Incorporation Records
Research Guides
About the Records
County Clerks and the Secretary of State were responsible for recording incorporation records in the state until 1962, when the law changed and the state became solely responsible for recording incorporation records. The Utah State Archives has many of these early records available for researching businesses no longer active.
Current incorporation records are created by the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code in the Department of Commerce. For corporations active within the last thirty years, contact that division to access documents
Nature of Incorporation Records
Incorporation records are kept in record books and also in case files. Case files are created during the length of a corporation's existence. In either form, document types include:
- articles of incorporation
- notices to pay licensing fees and taxes
- oaths of office for corporate officers
- annual reports
- correspondence
Articles of incorporation constitute a contract between the state and corporation, between corporation and stockholders, and between the stockholders and state.
Many indexes and card files for incorporations recorded by the state are available. Look for separate record series or mention of indexes in record book series inventories.
Recorded by the State
Recorded by a County
Page Last Updated August 26, 2020.
About this Guide
Written by David Clark and originally published in May 2000.