Running for office in Utah

This page covers what's specific to Utah. Start with the general guide for the steps every candidate follows regardless of state.

Filing in Utah

Where you file depends on the office. Statewide and federal candidates file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office. Countywide candidates file with their County Clerk. Candidates for city or town office, including mayor and city council, file with their City Recorder. In every case, the declaration isn't complete until you sign it in person in front of an election officer at the correct office.

Utah runs municipal elections in odd years, separate from state and county elections held in even years. The two tracks have different filing windows, so confirm which calendar applies to the office you're seeking.

Candidates running with a qualified political party pay a filing fee. Candidates running unaffiliated instead submit a nominating petition with voter signatures by a later deadline.

Deadlines and numbers

• 2025 municipal races: standard filing period was June 1-6, in person with the city recorder by 5:00 p.m. Ranked-choice-voting cities (Salt Lake City, Millcreek, Midvale, South Salt Lake) used a later window, August 12-19, 2025.
• 2026 county and state cycle: party-candidate filing ran January 2-8, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.
• Unaffiliated candidates for county and state offices: signature packets due June 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
• Filing fee for legislative and many local partisan candidates: $50 plus one-eighth of one percent of the full term's salary, plus a signed fair campaign practices pledge

The dossier could not independently verify exact municipal filing fee amounts for every city, and could not confirm statewide whether a signature-in-lieu-of-fee option exists for municipal races. Check with your specific city recorder, or ask in /engage.

Where to go

• vote.utah.gov for the current Candidate Manual and statewide election calendar
• Your County Clerk's office for county-level filing (example: saltlakecounty.gov/clerk/elections)
• Your City Recorder for city or town office, since municipal deadlines and fees vary by city