The Utah Announcement of Appointment and Notice to Creditors (Form 1011ESF) is the probate notice a personal representative uses to tell the deceased person’s creditors that they must present their claims in writing within three months of the first publication or lose the right to be paid. You file it during informal probate, publish it in a local newspaper, and may also mail it to creditors you already know about.
This single form does a lot of heavy lifting. It starts the legal clock that protects the estate from late or surprise debts, and it tells every creditor where and how to send a claim. Under Utah Code Section 75-3-801, creditors who miss the deadline are forever barred, which is one of the strongest debt cutoffs in any state. Across Utah’s district courts, thousands of estates pass through informal probate each year, and a notice that is filled out wrong or published late can leave the personal representative personally exposed to claims that should have been cut off.
Here is what you will learn in this guide:
- 📋 What each blank on Form 1011ESF means and exactly what to write in it
- 🗞️ How to publish the notice the right way and start the three-month clock
- ✉️ When to mail written notice to known creditors and how the 60-day and 90-day rules work
- 👥 Three full walkthroughs with real names so you can copy the pattern
- ⚠️ The mistakes that get notices rejected or leave you personally on the hook
What the Form Is and Who Must File It
The Announcement of Appointment and Notice to Creditors, Form 1011ESF approved July 2017, is a court form used in Utah probate cases. The person who fills it out is the personal representative, sometimes called the executor or administrator. This is the person the court appoints to gather the deceased person’s property, pay valid debts, and pass the rest to the heirs. You can find the form on the Utah Courts informal probate page.
The form is technically optional, but skipping it is a costly choice. Section 75-3-801 says a personal representative “may” publish notice, so no one forces you to do it. The reason you almost always should is the three-month bar. Without published notice, creditors have up to one year after the death to file claims under Utah Code Section 75-3-803. With proper publication, that window shrinks to three months. This is the single biggest tool a personal representative has to close an estate fast and with confidence.
Most filers handle this form during informal probate, the simpler court track for estates with a clear will and no family fighting. A daughter named Sara who is wrapping up her late father’s affairs is the typical filer. She is often grieving, busy, and new to court paperwork. The good news is that this form is short, only two pages, and once you understand each blank it takes about fifteen minutes to complete.
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Gather these items before you open the form. Having them ready prevents the stops and restarts that cause errors.
- Your Letters of Appointment. This court document proves you are the personal representative. Without it you have no authority to publish notice, and a newspaper or creditor can challenge your standing.
- The case number. The court clerk assigns this when probate opens. A wrong or missing number means the clerk cannot match your filing to the right estate.
- The judicial district and county. Utah has eight judicial districts. The wrong district sends your filing to the wrong court and delays everything.
- The court’s street address. The form asks for it directly, and an incomplete address can cause a clerk to reject the page.
- The deceased person’s full legal name. Creditors search published notices by name, so a misspelling can let a real claim slip past the deadline and stay alive.
- Your mailing address, phone, and email. Creditors use this to send claims to you, and a bad address means you never receive a valid claim and may face a fight later.
- The name of a newspaper of general circulation in the county. Publication is only valid in a qualifying paper, so an unofficial bulletin does not start the clock.
- A list of known creditors. You need this to decide who gets a mailed written notice, because skipping a known creditor can leave that debt alive for up to a year.
You also want the deceased person’s death certificate nearby. It confirms the date of death, which controls the one-year outer limit on claims under Section 75-3-803.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
You get Form 1011ESF directly from the Utah State Courts. The official PDF and fillable version live on the Utah Courts informal probate self-help page, listed under optional forms as the Announcement of Appointment and Notice to Creditors. Always use the current court version. The revision line at the bottom of page one reads 1011ESF Approved July 2017, so check for that date to confirm you have the right form.
