Utah Car Accident Laws

Utah's four-year deadline is unusually generous, and its no-fault system recently got a meaningful insurance-minimum increase worth knowing about if you're relying on older information.

Four years to file sounds like plenty of room. The insurance minimums that actually determine what's available to you just changed — that's the detail worth double-checking.

Statute of limitations: 4 years

Under Utah Code §78B-2-307, you generally have four years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit — among the longer deadlines in the country. Property damage claims have a shorter, three-year window. Claims against a government entity require notice within just one year (Utah Code §63G-7-402).

Fault rule: modified comparative negligence, 50% bar

Under Utah Code §78B-5-818, you can recover damages if you're found less than 50% at fault, reduced by your percentage. At 50% or more, you recover nothing.

Insurance: no-fault PIP, 2025 minimum increase

Utah is a no-fault state — PIP (minimum $3,000) pays your medical costs first, regardless of fault, until your injuries meet a severity threshold that lets you sue the at-fault driver. Effective January 1, 2025, Utah's minimum liability limits rose to 30/65/25: $30,000 per person and $65,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage.

How this plays out in a real claim

Take an intersection collision where fault is genuinely disputed. If an insurer or court assigns you 40% of the blame, Utah's rule still lets you recover 60% of your damages. But if that assessment creeps to 50% or above, the claim is barred entirely under Utah's rule — not reduced, eliminated. That single threshold is exactly why insurers have a real incentive to push a borderline case just over the line rather than simply discount what they pay.

A mistake worth avoiding in Utah

Because a single percentage point at the 50% threshold can be the entire difference between a reduced payout and nothing at all, careless statements at the scene or to an adjuster carry more weight here than in a pure comparative state. Avoid speculating about fault, even casually, until the full picture — police report, witnesses, any available footage — is in front of you.

If a government vehicle or agency was involved

Utah requires written notice of claim within one year under the Governmental Immunity Act (Utah Code §63G-7-402) — separate from, and much shorter than, the four-year deadline for an ordinary negligence claim. After filing notice you must wait at least 60 days before suing, and the overall deadline to file suit is two years from when the claim arose (§63G-7-403).

If the crash resulted in a death

Utah sets a separate two-year deadline for wrongful death, measured from the date of death rather than from the date of the accident (Utah Code §78B-2-304(2)) — distinct from the four-year window that applies to an ordinary injury claim in this state.

Beyond the deadline and the fault rule

The statute of limitations and the fault rule above decide whether you have a claim and how much of it survives — they don't decide what the claim is actually worth, or whether it's worth handling yourself. For that, see our guides on what affects a settlement, who pays your medical bills while a claim is pending, and whether Utah law makes a lawyer worth it for your specific situation.

When it's worth talking to someone

If your injuries might clear the threshold to step outside no-fault, a free, no-obligation conversation can help clarify what's available.