Utah Small Claims Statute of Limitations: Deadlines by Claim Type
Utah's Filing Deadlines at a Glance
Utah's statutes of limitations — the legal deadlines for bringing a claim — are codified in Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 2. Miss the window and the court dismisses your case, no matter how strong it is.
| Claim type | Deadline | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Written contracts | 6 years | § 78B-2-309 |
| Oral contracts and open accounts | 4 years | § 78B-2-307 |
| Personal injury | 4 years | § 78B-2-307 |
| General property damage | 3 years | § 78B-2-305(1)(a) |
| Motor vehicle property damage | 4 years | § 78B-2-307(3) |
| Statutory penalties or forfeitures | 1 year | § 78B-2-302 |
These are the lengths of the filing periods; the research does not establish a start date for every claim type. Confirm the applicable accrual date before calculating your deadline.
Written vs. Oral Contracts: The 2-Year Difference
Written contracts get 6 years. Oral agreements get 4. This distinction matters more than most people realize.
A signed lease, a written invoice with payment terms, a signed service contract — these all fall under the 6-year window. A handshake agreement to split the cost of a fence repair, a verbal promise to pay back a loan, a phone conversation agreeing to a price for work — those get 4 years.
If you have any written documentation of the agreement — even a text message or email confirming the terms — it may strengthen your argument for the 6-year window. The question is whether there's a written record of the essential terms: who owes what, for what, and when.
Property Damage: 3 Years (with an Exception)
General property damage claims — a contractor damaging your floor, a neighbor's tree falling on your fence — carry a 3-year statute of limitations under § 78B-2-305.
The exception: property damage from a motor vehicle accident gets 4 years under § 78B-2-307(3). Utah Code specifically carves out auto-related property damage and gives it the same timeline as personal injury claims.
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Personal Injury: 4 Years
If someone's negligence caused you physical harm and you're keeping the claim under $20,000, the filing period is 4 years. This covers car accidents, slip-and-falls, dog bites, and similar incidents.
Utah Code Section 78A-8-102 allows you to combine personal injury and property damage from the same incident into one small claims case, or file them separately — as long as you don't double-count the property damage.
Security Deposits: When Does the Clock Start?
The research identifies a 1-year limit for statutory penalties or forfeitures under § 78B-2-302, which applies to the statutory $100 penalty under UCA § 57-17-5. It does not establish a limitations period for the underlying deposit-return claim, so confirm the applicable period and start date before relying on a deadline.
Don't Wait Until the Last Month
Even if you're technically within the deadline, filing close to the expiration creates risk. If the court rejects your paperwork for a defect — wrong defendant name, missing cover sheet, incorrect fee — you may not have time to refile before the statute expires. Utah courts have no obligation to save a case filed in an improper venue that's dismissed after the limitations period ends.
A safe buffer is 2–3 months before expiration. That gives you time to send a demand letter, get a response (or not), file correctly, and complete service.
Our Utah Small Claims Filing Guide includes a deadline calculator worksheet that maps your specific claim type to its statute of limitations and flags key procedural dates.
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