You can complete the form three ways. The fillable PDF lets you type your answers right on screen, which produces a clean page that is easy for a newspaper and clerk to read. You can also print the blank form and write by hand in black ink. Some Utah self-help centers and online probate services offer guided versions that fill the form for you after you answer questions.
The form pairs with two other documents you may need. The first is the Certificate of Service – Probate Cases, which records that you mailed copies to people entitled to them. The second is the newspaper’s Affidavit or Proof of Publication, which the paper sends you after the notice runs. Keep both, because together they prove you gave proper notice and started the creditor clock.
Do not pay for a form you can get free. The court posts Form 1011ESF at no cost, and the only money you should spend is the newspaper’s publication fee. If a website charges you for the blank court form itself, you are overpaying.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Form 1011ESF Line by Line
The form has two pages. Page one holds your contact details, the court caption, and the notice text the newspaper will print. Page two holds the claim instructions, the first publication date, and your signature block. Fill the blanks in the order they appear on the form.
1. Your Name (top caption block)
This first blank asks for the name of the person filing the form, which is you, the personal representative. Write your full legal name in normal capitalization, first name then last name, such as Sara Jensen. If a lawyer prepares the form for you, the lawyer’s name and bar number can go here instead. A common edge case is a married personal representative who recently changed names; use the name that matches your Letters of Appointment so the court can match you to the case. The most common mistake is writing the deceased person’s name in this top block, which confuses the clerk and can bounce the filing back to you. Many people think this block is for the estate’s name, but it is for the filer’s name, and the estate name has its own line lower on the page.
2. Address, City, State, Zip
This group of blanks asks where you receive mail. Enter your full street or mailing address, then the city, state, and ZIP on the lines provided, such as 742 Maple Drive, Provo, UT 84604. Use the address where you can reliably get mail for several months, because creditors will send claims here. If you use a P.O. Box, that is fine, but make sure it is one you check often. The common mistake is listing an old address you are about to leave, which means a valid creditor claim could arrive after you move and never reach you. People often believe this address is only for the court, but creditors read it too and mail their claims straight to it.
3. Phone and Email
These two blanks ask for the best ways to reach you. Write a phone number you answer and an email you check, such as 801-555-0148 and sara.jensen@email.com. A creditor or the court may use these to ask quick questions about a claim. If you do not use email, you may leave that line blank, but a working phone number is wise. The mistake here is giving a disconnected number, which can make a creditor or clerk think the notice is not genuine. Some filers fear publishing a personal number invites spam, but the court treats this as contact information for estate business, not a public marketing list.
4. Judicial District and County (court caption)
This line reads In the District Court of Utah, _ Judicial District _ County. Fill in the number of the judicial district and the name of the county where probate is open, such as Fourth Judicial District, Utah County. Utah groups its counties into eight numbered districts, so match the number to the county. The edge case is an estate with property in more than one county; probate still happens in the single county where the case was opened, so use that one. The mistake is guessing the district number, which routes the filing to the wrong court and stalls the case. People often assume the county is where the person died, but it is the county where the probate case is filed, which is usually where the deceased person lived.
5. Court Address
This blank asks for the street address of the courthouse handling the case. Write the full address of the district court where probate is open, such as 125 North 100 West, Provo, UT 84601. You can find it on your court paperwork or the Utah Courts website. If the court has moved or uses a separate filing address, use the address the clerk gives you. The mistake is leaving this blank, which can cause a clerk to set the page aside as incomplete. Some filers think the court address does not matter because the case number identifies the case, but the form asks for it and a complete form moves faster.
6. In the Matter of the Estate of (Deceased)
This blank asks for the name of the person who died. Enter the deceased person’s full legal name exactly as it appears on the death certificate and court papers, such as Robert Allen Jensen. Add a middle name or suffix like Jr. if the official records use it. The edge case is a person known by a nickname or a former name; use the legal name but consider adding the alias as also known as so creditors recognize it. The mistake is misspelling the name, which can let a real creditor argue they never saw a valid notice and keep their claim alive. People often shorten the name to what the family used, but creditors search by the full legal name, so match the records.
