Find Probate Court Records in Garfield County
Garfield County probate court records are held by the Sixth Judicial District Court in Panguitch, Utah. This county in southern Utah has kept probate records since as far back as 1883, with formal court records beginning after statehood in 1896. Searching Garfield County probate court records is possible through the Utah Courts online system or by visiting the clerk's office in Panguitch. Estates, wills, guardianships, and conservatorship matters are all part of the public record here, and historical filings have been preserved in both state and genealogical archives for researchers.
Garfield County Quick Facts
Garfield County Clerk and Probate Court
The Garfield County Auditor and Clerk is Camille Moore. Her office is the local point of contact for county-level record matters. The physical office is at 55 S Main, Panguitch, UT 84759, with a mailing address of PO Box 77, Panguitch, UT 84759. The phone number is (435) 676-1120. The Garfield County official website has current contact details, office hours, and links to related services.
Under Utah's unified court system, the Sixth Judicial District Court handles all probate filings for Garfield County. The district court clerk manages case files for estate administrations, will probates, guardianship cases, and conservatorships. County court records date from 1896, though the county itself was created from Iron County on March 9, 1882, and some probate records exist from as early as 1883.
| Court | Sixth Judicial District Court |
|---|---|
| County Clerk/Auditor | Camille Moore |
| Physical Address | 55 S Main, Panguitch, UT 84759 |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 77, Panguitch, UT 84759 |
| Phone | (435) 676-1120 |
| County Website | garfield.utah.gov |
Note: Marriage records for Garfield County go back to 1887, and land records begin from 1882, making the clerk's office a resource for more than just probate matters in family history research.
How to Search Garfield County Probate Records
Recent Garfield County probate court records are searchable through the Utah Courts XChange system. XChange lets you look up cases by party name, case number, or attorney. The system covers civil, criminal, traffic, and probate cases across all Utah district courts including the Sixth District serving Garfield County.
XChange has a tiered cost structure. You pay $5.00 to register, $0.20 per search, and $1.00 per document. Monthly plans are available for frequent users. Basic case data like filing dates, case type, and current status are typically free. If you need the actual documents, you pay the per-document fee. Most searches for Garfield County probate court records involving cases from the past 20 to 30 years will find results through XChange.
For older filings, the Utah State Archives holds a broad collection covering Garfield County records from 1848 to 2001. The Utah State Archives is the best starting point for any estate research before statehood or in the early county years. Older records may require a written request or an in-person visit to the archives facility in Salt Lake City.
Note: FamilySearch holds Garfield County probate records from 1890 to 1917 at no cost, which is a good free option for that time window.
Historical Garfield County Probate Court Records
Garfield County has one of the longer records histories among smaller Utah counties. Probate records begin in 1883, just a year after the county was formed. The Utah State Archives collection for Garfield County spans from 1848 to 2001 and includes certificates of citizenship from 1896 to 1923 and declarations of intention from 1896 to 1906. These are often found alongside probate files in the historical record.
The screenshot below links to the Garfield County official website, which provides access to current county services and contact information for estate-related inquiries.
The county website is the right place to start when you need to reach the clerk's office or find out what records are available locally in Panguitch.
FamilySearch has digitized Garfield County probate records covering 1890 to 1917, and the USGenWeb project maintains an index at rootsweb.com that links to additional genealogical resources for this county. The image below shows the USGenWeb archive page for Garfield County.
The USGenWeb archive for Garfield County is a free resource that researchers use to locate probate records and related court filings before the digital era.
Probate Record Types in Garfield County
Garfield County probate court records fall into several categories. Understanding which type you need will help you direct your request correctly and get the right documents faster.
Estate administration records are the most common. They cover the process of settling a person's estate after death, whether or not a will exists. When a valid will exists, it is submitted to the court and probated formally or informally. Contested wills go through formal probate with a hearing. Uncontested wills can often move through the informal process without court involvement. Utah follows the Uniform Probate Code under Utah Code Title 75, which applies uniformly to all counties including Garfield.
Guardianship and conservatorship filings are also part of the probate record in Garfield County. These cases cover minors in need of a legal guardian or adults who need someone appointed to manage their financial or personal affairs. All these case types generate public records held by the Sixth District Court and available to anyone with a lawful request under GRAMA.
Small estates under $100,000 in value may qualify for Utah's simplified affidavit procedure, which avoids the full probate process. These may not show up the same way in standard court searches.
Access Rights and Fees for Garfield Probate Records
All Garfield County probate court records that are not sealed are public under Utah's GRAMA law at Utah Code § 63G-2. No connection to the case is required to request these records. You can be a family member, a researcher, or just a curious member of the public.
Copy fees at Utah district courts are uniform statewide. Plain copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies carry a $4.00 certification fee per document in addition to the per-page cost. Filing a new probate case in any Utah court currently requires a $375 initial filing fee. That fee applies to formal and informal probate cases in Garfield County the same as anywhere else in the state.
The Utah Courts forms page provides all the standard probate forms accepted in the Sixth District. These are free to download and use. If you are dealing with a simple, uncontested estate, many families in Garfield County are able to handle informal probate without hiring an attorney. The forms and instructions on the Utah Courts site are written to be accessible.
Legal Resources for Garfield County Probate
The Utah State Bar lawyer referral service can help you find a probate attorney who practices in southern Utah and is familiar with the Sixth District Court. For low-income residents, Utah Legal Services may offer free civil legal help for qualifying probate matters.
Two Utah probate deadlines matter regardless of county. An heir must survive the person who died by 120 hours to be eligible to inherit under Utah Code § 75-2-104. Also, a probate case must be opened within three years of the date of death under Utah Code § 75-3-107. Both rules apply to Garfield County estates and are worth knowing before you decide whether to file.
Nearby Counties
Garfield County is in southern Utah. If you are trying to determine which county handled a probate case, look at where the person lived when they died. That county is where the estate case would be filed.