Utah's Civil Stalking Injunction: Three Years, Ten Days, and Proof Beyond Your Own Word
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Utah · Last updated October 22, 2026
Utah has no general harassment order, and the order it does have asks for something many petitioners overlook: evidence beyond their own word. A civil stalking injunction under Utah Code 78B-7-701 is a court order directing someone to stop contacting you and to keep away, and it reaches only conduct that amounts to stalking. That means a course of conduct of two or more acts aimed at you, which the person knew or was reckless about causing a reasonable person to fear for their safety or suffer other emotional distress (Utah Code 76-5-106.5). Harassment that is a single act, or that never forms a course of conduct, is outside the ground. The petition must also include corroborating evidence beyond your own statements (Utah Code 78B-7-701(3)(a)(v)). No family tie is required, but if the person is a spouse, partner, ex, or someone you live or lived with, this is the wrong order and you want a cohabitant abuse protective order instead (Utah Code 78B-7-601 et seq.). If the court signs an ex parte injunction, it takes effect when served, and it converts to a three year injunction on its own unless the respondent asks for a hearing within ten days. This page is document preparation information, not legal advice, and no order can guarantee your safety. Attorney review is available through DocDraft.
Find out where you stand in Utah
Who is harassing you?
DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.
Do I need evidence besides my own statement to file a civil stalking injunction in Utah?
Yes. The petition must include corroborating evidence beyond the petitioner's own statements (Utah Code 78B-7-701(3)(a)(v)). The statute is framed as a filing requirement, so gather messages, photographs, logs, or witness accounts of the acts before you submit the verified petition rather than hoping to add support later.
How long does a Utah civil stalking injunction last?
Three years, counted from the day the ex parte injunction is served on the respondent. If the respondent does not request a hearing in writing within 10 days of service, the ex parte order becomes a civil stalking injunction automatically and expires three years after service (Utah Code 78B-7-701(7)(c)).
What counts as stalking for a Utah civil stalking injunction?
Stalking means intentionally or knowingly engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific individual, knowing or being reckless as to whether it would cause a reasonable person to fear for safety or suffer other emotional distress. A course of conduct is two or more acts (Utah Code 76-5-106.5).
Does Utah charge a fee to ask for a civil stalking injunction?
The Utah courts self-help page states that you do not have to pay anything to ask for a civil stalking injunction. That statement comes from the judiciary's guidance. A statutory fee provision was not located in the Part 7 text, so confirm with the court clerk when you file.
Utah civil stalking injunction rules at a glance
Utah's civil stalking injunction sits in Title 78B, Chapter 7, Part 7, and it is a different instrument from the cohabitant abuse protective order in Part 6 and the sexual violence protective order in Part 5. It is a court order that directs a person you have no domestic tie to stop contacting you and keep away, and its single ground is stalking as defined in Utah Code 76-5-106.5. Two features set Utah apart. First, the petition itself must carry corroborating evidence beyond your own statements, so the evidentiary hurdle arrives at filing rather than at the hearing. Second, the clock runs on the respondent: an ex parte injunction becomes a three year injunction by default when no hearing is requested within ten days of service. The only open-ended Utah stalking order is the permanent criminal injunction issued at a conviction, which is a different thing.
A Cache County food truck owner and the former customer who will not stop
A Cache County food truck owner turned down a regular customer's request for a business loan, and over the next two months he parked across from her lot nightly, posted her home address in a local group, and left four notes on her truck. She had screenshots of the posts and a neighbour who saw him on two evenings. Because Utah requires corroborating evidence beyond her own statements in the petition itself, she attached both before filing the Request for Civil Stalking Injunction. The case turns on the paper trail. If a judge signs an ex parte order, she must serve it within 90 days, and the ten day hearing window starts on service. Whether the court finds stalking is for the court to decide.
Relevant Laws
Utah Code 78B-7-701 (civil stalking injunctions)
The governing section. It lets an individual who believes they are the victim of stalking bring a verified written petition for a civil stalking injunction against the alleged stalker, requires corroborating evidence beyond the petitioner's statements, allows an ex parte injunction where there is reason to believe an offense of stalking has occurred, and sets the ten day hearing window and the three year term after service. Effective 5/7/2025 (Ch. 238, 2025 General Session).
