Rule 11.Signing of pleadings, motions, affidavits, and other papers; representations to court; sanctions
Part III: Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended May 8, 2018 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 11 requires every pleading, motion, and paper to be signed and makes the signer certify — on pain of sanctions — that the filing isn't for an improper purpose and that its legal and factual claims have real support.
(1)Every pleading, written motion, and other paper must be signed by at least one attorney of record, or, if the party is not represented, by the party.
(2)A person may sign a paper using any form of signature recognized by law as binding. Unless required by statute, a paper need not be accompanied by affidavit or have a notarized, verified or acknowledged signature. If a rule requires an affidavit or a notarized, verified or acknowledged signature, the person may submit an unsworn declaration as described in Title 78B, Chapter 18a, Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act. If an affidavit or a paper with a notarized, verified or acknowledged signature is filed, the party must comply with Rule 5(f).
(3)An unsigned paper will be stricken unless omission of the signature is corrected promptly after being called to the attention of the attorney or party.
(b)Representations to court. By presenting a pleading, written motion, or other paper to the court (whether by signing, filing, submitting, or advocating), an attorney or unrepresented party is certifying that to the best of the person’s knowledge, information, and belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances,
(1)it is not being presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation;
(2)the claims, defenses, and other legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law or the establishment of new law;
(3)the allegations and other factual contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, are likely to have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery; and
(4)the denials of factual contentions are warranted on the evidence or, if specifically so identified, are reasonably based on a lack of information or belief.
(c)Sanctions. If, after notice and a reasonable opportunity to respond, the court determines that paragraph (b) has been violated, the court may, subject to the conditions stated below, impose an appropriate sanction upon the attorneys, law firms, or parties that have violated paragraph (b) or are responsible for the violation.
(1)How initiated.
(A)By motion. A motion for sanctions under this rule must be made separately from other motions or requests and must describe the specific conduct alleged to violate paragraph (b). It must be served as provided in Rule 5, but may not be filed with or presented to the court unless, within 21 days after service of the motion (or such other period as the court may prescribe), the challenged paper, claim, defense, contention, allegation, or denial is not withdrawn or appropriately corrected. If warranted, the court may award to the party prevailing on the motion the reasonable expenses and attorney fees incurred in presenting or opposing the motion. In appropriate circumstances, a law firm may be held jointly responsible for violations committed by its partners, members, and employees.
(B)On court’s initiative. On its own initiative, the court may enter an order describing the specific conduct that appears to violate paragraph (b) and directing an attorney, law firm, or party to show cause why it has not violated paragraph (b) with respect thereto.
(2)Nature of sanction; limitations. A sanction imposed for violation of this rule must be limited to what is sufficient to deter repetition of such conduct or comparable conduct by others similarly situated. Subject to the limitations in paragraphs (c)(2)(A) and (c)(2)(B), the sanction may consist of, or include, directives of a nonmonetary nature, an order to pay a penalty into court, or, if imposed on motion and warranted for effective deterrence, an order directing payment to the movant of some or all of the reasonable attorney fees and other expenses incurred as a direct result of the violation.
(A)Monetary sanctions may not be awarded against a represented party for a violation of paragraph (b)(2).
(B)Monetary sanctions may not be awarded on the court’s initiative unless the court issues its order to show cause before a voluntary dismissal or settlement of the claims made by or against the party which is, or whose attorneys are, to be sanctioned.
(3)Order. When imposing sanctions, the court will describe the conduct determined to constitute a violation of this rule and explain the basis for the sanction imposed.
Amendment History
Amended effective Sept. 4, 1985; April 1, 1997; April 1, 2008; April 1, 2013; May 1, 2016; May 8, 2018.
