Tooele County Probate Court Records

Tooele County probate court records are held at the Third District Court in Tooele City. This includes estate cases, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, and name change petitions filed with the court. If you need to search Tooele County probate records, find a will on file, or request copies of estate documents, this page explains exactly where to go, what to bring, and what to expect from the process.

Third District Court for Tooele County Probate

The Third District Court in Tooele City is the probate court for Tooele County. The court operates out of the Gordon R. Hall Courthouse at 74 South 100 East, Suite 14, Tooele, UT 84074. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Judge Dianna Gibson presides over the Third District. The Tooele County Justice Court is also in the same building at Suite 12, but handles misdemeanor matters only. Probate cases go to the Third District Court, not the justice court.

The Tooele County Clerk office can be reached at (435) 843-3140 and operates on an extended schedule: Monday through Thursday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday from 7:00 AM to noon. The clerk handles passports, marriage licenses, and notary services, among other county functions. Probate case files are maintained separately at the district court level. Be specific about which type of record you need when calling to make sure you reach the right office.

The Tooele records site covers multiple record categories and can help you determine whether the documents you need are available online or require a direct court request.

Finding Tooele County Probate Records

Utah Courts XChange at utcourts.gov/xchange is the main online system for searching Tooele County probate court records. You can look up cases by party name or case number and view basic information about each file. This tool covers all district courts in Utah, including the Third District in Tooele. Most recent and active cases appear in the system. For older cases or detailed document review, an in-person visit to the courthouse is often necessary.

The Utah court records guide for Tooele offers background on how the Tooele County court system is organized and what types of records are publicly accessible. This can be a helpful first stop before deciding whether to search online or visit the courthouse.

In person, the Third District Court at the Gordon R. Hall Courthouse in Tooele handles records requests during regular business hours. Bring a photo ID and the name of the person whose case you are looking for. If you have the approximate year of filing, that will speed up the search. The clerk can pull files from storage, let you review them on-site, and make copies on request. Older files, including records from before the digital era, may need extra time to locate.

Note: Tooele County probate cases are kept permanently by the court, which means records going back to the county's earliest days remain available through the court system or the Utah State Archives.

Probate Case Types in Tooele County

Tooele County probate court records cover a broad range of proceedings. Estate cases are the most common type. When a Tooele County resident dies, their estate may go through probate at the Third District Court. The file for that case contains the petition to open probate, any will submitted by the family, a list of the estate's assets and debts, creditor claims, and the order closing the estate once all matters are resolved. Contested estates can generate large files spanning multiple years of court activity.

Guardianship and conservatorship cases are also a significant part of the Tooele County probate docket. Courts appoint guardians to care for children whose parents are not available or for adults who can no longer look after themselves. Conservators are appointed when someone cannot manage their own finances. Both types of appointments require regular reporting back to the court. The Third District in Tooele keeps those reports on file as part of the ongoing case record.

Name change petitions are another category handled through Tooele County probate court. Though not an estate matter, name changes go through the same court. The resulting order becomes a public record kept at the Third District. Domestic relations matters that overlap with estate proceedings may also appear in Tooele County's probate records.

Under Utah Code Title 75, Utah uses the Uniform Probate Code. This means estates can proceed informally, through unsupervised formal probate, or through supervised formal probate. The track chosen affects how much court involvement occurs and how many documents end up in the Tooele County case file. Most straightforward estates use informal probate and generate a smaller record.

Historical Tooele County Probate Records

Tooele County has probate records dating to 1851, making it one of the earliest-documented counties in Utah. The county's historical probate case files run from 1886 through 1936. Earlier records from the 1850s through the 1880s reflect the territorial period, when probate courts in Utah had broader jurisdiction and handled many matters that today would go through separate courts. These records are a valuable source for genealogists and historians researching early Utah settlement in the west desert region.

Records retention policy for Tooele County probate cases calls for permanent retention. This is consistent with Utah's statewide policy that probate case files are never destroyed. This means that a will filed in Tooele County in 1890 should still be accessible today, either through the court's archives or through the Utah State Archives at archives.utah.gov. The archives staff can assist with research requests for historical Tooele County probate materials and can identify finding aids for older collections.

Note: FamilySearch has indexed portions of Tooele County's historical records and may allow you to identify specific individuals before requesting original documents from the archives.

Tooele County Probate Fees and Record Access

Tooele County probate court records are open to the public under GRAMA, Utah Code § 63G-2. This law gives anyone the right to view and copy public court records. You do not need to explain why you want the records or prove you are connected to the case. Courts can seal specific documents by order, but most probate records in Tooele County remain public throughout the life of the case and permanently afterward.

The initial filing fee to open a probate case in Tooele County is $375. This is the uniform statewide rate set by the Utah Courts. Copy fees depend on how many pages you need. Certified copies cost more than plain photocopies. Contact the Third District Court at (435) 833-8000 to get current copy rates. Fee waivers are available by petition for residents who cannot afford the cost of filing or copying. Income-based waivers are granted by the court on request.

This resource includes guidance on the types of records available at the Tooele County level and how access requests are typically handled by the Third District Court.

Legal Help for Tooele County Probate

Tooele County residents can get legal help with probate through several channels. The Utah State Bar lawyer referral service can connect you with an attorney who handles probate and estate work in the Tooele area. Local attorneys familiar with the Third District Court in Tooele can guide you through estate administration, guardianship petitions, or contested probate matters more efficiently than someone unfamiliar with the local docket.

Utah Legal Services provides free legal assistance to qualifying residents throughout the state, including Tooele County. They can help you understand the probate process, fill out court forms, and navigate the first steps of opening an estate. Apply at utahlegalservices.org or call their offices directly. Their services are income-based, so not everyone will qualify, but it is worth checking.

Self-represented filers can find all necessary probate forms at utcourts.gov/forms. Forms for informal probate, formal probate, guardianship petitions, conservatorship cases, and small estate affidavits are all available free of charge. Utah's 3-year window to open probate under Utah Code § 75-3-107 means delays can become a problem. Acting early and using the right form track for your situation keeps the process manageable. Small estates under $100,000 can often avoid full probate using the simplified affidavit process, which saves time and money for Tooele County families.

Cities in Tooele County

Tooele County covers a large area west of Salt Lake City. All probate matters for county residents are processed at the Third District Court in Tooele City, regardless of which community the person lived in.

Tooele City is the county seat and the location of the Gordon R. Hall Courthouse where the Third District Court handles all probate filings for the county.

Nearby Counties

Tooele County borders Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, and Millard counties. Probate must be filed in the county where the decedent last lived. Check the address before filing to make sure you are in the right jurisdiction.

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