7. Case Number
This blank asks for the probate case number the court assigned. Copy it exactly from your Letters of Appointment or the court’s first order, such as 233900421. Include every digit and any letters or dashes the court used. The edge case is a recently opened case where the number has not arrived yet; wait for it, because publishing without the correct number creates a notice the court cannot tie to your estate. The mistake is transposing digits, which can attach your notice to the wrong file. Some filers think the case number is optional on a published notice, but it is how creditors and the clerk confirm the notice is real.
8. Judge
This blank asks for the name of the judge assigned to the case. Write the judge’s name as it appears on your court documents, such as Hon. Lisa M. Brown. In many informal probate cases a court commissioner or registrar handles the file, so use whatever name the paperwork shows. If no judge is listed yet, you may leave it blank or write the assigned commissioner’s name. The mistake is inventing a judge’s name, which signals the notice was not based on the real case. People often think every probate has a named judge from day one, but informal cases sometimes move forward without one, and that is normal.
9. To: ____ (Newspaper)
This blank tells the newspaper to run the notice. Write the name of the newspaper of general circulation in the county, such as The Daily Herald. The form then instructs the paper to publish the following once a week for three weeks in a row. Pick a paper that qualifies under Section 75-3-801, meaning a general newspaper for that county, not a niche or out-of-area paper. The edge case is a rural county with few papers; call the court clerk for the list of approved newspapers. The mistake is using a paper that does not serve the right county, which means the publication does not legally count and the three-month clock never starts. Some filers believe any free local flyer works, but only a qualifying newspaper of general circulation satisfies the statute.
10. Estate of ____ (Notice Text Name)
Inside the notice block that the paper will print, this blank repeats the deceased person’s name. Enter the same full legal name you used in the caption, such as Robert Allen Jensen. Keep it identical to the earlier entry so the published notice matches the court file. The edge case is again an alias; if you added also known as above, repeat it here for consistency. The mistake is a name that does not match the caption, which can make the published notice look like it belongs to a different estate. People sometimes shorten the name here to save newspaper space, but consistency protects the bar against late claims.
11. Case Number (in Notice Text)
This blank repeats the case number inside the printed notice. Copy the same number from Step 7, such as 233900421. Creditors use this number to confirm they are sending their claim to the correct estate. The edge case is none here; it must simply match the caption exactly. The mistake is leaving it out of the printed notice, which makes it harder for a creditor to verify the claim and can invite disputes. Some filers think repeating the number is busywork, but the printed notice is the legal announcement, so it must stand on its own.
12. Personal Representative Name (in Notice Text)
This blank states who was appointed. Write your full legal name, the same one from the top of the form, such as Sara Jensen. The printed sentence will read that this person has been appointed personal representative of this estate. This tells creditors who holds authority and who can accept claims. The edge case is co-personal representatives; list both names if the court appointed more than one. The mistake is naming someone who is not actually appointed, which can void the notice. People often think a close family member can be named here as a courtesy, but only the court-appointed representative belongs in this line.
13. How Claims May Be Submitted (checkbox block)
Page two lists two ways a creditor may submit a written claim, and you confirm both. The first is delivered or mailed to the personal representative or their attorney at the address you provide. The second is filed with the Clerk of the District Court in ____ County, where you fill in the county name. Enter the same county from the caption, such as Utah. The edge case is when you want claims sent only to you; the form still allows court filing, so leave both options as the statute provides. The mistake is leaving the county blank in this block, which leaves creditors unsure where to file. Some filers think they can require claims to come only by mail, but the law lets creditors choose either path.
