(a) Scope of rules. These rules govern the procedure in the courts of the state of Utah in all actions of a civil nature, whether cognizable at law or in equity, and in all statutory proceedings, except as governed by other rules promulgated by this court or statutes enacted by the Legislature, and except as stated in Rule 81. They must be liberally construed and applied to achieve the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. These rules govern all actions brought after they take effect and all further proceedings in actions then pending. If, in the opinion of the court, applying a rule in an action pending when the rule takes effect would not be feasible or would be unjust, the former procedure applies.
Rule 1.General provisions
Part I: Scope of Rules — One Form of Action · Last amended February 13, 2026 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1 sets the scope of Utah's civil procedure rules and directs courts to apply them so every case reaches a just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution.
Full Text of Rule 1
(b) Definition. As used in these rules, “district court panel” means a panel of three district court judges that is convened to hear and decide an action.
Amendment History
Amended effective Jan. 1, 1987; November 1, 1996; April 1, 2003; April 1, 2008; November 1, 2011; November 1, 2024; February 13, 2026.
Advisory Committee Notes
These rules apply to court commissioners to the same extent as to judges.
A primary purpose of the 2011 amendments is to give effect to the long-standing but often overlooked directive in Rule 1 that the Rules of Civil Procedure should be construed and applied to achieve “the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” The amendments serve this purpose by limiting parties to discovery that is proportional to the stakes of the litigation, curbing excessive expert discovery, and requiring the early disclosure of documents, witnesses and evidence that a party intends to offer in its case-in-chief. The committee’s purpose is to restore balance to the goals of Rule 1, so that a just resolution is not achieved at the expense of speedy and inexpensive resolutions, and greater access to the justice system can be afforded to all members of society.
Due to the significant changes in the discovery rules, the Supreme Court order adopting the 2011 amendments makes them effective only as to cases filed on or after the effective date, November 1, 2011, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties or ordered by the court.
The February 13, 2026 effective date is upon approval by a constitutional two-thirds vote of all members elected to each house.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 1 is the on-ramp to the entire body of Utah civil procedure. It tells courts and litigants which cases these rules govern: every civil action in Utah's courts, whether the underlying claim would once have been heard at law or in equity, plus statutory proceedings. Two carve-outs apply — cases governed by other rules the Utah Supreme Court has adopted or by statutes the Legislature has enacted, and the exceptions listed in Rule 81. Outside those carve-outs, one uniform set of procedures applies no matter what kind of civil claim a party brings.
The rule also sets the interpretive lens for everything that follows. Courts must construe and apply the rules liberally to achieve "the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action." That phrase is not filler — the Advisory Committee Notes explain that a wave of 2011 amendments was built specifically to make good on it, by limiting discovery to what is proportional to the stakes of a case, reining in expert discovery, and requiring parties to disclose early the documents, witnesses, and evidence they intend to use to prove their case. The goal, in the committee's own words, was to restore balance among speed, cost, and fairness rather than letting a just outcome come only at the price of a slow and expensive one.
Rule 1 also handles a practical transition problem: what happens when the rules themselves change while a case is already underway. As a default, new or amended rules apply both to actions filed after they take effect and to further proceedings in cases already pending. But if a court decides that applying a new rule to a pending case would not be feasible or would be unjust, the prior procedure controls instead — a safety valve that keeps mid-case rule changes from blindsiding a party.
Finally, the rule defines "district court panel" as a group of three district court judges convened to hear and decide a particular action, a term used elsewhere in the rules for matters assigned to multi-judge panels rather than a single judge. The Advisory Committee Notes add that these rules apply to court commissioners the same way they apply to judges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cases do the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure cover?
All civil actions in Utah's courts, whether they would historically have been considered legal or equitable claims, plus statutory proceedings — unless a different rule or statute governs, or Rule 81 carves the case out.
What does it mean that the rules are "liberally construed"?
Courts are directed to read and apply the rules in a way that produces a just, speedy, and inexpensive outcome, rather than treating them as rigid technical traps. The Advisory Committee Notes tie this directly to the 2011 discovery reforms, which limited discovery to what is proportional to a case's stakes so cases would not become needlessly slow or expensive.
Do these rules apply to a case that was already pending when a rule changed?
Generally yes — amended rules apply to further proceedings in pending cases as well as to new filings. But if the court finds that applying a changed rule to a pending case would not be feasible or would be unjust, the procedure that applied before the change continues to govern that case.
Do the Rules of Civil Procedure apply to court commissioners?
Yes. The Advisory Committee Notes state that these rules apply to court commissioners to the same extent they apply to judges.
What is a "district court panel"?
Rule 1(b) defines it as a panel of three district court judges convened to hear and decide a particular action, as opposed to the more typical arrangement of a single judge presiding.
Are there exceptions to when these rules apply?
Yes. Rule 1 excludes proceedings governed by other rules the Utah Supreme Court has adopted, matters governed by statutes the Legislature has enacted, and the exceptions set out in Rule 81.
Source & verification. Rule text, Advisory Committee Notes, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure,
adopted by the Utah Supreme Court. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
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