Default judgment in Utah: how to set it aside

What a default judgment means and how to ask the court to set it aside, with a deadline calculator.

Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026.

Short answer

A default judgment means the court decided against you because you didn't answer. File a Motion to Set Aside Default or Judgment. It must be filed within a reasonable time, and for mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud, no more than 90 days after the judgment was entered.

Shortest time to ask
90 days (Mistake, neglect, new evidence or fraud)
Time to answer
21 days

What a default judgment means in Utah

If you were properly served and do not file an answer in time, the plaintiff can ask for a default judgment and gets what it asked for without hearing your side.

Asking the court to undo a default in Utah

File a Motion to Set Aside Default or Judgment. It must be filed within a reasonable time, and for mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud, no more than 90 days after the judgment was entered. You usually must also show a meritorious defense, for example with a proposed answer.

Law: Utah R. Civ. P. 55, 60(b); Utah R. Civ. P. 55, 60(b)-(c); Utah Courts, Motion to Set Aside Judgment

Count your deadline to set aside a default

The date is counted in your browser.

The court's name is at the top of the judgment.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

What the judgment means in Utah

Interest after the judgment

A judgment on a lawful contract carries the contract rate, which must be stated in the judgment. Other judgments: the federal post-judgment interest rate as of January 1 each year plus 2%, fixed for the life of the judgment. A judgment under $10,000 in an action about the purchase of goods and services: 10% plus the federal post-judgment rate in effect on January 1 of that year.

How long it lasts

8 years. The creditor can renew it by filing a motion to renew, with an affidavit accounting for all payments and notice to you, before the 8 years (or any renewal) run out.

Law: Utah Code § 15-1-4; § 78B-2-311; § 78B-6-1802

After a judgment in Utah

Servicemembers

Before the court gives the plaintiff a default judgment, the plaintiff must file a sworn statement saying whether you are in military service.

Law: 50 U.S.C. 3931(b)(1)

Your next steps in Utah

  1. Get the judgment papers

    Get the judgment from the clerk; the date on it starts your time limits.

  2. Move fast

    The rule in Utah: File a Motion to Set Aside Default or Judgment.

  3. Give your reason and your defense

    Courts usually ask for a good reason and a real defense.

  4. Protect your money

    Read After a judgment in Utah.

Where to get free help in Utah

Questions about default judgments in Utah

What is the deadline to answer a debt suit in Utah?

21 days after you are served in Utah; 30 days if you were served outside Utah. Count every day, including weekends and holidays; the day you were served is day zero. If the last day falls on a day the court is closed, file on the next open day. If your summons says '10 days', the plaintiff has 10 days to file the case after serving you; your own deadline is still 21 (or 30) days. Small claims: go to the trial on the date set.

What happens if I don't answer in Utah?

If you were properly served and do not file an answer in time, the plaintiff can ask for a default judgment and gets what it asked for without hearing your side.

How do I set aside a default in Utah?

File a Motion to Set Aside Default or Judgment. It must be filed within a reasonable time, and for mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud, no more than 90 days after the judgment was entered. You usually must also show a meritorious defense, for example with a proposed answer.

Keep reading about Utah

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources