Attorney General's Office

As of 1998, the Attorney General's duties include the following (Utah Code, Title 67 Chapter 5 Section 1):

The Attorney General is an elected position. The term of office is four years. At the time of election a candidate must be at least 25 years old, admitted to practice before the State Supreme Court, and a member of the bar in good standing. The Attorney General may appoint a deputy and has sole authority to decide who may be employed with the Office. The Attorney General also serves on a number of state boards and commissions, including the Board of Examiners, the State Board of Loan Commissioners, the Disaster Emergency Advisory Council, the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Coordinating Council, the Constitutional Defense Council, State Board of Canvassers, and the Board of Control of the State Law Library. The Attorney General or a designated representative must also serve on other state boards and commissions, such as the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, the Advisory Board to the Office of State Debt Collection, the Sentencing Commission, the Utah Stat Juvenile Sex Offender Authority within the Department of Human Services, Division of Youth Corrections, the Controlled Substance Database Advisory Committee, and the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Advisory Council. The Attorney General must also appoint representatives to four committees under the Governor's Office: the Justice, Treatment, Prevention, and Judiciary Committees.

A territorial Attorney general and a United States District Attorney had concurrently served the same functions as the Attorney General prior to 1896. The position of Attorney General had been created for the territory in 1851, but the functions of the position were abolished by the federal Poland Act of 1874, leaving only the United States District Attorney.

Since 1896, a number of organization divisions have been created within the office to deal with specific issues and agencies. The following is a list of identifiable divisions, span dates, and comments regarding name changes or further subdivisions in chronological order by creation date. Date spans are based on available organization charts, budget and audit reports, and telephone directory listings.