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2025 bills / S.B. 119

S.B. 119 Domestic Relations Recodification (2025)

Became lawWritten by Sen. Todd Weiler · carried in the House by Rep. Anthony E. Loubet

  1. Introduced
  2. Senate committee
  3. Senate vote
  4. House committee
  5. House vote
  6. Signed into law

What this bill does

This bill moves many Utah family law provisions, including parentage, child support interstate enforcement, child custody, adoption, and unregulated child custody transfers, from Title 78B into a new Title 81 with updated terms. It also makes several adoption changes, such as letting proceedings be brought in a judicial district, removing the 30-day petition filing deadline, and dropping the requirement to file proof of an alien child's lawful admission.

Plain-English summary written by AI from the official description. Check the official text below.

Official description
  • clarifies the jurisdiction of the juvenile and district courts with regards to adoptions
  • clarifies and coordinates definitions related to domestic relations
  • recodifies and amends Title 78B, Chapter 15, Utah Uniform Parentage Act, to Title 81, Chapter 5, Uniform Parentage Act, including changing the term, "support-enforcement agency" to "child support services agency"
  • recodifies and amends Title 78B, Chapter 14, Utah Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, to Title 81, Chapter 8, Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, including:
  • defining terms to coordinate with the definitions in Title 81, Chapter 5, Uniform Parentage Act
  • changing the term, "support-enforcement agency" to "child support services agency"
  • recodifies Title 78B, Chapter 20, Uniform Deployed Parents Custody, Parent-time, and Visitation Act, to Title 81, Chapter 10, Uniform Deployed Parents Custody, Parent-time, and Visitation Act
  • recodifies Title 78B, Chapter 13, Utah Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, to Title 81, Chapter 11, Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
  • recodifies Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 1, Utah Adoption Act, to Title 81, Chapter 13, Adoption
  • clarifies provisions regarding adoption, including:
  • definitions related to adoption
  • access to adoption records by a potential birth father that is allowed to intervene in an adoption proceeding
  • that a petitioner's home includes a temporary place of abode in certain circumstances
  • clarifying the time periods associated with adoption
  • requirements for adopting an adult
  • allows an adoption proceeding to be brought in a judicial district rather than a county
  • repeals a requirement requiring a petition for adoption of a minor child to be filed within 30 days of the minor child being placed in the home of the prospective adoptive parents
  • repeals a statute requiring a person filing a petition for the adoption of an alien child to include written evidence of lawful admission of the alien child
  • recodifies Title 78B, Chapter 24, Uniform Unregulated Child Custody Transfer Act, to Title 81, Chapter 14, Uniform Unregulated Child Custody Transfer Act
  • includes a coordination clause to address a technical conflict with a reference if this bill and H.B. 329, Homeless Services Amendments, both pass and become law
  • includes a coordination clause to coordinate changes to statutes related to adoption documents if this bill and H.B. 129, Adoption Records Access Amendments, both pass and become law
  • includes a coordination clause to change the reference in a statute if this bill and H.B. 30, Indian Family Preservation Act Amendments, both pass and become law
  • includes a coordination clause to modify a definition due to the repeal of a statute if this bill and H.B. 21, Criminal Code Recodification and Cross References, both pass and become law
  • includes a coordination clause to address inconsistent terminology if this bill and H.B. 141, Adoption Modifications, both pass and become law
  • includes a coordination clause to address inconsistent terminology if this bill and H.B. 283, Child and Family Services Amendments, both pass and become law
  • makes technical and conforming changes
Full text and history on le.utah.gov →

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