14. Date of First Publication
This blank is the most important date on the form, because it starts the three-month clock. Enter the date the newspaper first prints the notice, such as June 12, 2026. You usually confirm this date with the newspaper, then record it here once publication begins. The edge case is when you mail notice to a known creditor too; that creditor gets the later of 90 days from the published notice or 60 days from your mailing under Section 75-3-801. The mistake is guessing the date or writing the date you signed the form instead of the actual first print date, which can blow the deadline math and weaken the bar. People often think the clock starts when probate opens, but it starts on the first publication date, so this field must be exact.
15. Personal Representative Signature Block, Address, and Date
The final group of blanks is your signature block. Sign the form, then write your address, city, state, ZIP, email, phone, and the date you sign, such as Sara Jensen signing on June 5, 2026. This confirms you are the one giving notice and ties the form to you. The edge case is an attorney signing for you; the attorney’s information goes here instead, marked as attorney for the personal representative. The mistake is leaving the form unsigned, which makes it incomplete and can stop the clerk from accepting it. Some filers think a typed name counts as a signature on a printed form, but if you file a paper copy you should sign it by hand.
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
Below are three common fact patterns. Each follows one personal representative through the form so you can see what real entries look like.
Scenario 1: Sara, a small estate with one credit-card creditor
Sara Jensen is settling her late father’s modest estate. He left a will, a checking account, and one credit-card balance. She wants to publish quickly and cut off late claims.
| Form Section | What Sara Enters |
|---|---|
| Your name (top) | Sara Jensen |
| Address | 742 Maple Drive, Provo, UT 84604 |
| Phone and email | 801-555-0148, sara.jensen@email.com |
| District and county | Fourth Judicial District, Utah County |
| Estate of (deceased) | Robert Allen Jensen |
| Case number | 233900421 |
| Newspaper | The Daily Herald |
| Personal representative (notice text) | Sara Jensen |
| Date of first publication | June 12, 2026 |
| Signature and date | Sara Jensen, June 5, 2026 |
Because Sara also knows about the credit-card debt, she mails that creditor a written notice the same week. That creditor then has the later of 90 days from publication or 60 days from the mailing to file.
Scenario 2: Miguel, a larger estate with a mortgage and medical bills
Miguel Torres is the surviving spouse and personal representative of his late wife’s estate. The estate includes a house with a mortgage and several unpaid medical bills from her last illness.
| Form Section | What Miguel Enters |
|---|---|
| Your name (top) | Miguel Torres |
| Address | 1580 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84115 |
| Phone and email | 385-555-0192, miguel.torres@email.com |
| District and county | Third Judicial District, Salt Lake County |
| Estate of (deceased) | Elena Maria Torres |
| Case number | 239400887 |
| Newspaper | The Salt Lake Tribune |
| Personal representative (notice text) | Miguel Torres |
| Date of first publication | June 18, 2026 |
| Signature and date | Miguel Torres, June 11, 2026 |
Miguel mails written notice to each medical provider he knows about. He leaves the mortgage lender alone in the notice math, because under Section 75-3-803 a secured lien on the house can be enforced regardless of the claims bar.
Scenario 3: Dana, a personal representative who also mails known creditors
Dana Nguyen is the appointed personal representative for her uncle’s estate. He had a small business with two vendor accounts and a personal loan, all of which Dana knows about.
| Form Section | What Dana Enters |
|---|---|
| Your name (top) | Dana Nguyen |
| Address | 96 West Center Street, Logan, UT 84321 |
| Phone and email | 435-555-0173, dana.nguyen@email.com |
| District and county | First Judicial District, Cache County |
| Estate of (deceased) | Paul Vincent Nguyen |
| Case number | 231100256 |
| Newspaper | The Herald Journal |
| Personal representative (notice text) | Dana Nguyen |
| Date of first publication | June 26, 2026 |
| Signature and date | Dana Nguyen, June 19, 2026 |
Dana mails written notice to both vendors and the loan company on the day publication starts. Each known creditor then runs on the later of the 90-day or 60-day track, while unknown creditors are bound by the three-month publication bar.
