Iron County Probate Records in Cedar City
Probate court records for Cedar City are filed and maintained at the Fifth Judicial District Court, which serves Iron County. Estate cases, wills, guardianships, and conservatorships for Cedar City residents all go through this court. You can search these records online through the Utah XChange system or visit the Iron County Courthouse in Cedar City in person. Cedar City is the county seat of Iron County, which means the district court is right in town. This page explains how to find Cedar City probate court records and how to get copies.
Cedar City Quick Facts
Fifth District Court Location for Cedar City Probate
Cedar City residents file probate cases at the Fifth Judicial District Court, located at the Iron County Courthouse, 40 N 100 E, Cedar City, UT 84720. The Fifth District serves Iron County along with Beaver and Washington counties. Cedar City is both the county seat of Iron County and the location of the district court, which means probate filings for Cedar City residents do not require travel to a different city. This is a convenience that residents of some rural Utah counties do not have.
| Court | Fifth Judicial District Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 40 N 100 E (Iron County Courthouse) Cedar City, UT 84720 |
| Website | utcourts.gov |
The Iron County Clerk, Jon Whittaker, is the official records custodian for Iron County government records. The Clerk's office is at 68 S. 100 E, P.O. Box 429, Parowan, UT 84761, phone (435) 477-8340. Note that this office in Parowan handles county administrative records. Probate court records are held by the Fifth District Court Clerk at the Cedar City courthouse, not the County Clerk in Parowan. For most probate searches, you will contact the district court directly.
Iron County probate records go back to 1870. Records from the late 1800s may be held at the Utah State Archives rather than the courthouse. Contact the Archives before visiting for older records.
Searching Cedar City Probate Records Online
The Utah Courts XChange system is the main online tool for searching Cedar City probate court records without visiting the courthouse. XChange is operated by the Utah court system and gives access to Fifth District Court case data including Iron County filings. You can search by the name of the deceased, an estate administrator, or a case number. The system returns party names, filing dates, case status, and document images for open and recently closed cases.
The cost to use XChange starts with a one-time $5 account setup fee. After that, searches are $0.35 each and documents cost $1.00 to view. A $40 monthly flat rate covers all searches and document views for the month, which is useful if you need to check more than a handful of cases. Register at utcourts.gov/xchange. For Cedar City residents with a straightforward records lookup, XChange usually saves a trip to the courthouse.
For free docket checks, MyCourtCase shows basic case information including parties and hearing events. It does not provide document images. Use it to verify a case exists and find the case number before using XChange for full document access.
The screenshot below shows the Cedar City Government website, which connects Iron County residents to local government services including access to the Fifth District Court that handles Cedar City probate filings.
Cedar City's official site serves as the local resource hub for Iron County residents, confirming the city's role as the county seat and the location of the Fifth District Court for probate matters.
In-Person Probate Records Access in Cedar City
You can visit the Iron County Courthouse at 40 N 100 E to search Cedar City probate court records in person without a subscription fee. The District Court Clerk's office has public access terminals to look up case data at no charge. Staff at the Clerk window can help you find a case, confirm filing information, and provide copies on request. Visiting in person is often faster for cases that are not well-indexed online or for old files that need to be retrieved from storage.
Copy fees follow the standard Utah court rates. Plain copies are $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $0.50 per page plus a $4.00 certification fee per document. If you need a certified copy of a will, a guardianship order, or letters testamentary from an Iron County probate case, the $4.00 fee applies once per document regardless of how many pages it has. Ask for a page count before ordering to plan the cost.
Note: Call ahead to confirm courthouse hours and to check whether the records you need are available at the Cedar City location or stored off-site. For records from the 1800s or early 1900s, the Utah State Archives may hold the originals.
Iron County Probate Case Types
Utah uses two probate tracks. Informal probate is for cases where a will exists, heirs agree, and there are no disputes. It is faster and does not require a court hearing in most cases. Formal probate applies when there is no will, when the will is challenged, or when disputes among heirs or creditors need a judge to sort out. Cedar City estates use the Fifth District Court for both tracks. The filing fee to open either type of case is $375.
Small estates can sometimes bypass the full probate process. Utah law allows a small estate affidavit when the estate total is under $100,000 and no real property is involved. The person signing the affidavit takes on legal responsibility for its accuracy. If real estate in Cedar City or anywhere in Utah is part of the estate, formal probate is required to transfer title. The affidavit option is not available for real property no matter how small the estate is.
Guardianship and conservatorship cases for minors and adults who cannot manage their own affairs are also handled at the Fifth District Court. These case types are part of the same probate case index and can be searched through XChange alongside estate cases.
Utah Probate Law and Cedar City Cases
Cedar City probate cases are governed by Utah Title 75, the Utah Uniform Probate Code. This is the same law that applies statewide. Two parts of Title 75 come up regularly when searching or filing Cedar City and Iron County probate records.
Utah Code Section 75-2-104 is the 120-hour rule. A person must survive the deceased by at least 120 hours to inherit under a will or under the state's default succession rules. When two people die in the same event, this provision controls which estate inherits from which. It affects which cases get filed at the Fifth District Court for Iron County.
Utah Code Section 75-3-107 sets a three-year window to open formal probate after a death. Once that window passes, the court generally will not accept a formal petition. Some Cedar City estates were never filed in court, either because the affidavit option applied or because no one started the process in time. If you search Iron County probate records and find nothing, the estate may have been handled informally.
Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) gives the public the right to access most court records. Iron County probate filings including Cedar City cases are generally public. A court can seal records under narrow conditions, but open access is the default under GRAMA.
Historical Cedar City and Iron County Probate Records
Iron County probate records date back to 1870. Early records from the territorial period through the early 20th century may have been partially digitized through genealogy databases. FamilySearch has indexed Iron County probate and court records going back to the 1870s. This is a free resource and a useful first stop for older Cedar City estate cases. The FamilySearch Iron County, Utah Genealogy page notes that the clerk of the district court holds divorce, probate, and court records with probate records beginning in 1870.
For records not yet digitized, the Utah State Archives at 346 South Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City holds historical Iron County probate collections. Contact them at archives.utah.gov to ask about specific records or to determine what years are available for Cedar City area filings before making the trip north to Salt Lake City.
The screenshot below shows the Utah district court system page, which lists the Fifth Judicial District Court covering Iron County and its Cedar City courthouse location for probate filings.
The Fifth Judicial District Court in Cedar City is the hub for Iron County probate filings, covering the full range of estate, guardianship, and conservatorship cases for the area.
Cedar City Probate Court Forms and Legal Resources
Free probate forms for Cedar City and Iron County cases are available at utcourts.gov/forms. The site organizes forms by case type. You can find petitions for informal and formal probate, applications for letters testamentary, inventory forms, and estate closure documents without sorting through unrelated materials. Download fresh copies each time since the court rejects outdated forms and the site updates them when rules change.
The Fifth District Court provides self-help resources for people who are managing a case without an attorney. Court staff at the Cedar City location can explain the filing process and point you to the right forms, but they cannot advise you on legal decisions or interpret Title 75 for your specific situation. If you need a probate attorney for a Cedar City or Iron County case, the Utah State Bar at utahbar.org has a lawyer referral service that covers the southern Utah region.
Note: Iron County is part of the Fifth Judicial District, which also covers Beaver and Washington counties. If your estate involves property in more than one of these counties, contact the Fifth District Court to confirm which courthouse handles the primary filing.
Nearby Qualifying Cities
Cedar City is the only qualifying city in Iron County. The closest cities in neighboring counties that also use the Fifth Judicial District are in Washington County to the south.