Utah Code 76-5-106.5 (stalking, the definition the injunction borrows)
Defines stalking as intentionally or knowingly engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific individual, knowing or reckless as to whether it would cause a reasonable person to fear for safety or suffer other emotional distress. A course of conduct is two or more acts, and emotional distress means significant mental or psychological suffering. The version read is effective 9/1/2026, and it was not compared against earlier text.
Utah Code 78B-7-902 (permanent criminal stalking injunction)
Provides that the district court shall issue a permanent criminal stalking injunction at the time of conviction. This is the open-ended Utah stalking instrument, separate from the three year civil injunction, and it arises from a criminal case rather than from a petition by the victim.
Utah Code 78B-7-601 et seq. (cohabitant abuse protective orders)
The Part 6 protective order for domestic situations, which is the destination for a reader whose harasser is a spouse, partner, ex, or someone they live or have lived with. It is cited here for the routing rule and its text was not analysed further on this page.
Utah Courts self-help: Civil Stalking Injunction
The judiciary's guidance page for the instrument. It lists the Request for Civil Stalking Injunction and the Service Assistance Form, and states that you do not have to pay anything to ask for a civil stalking injunction.
Regional Variances
Utah civil stalking injunction rules at a glance
Instrument name
Civil stalking injunction, Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 7, Part 7 (78B-7-701 et seq.). It is separate from the sexual violence protective order in Part 5 and the cohabitant abuse protective order in Part 6.
Who it covers, and the relationship test
No relationship test. An individual who believes they are the victim of stalking may petition against the alleged stalker, with law enforcement and investigators acting in an official capacity excluded (Utah Code 78B-7-701(1)). Domestic relationships point to the Part 6 cohabitant abuse order.
The standard
Stalking as defined in Utah Code 76-5-106.5: a course of conduct of two or more acts directed at a specific individual, where the person knows or is reckless as to whether it would cause a reasonable person to fear for safety or suffer other emotional distress. The petition must include corroborating evidence beyond the petitioner's statements (78B-7-701(3)(a)(v)).
Ex parte or temporary order
The court may issue an ex parte injunction if it determines there is reason to believe an offense of stalking has occurred. It is effective on service and must be served within 90 days of signing. The respondent has 10 days after service to request a hearing (Utah Code 78B-7-701(4), (5), (7)).
Duration
Three years from the day the ex parte injunction is served. If no hearing is requested in writing within 10 days of service, it converts automatically and expires three years after service (Utah Code 78B-7-701(7)(c)).
Renewal
No renewal or extension provision was found in the Part 7 text reviewed, so none is stated here. The petitioner may dissolve the injunction at any time (Utah Code 78B-7-701(11)). The permanent criminal stalking injunction under 78B-7-902 is a separate instrument issued at conviction.
Court and form
District court. The form is the Request for Civil Stalking Injunction, numbered 1078XX as printed by the court, with a 1049XX Service Assistance Form. The PDF header reads Revised by Forms Committee March 11, 2024.
Filing fee
The utcourts.gov self-help page says you do not have to pay anything to ask for a civil stalking injunction. A statutory fee provision was not located, so the statement rests on the judiciary page.
Service
Within 90 days of the day the ex parte injunction is signed, with effect on service. The court offers a Service Assistance Form. Later deadlines, including the ten day hearing request window and the three year term, run from the day of service.
Currency
Utah Code 78B-7-701 shows an effective date of 5/7/2025 and 76-5-106.5 an effective date of 9/1/2026, so the stalking definition changed in the 2026 session. This page states the definition as the current text reads and does not compare it with the earlier version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Utah guides
Adult Guardianship in Utah
Adverse Possession in Utah: Seven Years, Irrigation Works and a Tax Requirement
Asset Protection Planning in Utah (2026)
Dealing With Debt Collectors in Utah (2026)
Delinquent Property Taxes in Utah: Four Years, Then a May or June Auction That Can Take Part of the Lot
Expunging a Criminal Record in Utah (2026)
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