Utah Guardianship Court Forms and the OCAP System

Filing for guardianship of an adult child in Utah involves a specific set of court documents, each serving a distinct purpose in the proceeding. Rather than tracking down forms from multiple sources, most families use the state's Online Court Assistance Program (OCAP) to generate everything in one session. Here's what you need and how the process works.

Required Court Documents

For an adult child guardianship petition under Utah Code § 75-5-317, the court requires:

Petition to Appoint a Guardian for an Adult Child (Form 1501GU). This is the core document. It identifies the petitioner (typically a parent), the respondent (the young adult), and the specific authority being requested. Under Utah law, you must specify whether you're seeking limited or full guardianship and describe the functional limitations that make guardianship necessary.

District Court Cover Sheet for Probate Actions. A standardized intake form that helps the court route your case to the correct probate division and assign a case number.

Clinical Evaluation or Doctor's Letter. While not technically a court form, this is a mandatory filing requirement. The report must come from a licensed physician or clinical psychologist, be signed within six months of filing, and detail the respondent's specific functional limitations. Under Senate Bill 161 (2026), the evaluator must use evidence-based screening tools and cannot base the assessment predominantly on the petitioner's statements.

Notice of Hearing and Rights. After the court sets a hearing date, this form must be personally served on the respondent at least 10 days before the hearing. It explains their right to independent legal counsel, the right to be present at the hearing, and what the petitioner is asking the court to do.

Acceptance of Appointment. The proposed guardian signs this acknowledging the responsibilities they're undertaking and agreeing to comply with court requirements.

Request to Appoint an Attorney for the Respondent. Unless the case falls under narrow exceptions (SID pathway with specific conditions met), the respondent is entitled to independent counsel. Filing this request triggers the court's Guardianship Signature Program to locate a volunteer attorney.

Using OCAP to Prepare Your Documents

The Online Court Assistance Program walks you through an interview-style questionnaire, then generates completed, properly formatted court documents based on your answers. The system handles the formatting requirements that trip up self-represented filers — page margins, caption formatting, case number placement, and legal language compliance.

The OCAP fee is $20, paid at the time of filing. This is separate from the $35 court filing fee for parent petitions.

A few practical notes about OCAP:

• You don't need to complete the interview in one sitting — you can save and return
• The system calculates and displays applicable filing fees
• OCAP generates documents specific to the pathway you select (Adult Child, standard adult, or SID)
• The court's Self-Help Center can help troubleshoot technical issues with the system

The SID Pathway: Different Forms

If the young adult has a severe, lifelong intellectual disability that has existed since childhood and is expected to be permanent, the petition is filed under the Severe Intellectual Disability (SID) pathway (Utah Code § 75-5-601 et seq.) using Form 1501GU SID. This pathway uses a separate set of OCAP questions and generates different forms tailored to the streamlined SID process — including provisions for closed hearings, remote appearances, and potential waiver of the mandatory counsel requirement.

The Doctor's Letter: Getting It Right

This is where many petitions stall. The clinical evaluation needs to do more than confirm a diagnosis. Under current standards, the report must:

• Detail the specific functional limitations across life domains (medical, financial, residential, educational)
• List all current medications
• Assess which tasks of daily living the respondent can perform independently versus with assistance
• Be written and signed by a licensed physician or clinical psychologist (not a social worker, nurse practitioner, or therapist)
• Be dated within six months of the filing date

School-based records — psychoeducational evaluations, adaptive behavior assessments, IQ testing — can supplement the clinical report. These records are particularly useful because they're often more detailed than a standalone doctor's letter and provide standardized scores the court can reference.

Service and Notice Requirements

After filing, the respondent must be personally served with copies of the petition and notice of hearing by an independent third party — a county sheriff, professional process server, or any adult who is not a party to the case. The server files a Proof of Completed Service with the court.

You must also mail copies of the petition and notice to all interested parties (parents, adult siblings, existing healthcare agents) at least 10 days before the hearing, then file a Certificate of Service confirming you did so.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of preparing each document, coordinating the clinical evaluation, and managing the service timeline, the Utah Adult Guardianship & Alternatives Guide organizes the full filing sequence into a checklist format.

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