How to File the Completed Form
There is no court filing fee for the notice itself, but you do pay the newspaper to publish it. The steps below cover every channel.
Newspaper publication. Send the completed notice to a newspaper of general circulation in the county, such as the legal-notices department of a qualifying Utah paper. The paper runs it once a week for three weeks in a row. Publication fees vary by paper and notice length, often ranging from roughly $50 to $200. Pay by the method the paper accepts, usually card or invoice, and keep the receipt. After the run, the paper sends you an Affidavit or Proof of Publication, which is your proof the clock started.
Mailed written notice to known creditors. For creditors you already know about, mail each one a copy of the notice or a similar written notice. Use first-class mail and keep proof of mailing. There is no fee beyond postage, and the proof you keep shows the 60-day mailed-notice clock began.
Filing a copy with the court clerk. You may file a copy of the notice and the proof of publication with the Clerk of the District Court in the county where probate is open. You can do this in person at the courthouse, by mail to the court address, or through the court’s electronic filing system if your case uses it. There is no fee for filing this proof. Keep a stamped or electronic copy as your record.
Whatever channel you use, save every receipt, affidavit, and mailing proof in one folder. These documents are what you show if a creditor later argues the notice was defective.
What Happens After You File
Once the notice first publishes, the three-month creditor clock starts ticking. During that window, creditors send written claims to you or file them with the court clerk, following the steps in Utah Code Section 75-3-804. You review each claim and decide whether it is valid.
After the three months pass, claims that were not presented are forever barred against the estate and against you as personal representative. This is the protection the notice buys you. Known creditors you mailed get the later of 90 days from publication or 60 days from the mailing, so track each mailed creditor’s date separately.
You then pay the allowed claims in the legal order set by Utah Code Section 75-3-805, which puts funeral costs and administration expenses near the top. If a claim is disallowed, you mail the creditor a notice of disallowance, and that creditor has 60 days to fight it in court. Only after the claims process is handled do you distribute what remains to the heirs and close the estate.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form
- Writing the deceased person’s name in the top filer block, which confuses the clerk and can bounce the filing.
- Misspelling the deceased person’s legal name, which lets a real creditor argue the notice was defective and keep their claim alive.
- Guessing the judicial district number, which sends the form to the wrong court and stalls the case.
- Leaving the case number off the printed notice, which makes it harder for creditors to verify and invites disputes.
- Recording the signing date instead of the actual first publication date, which breaks the three-month deadline math.
- Choosing a newspaper that does not serve the right county, which means the publication never legally starts the clock.
- Listing an old or unreliable mailing address, so a valid claim arrives after you have moved and never reaches you.
- Forgetting to mail written notice to creditors you already know about, which can leave those debts alive for up to a year.
- Failing to keep the newspaper’s Affidavit of Publication, which leaves you unable to prove the clock ever started.
- Leaving the signature line blank, which makes the form incomplete and can stop the clerk from accepting it.
- Distributing money to heirs before the three-month bar runs, which can make you personally liable to a later valid creditor.
- Assuming the notice cuts off secured liens like a mortgage, which it does not, since those can still be enforced against the property.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- Do use the deceased person’s full legal name everywhere on the form, because creditors search by that name and consistency protects the bar.
- Do confirm the exact first publication date with the newspaper, because that single date controls your three-month clock.
- Do mail written notice to every creditor you know about, because the law gives them a separate clock and skipping them keeps their debt alive.
- Do keep the Affidavit of Publication and all mailing receipts, because they are your proof that notice was proper.
- Do double-check the judicial district and county against your court papers, because a routing error wastes weeks.
- Do wait until the claims period ends before paying heirs, because early distribution can make you personally liable.
Don’ts
- Don’t publish in a paper that is not a newspaper of general circulation, because the publication will not count.
- Don’t guess any number on the form, because a wrong case number or district can detach your notice from the file.
- Don’t write the date you signed in the first-publication blank, because that misstates when the clock started.
