026
- Late fee limits: check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026
- Filing fee: check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants
- Hearing after filing: check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants
- Judgment to writ: check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Utah Courts: Eviction Information for Tenants
Utah kit
Utah Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Utah return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
Kits for any state: Security Deposit Kit for Landlords and Tenants ($15) · Landlord-Tenant Notice Organizer ($15) · Eviction Case File Organizer ($15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Utah?
No maximum in 57-17-3.
How long does a Utah landlord have to return a deposit?
No later than 30 days after the renter vacates and returns possession: the balance with a written itemization (57-17-3(2)). What goes with it: A written notice that itemizes and explains the reason for each deduction (57-17-3(2)(c)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Utah?
From the landlord: For a tenant for an indefinite time, notice served 15 calendar days or more before the end of the month or period.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Utah?
Three business days after service of a notice to pay or vacate.
How long does an eviction case take in Utah?
Time to answer or appear: 3 court days. Writ to lockout: 3 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Utah deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $20,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Utah?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Utah Legislature: Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 8 (Forcible entry and detainer), as amended 2026 (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title78B/Chapter6/C78B-6-P8_1800010118000101.pdf).
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords