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Your Salt Lake City Personal Injury Attorney
It is normal to feel unsure what to do first after an injury in Salt Lake City. Utah law gives you fixed deadlines and a defined way of weighing fault, so you can start from facts instead of guesses. The sections below cover the deadlines that apply, the one-year notice rule for government claims, how shared fault is weighed, and the situations people ask about most. Nothing here is specific to Salt Lake City alone, since the same statutes apply across Utah, but where your case is heard depends on the county.
How Long Do You Have? The Short Version
- General personal injury deadline: 4 years from the day you were injured (Utah Code 78B-2-307).
- Property damage to your car: 4 years, a separate claim from your injuries (Utah Code 78B-2-307(3)).
- If someone died because of another party’s negligence: 2 years from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304).
- 2 years for product claims, starting once the harm and its cause are discovered or should have been (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
- Claims against a city, county, school district, or the state: written notice of claim within 1 year after the claim arises, then a lawsuit within 2 years (Utah Code 63G-7-402 and 63G-7-403).
When Does the Clock Start on a Utah Injury Claim?
For most injury claims, Utah Code 78B-2-307 sets a four-year window that starts on the date you were hurt. Utah’s statutes do not list personal injury by name; the four-year rule is the general limit that courts apply to negligence claims.
Watch the two-year deadlines: wrongful death (Utah Code 78B-2-304, counted from the date of death) and product liability (Utah Code 78B-6-706, counted from discovery of the harm and its cause).
A child’s clock works differently: under Utah Code 78B-2-108, the statute of limitations does not run while an injured person is under 18. If a public entity is involved, its own notice rules apply, so get advice early.
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When a Public Entity Is Involved
If a city, county, school district, or state agency (or one of its employees) caused your injury, Utah’s Governmental Immunity Act requires a written notice of claim within one year after the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-402). Miss it and the claim is barred, even though the general limit is four years.
Once notice is filed, you generally wait 60 days before filing suit, and the entity must acknowledge the notice in writing within that period. The suit must be started within two years after the claim arises, and it goes to district court (Utah Code 63G-7-403 and 78A-5-102).
A claim generally arises when the ordinary limitations clock would start, and that clock does not start until you knew, or with reasonable diligence should have known, of the claim and which entity was responsible (Utah Code 63G-7-401). The notice must go to the specific office the entity designates, which is one more reason to get help early.
Can You Still Recover If You Share the Blame?
Fault in Utah is measured as percentages, and the line is 50%. Below it, your damages shrink by your percentage; at or above it, Utah Code 78B-5-818 bars the claim.
In a multi-party case, fault is divided among everyone responsible and each defendant owes only its own share, which makes identifying every responsible party an early priority (Utah Code 78B-5-818(3)).
Salt Lake County and the Third Judicial District
Utah injury lawsuits are filed in district court, the state’s trial court of general jurisdiction, with a district court in the county seat of every county (Utah Code 78A-5-101). Salt Lake City is in Salt Lake County, part of Utah’s Third Judicial District, and the Salt Lake County seat is Salt Lake City.
Your Situation and the Utah Rule That Applies
Below are direct answers for the most common kinds of injury claims, each tied to the Utah law that governs it.
How does Utah’s no-fault system affect my car accident claim?
In Utah, PIP coverage pays certain benefits regardless of fault, and it limits when you can sue for general damages: only for death, dismemberment, permanent impairment or disfigurement, a bone fracture, or medical expenses above $3,000 (Utah Code 31A-22-309). The threshold does not apply to uninsured motorist claims.
Damage to your vehicle is a separate matter with its own four-year limit (Utah Code 78B-2-307(3)), and Utah’s 50% fault rule applies to the injury claim as well.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Utah?
Four years is the general rule for a fall on private property. If the fall happened on city, county, school, or state property, the deadline for the written notice of claim is one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402), which is far shorter and easy to miss.
Keep the shoes and clothing you wore during the fall, along with your medical records and bills, so an attorney has more to work with when reviewing what happened.
How long do I have to sue over a dangerous product in Utah?
Two years, counted from discovery of the harm and its cause under Utah Code 78B-6-706. That is shorter than the four-year general limit, so a product injury deserves prompt attention.
Product claims can involve more than one party in the chain from manufacturer to seller, and Utah’s fault rules divide responsibility among them (Utah Code 78B-5-818(3)).
Who can file a wrongful death claim in Utah?
The person’s heirs, or a personal representative acting for the benefit of the heirs, may bring the action (Utah Code 78B-3-106). The deadline is two years from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304).
If the person who died was an adult with a guardian at the time of death, only one action may be maintained for the person’s injury or death (Utah Code 78B-3-106(2)).
I was bitten by a dog in Utah, does the owner have to pay?
Utah is a strict liability state for dog injuries: an owner or keeper is liable for an injury the dog causes, whether or not the dog was vicious and whether or not the owner knew it was (Utah Code 18-1-1). Damages are determined under the comparative fault rule in Utah Code 78B-5-818.
The statute covers an individual who owns or keeps the dog, so the responsible person is identified by who owned or kept the dog, not only by whose name is on a license.
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Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County
Salt Lake City is in Salt Lake County, and injury lawsuits arising here are usually filed in the Salt Lake County district court. The rules above apply the same way in Salt Lake City as anywhere else in Utah.
For injuries caused by medical care, see medical malpractice help in Salt Lake City.
Nearby cities we also cover: our coverage in Midvale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do insurance negotiations stop the Utah filing deadline?
Not on their own. Settlement talks do not automatically pause the limitations period under Utah Code 78B-2-307, so a claim under discussion can still run out of time.
How long do we have to file a wrongful death lawsuit after losing a family member?
Two years from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304), which is shorter than the four-year limit for most injury claims.
Which court hears a claim against a Utah government entity?
The district court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over actions under the Governmental Immunity Act (Utah Code 78A-5-102).
Can I recover if I was 40% at fault in Utah?
Yes. At 40% fault your damages are reduced by 40%, because your fault is still below the 50% line (Utah Code 78B-5-818).
Does the no-fault threshold apply to uninsured motorist claims?
No. Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)(b) says the general-damages threshold does not apply to a person making an uninsured motorist claim.
Can my own carelessness affect a slip and fall claim?
Yes. Under Utah Code 78B-5-818 your recovery is reduced by your share of fault and barred if your fault reaches 50% or more.
Do I have to prove a dog had bitten before in Utah?
No. Utah Code 18-1-1 applies regardless of the dog’s history or the owner’s knowledge.
When does the product liability clock start in Utah?
At discovery of both the harm and what caused it, not necessarily the date of injury (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
What happens if a city sits in two counties?
The county where the injury happened, or where a defendant lives, decides where the case may be filed (Utah Code 78B-3a-201).
How soon should I contact an attorney after an injury in Utah?
As soon as you can. Some deadlines, like the one-year notice for government claims, are short, and evidence fades quickly.
Start the Process Now
Several Utah deadlines are much shorter than the four-year rule people expect, especially the one-year notice for government claims, so it helps to know which one applies before decisions get made. Reaching out now does not obligate you to anything. A real attorney will hear the situation and help you understand which options are still available while there is time to use them.