Advisory Committee Notes
Advisory Committee Notes
The 1997 amendments conform state Rule 11 with federal Rule 11. One difference between the rules concerns holding a law firm jointly responsible for violations by a member of the firm. Federal Rule 11(c)(1)(A) states: “Absent exceptional circumstances, a law firm shall be held jointly responsible for violations committed by its partners, associates, and employees.” Under the federal rule, joint responsibility is presumed unless the judge determines not to impose joint responsibility. State Rule 11(c)(1)(A) provides: “In appropriate circumstances, a law firm may be held jointly responsible for violations committed by its partners, members, and employees.” Under the state rule, joint responsibility is not presumed, and the judge may impose joint responsibility in appropriate circumstances. What constitutes appropriate circumstances is left to the discretion of the judge, but might include: repeated violations, especially after earlier sanctions; firm-wide sanctionable practices; or a sanctionable practice approved by a supervising attorney and committed by a subordinate.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 11 attaches consequences to the act of signing. Every pleading, written motion, and other paper must carry the signature of at least one attorney of record, or of the party if self-represented. Any legally recognized form of signature works, and unless a statute demands otherwise, a filing doesn't need to be notarized or verified — where a rule does call for an affidavit or notarized signature, a person can instead submit an unsworn declaration under the Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act. An unsigned paper gets stricken unless the missing signature is fixed promptly once someone flags it.
The signature means something. By presenting a pleading, motion, or paper to the court — signing, filing, submitting, or arguing it — the attorney or self-represented party certifies that, after a reasonable inquiry, the filing isn't being presented to harass anyone or run up costs and delay; that its legal claims and defenses are warranted by existing law or a nonfrivolous argument to extend or change the law; that its factual allegations have evidentiary support, or are likely to after reasonable investigation or discovery if flagged as such; and that its denials of facts are warranted by the evidence or reasonably grounded in a lack of information.
If a court finds, after notice and a chance to respond, that someone violated those certifications, it can impose sanctions. A sanctions motion has a built-in safe harbor: it must be served separately from other motions, describe the specific violation, and can't be filed with the court until 21 days after service — giving the other side a real window to withdraw or fix the problem before it becomes a sanctions fight. A court can also raise the issue on its own, by ordering the attorney, firm, or party to show cause why paragraph (b) wasn't violated.
Sanctions are capped by purpose: they must be limited to what's needed to deter repeating the conduct, whether by that party or others in similar positions. They can be nonmonetary, a penalty paid into court, or — on a motion, when needed for real deterrence — an order to pay the other side's reasonable fees and expenses caused by the violation. Monetary sanctions can't be imposed against a represented party for a violation involving the legal merit of a claim (as opposed to facts or purpose), and a court can't impose monetary sanctions on its own initiative unless it issued the show-cause order before any voluntary dismissal or settlement. Whatever the court decides, it has to describe the violating conduct and explain the basis for the sanction it imposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What am I certifying when I sign a court filing?
That after a reasonable inquiry, the filing isn't for an improper purpose like harassment or delay, its legal claims are warranted by existing law or a good-faith argument to change it, its factual allegations have evidentiary support (or are likely to after discovery), and its denials of fact are warranted by the evidence or a reasonable lack of information.
What is the Rule 11 safe harbor?
Before a party can file a sanctions motion with the court, it has to serve the motion on the other side and wait 21 days. If the challenged filing or claim is withdrawn or corrected during that window, the sanctions motion generally goes no further.
Can I be sanctioned personally if a lawyer represents me?
Rule 11 does bar monetary sanctions against a represented party specifically for a violation involving whether legal claims and defenses were warranted by law — that responsibility falls more heavily on the attorney. Other kinds of violations, or nonmonetary sanctions, aren't shielded in the same way.
How does Utah's Rule 11 differ from the federal rule on law firm liability?
The federal rule presumes a law firm is jointly responsible for a partner's or associate's violation unless exceptional circumstances say otherwise. Utah's rule doesn't presume joint responsibility — it leaves that to the judge's discretion, based on factors like repeated violations or a firm-wide sanctionable practice.
What happens if I forget to sign a filing?
An unsigned paper is stricken, but only if the missing signature isn't corrected promptly once it's brought to the attorney's or party's attention.
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
Also known as:rule 11 sanctions utahsigning court documents utahfrivolous lawsuit sanctions utahrule 11 safe harborattorney certification requirements utahunsworn declaration utah