Utah End of Life Guide

Advance Directives 

Advance Directives are legal documents that allow you to make known your end-of-life care ahead of time. The state of Utah recognizes your right to decide the terms of your own medical treatment and to assign a person to make those decisions when you are not able to do so. 

Here are some important questions to consider before beginning this process:

• Is this document(s) state specific? Yes

• Does this document(s) need to be notarized? No

• Does this document(s) require witnesses? If so, how many? Yes / 1

• Can you legally use Aging With Dignity's 5 Wishes Doc? No

There is a single Advance Directive form for Utah that you can download by clicking below:

UTAH ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FORM

(Source: The University of Utah)

Death With Dignity

Death with Dignity laws allow the dying more control of their death and end-of-life decisions. These laws allow terminally-ill, able-minded state residents to request and receive prescription medication to hasten their death. 

In Utah, Death with Dignity legislation has not been passed nor submitted under a House or Senate Bill. 

Designated Funeral Agent

Utah law supports the appointment of a designated funeral agent to follow through on your written personal preferences (see below) or make funeral arrangements on your behalf if no written preferences are indicated.

Utah Code Title 58 Chapter 9  Part 6  Section 602 gives primary rights to the person designated:

1.) in a written instrument, excluding a power of attorney that terminates at death under Section 75-9-110, if the written instrument is acknowledged before a Notary Public or executed with the same formalities required of a will under Section 75-2-502...

The appointment of a designated funeral agent will override the next-of-kin's usual authority and let the citizen designate whom he/she wants to control the disposition of his body.

Financial Assistance

Utah does not have burial assistance although some counties offer indigent burial programs.

See our Financial Assistance Chart for more details.

Home Funeral

Home funerals, or family led funerals, are 100% legal in Utah. Your family or appointed agent may care for the deceased and handle all your funeral arrangements and necessary paperwork (permits and certificates) without a funeral director.

Check with the National Home Funeral Alliance for up-to-date details on how to navigate home funerals in Utah.

Personal Preference Law

Personal preference laws for body disposition obligate your survivors to follow your written [or verbal] personal preferences. This often goes hand-in-hand with designating a funeral agent to follow through with your funeral or body disposition preferences.

In Utah, a person may direct his/her own disposition (burial or cremation) in an approved document. According to Title 58 Chapter 9 Part 6 Section 601,

1.) A person may provide written directions, acknowledged before a Notary Public or executed with the same formalities required of a will under Section 75-2-502, to direct the preparation, type, and place of the person's disposition, including:
(a) designating a funeral service establishment;
(b) providing directions for burial arrangements; or
(c) providing directions for cremation arrangements. 

We always recommend outlining your funeral preference in writing and sharing them with your designated funeral agent, next-of-kin, or spouse, giving you the best chance of having them seen through or upheld in court.