- Don’t ignore secured creditors thinking the bar wipes out their lien, because liens survive the claims bar.
- Don’t pay for the blank court form, because Utah posts Form 1011ESF for free.
- Don’t distribute the estate before the deadline passes, because a late but valid claim could still surface.
Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help
Pros of filing on your own
- You save attorney fees, which matters for a small estate where legal costs eat into what heirs receive.
- The form is only two pages, so a careful filer can complete it in well under an hour.
- You stay in direct control of dates and deadlines, which keeps the timeline in your hands.
- You learn the estate’s finances closely, which helps when you review creditor claims.
- For a simple estate with a clear will, the risk of error is low if you follow each step.
Cons of filing on your own
- A naming or date error can weaken the claims bar and expose you personally to late claims.
- You must track multiple clocks, the three-month publication bar and the 60-day mailed-notice rule, without help.
- Choosing the wrong newspaper or county can void the publication and force you to start over.
- You may misjudge which secured or government claims survive the bar, leading to wrong payments.
- If a creditor disputes the notice, you handle the fight without a lawyer who knows probate.
Filing Yourself vs. Hiring a Probate Attorney
| Filing Yourself | Hiring a Probate Attorney |
|---|---|
| No legal fees, only the newspaper cost | Hourly or flat probate fees on top of publication cost |
| You manage every deadline personally | The attorney tracks the three-month and 60-day clocks for you |
| Best for simple estates with a clear will | Best for large estates, disputes, or many creditors |
| You bear the risk of a defective notice | The attorney’s experience lowers the risk of error |
FAQs
Is the Notice to Creditors form required in Utah probate?
No. Section 75-3-801 says a personal representative may publish notice. It is optional, but publishing shrinks the creditor window from one year to three months, so most filers do it.
Is there a court fee to file the notice?
No. The court charges no fee for the notice itself. You pay only the newspaper’s publication fee, which often runs from about $50 to $200 depending on the paper.
Do I write the deceased person’s name in the top name block?
No. The top block is for your name as the personal representative. The deceased person’s name goes in the In the Matter of the Estate of line lower on the form.
Does the date of first publication mean the day I signed the form?
No. It means the day the newspaper first prints the notice. That print date, not your signature date, starts the three-month creditor clock.
Do I put the county name in the claims block on page two?
Yes. The block says claims may be filed with the Clerk of the District Court in ____ County, so you write the county where probate is open.
Which judge name do I write if none is assigned?
No judge name is required if none is listed. Informal probate often proceeds without a named judge, so you may leave it blank or use the assigned commissioner’s name.
Does publishing the notice cut off a mortgage or other lien?
No. Section 75-3-803 lets secured liens like a mortgage be enforced against the property regardless of the claims bar, so liens survive the deadline.
Do I have to mail notice to creditors I already know about?
No, the statute does not force it, but mailing known creditors is wise. It starts their 60-day clock and helps protect you from a later claim that they never received notice.
Can I publish in any local paper or free flyer?
No. The notice must run in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. A niche bulletin or free flyer does not satisfy the law, so the clock would not start.
How long must the notice run in the newspaper?
Yes, there is a set schedule. The paper must publish it once a week for three weeks in a row, as required by Section 75-3-801.
Can I distribute money to heirs before the three months end?
No. Paying heirs early can make you personally liable if a valid claim arrives before the bar runs. Wait until the claims period closes.
Do I need to keep proof that I published the notice?
Yes. Keep the newspaper’s Affidavit of Publication and any mailing receipts. They prove the notice was proper if a creditor later challenges it.
Related reading
- How to Fill Out Oregon Notice to Creditors (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out Montana Notice to Creditors (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out a New Hampshire Notice to Creditors (w/ Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Dakota Notice to Creditors (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out Rhode Island Notice to Creditors (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out South Dakota Notice to Creditors (w/Examples) + FAQs