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Utah · Serving the whole state

Surrogacy in Utah

We serve all of Utah, working with surrogates and intended parents in every corner of the state. Most of your care happens at home: you apply from home, match from home, and see your own Utah OB for the pregnancy, with a small number of trips to the fertility clinic in California. Utah writes gestational agreements into its parentage act, with a court validation step that your attorneys handle. Below is how the whole thing works from where you live.

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Serving
All of UtahSalt Lake City, Provo, Ogden, St. George, and beyond
Helping families since
2015A California program, coordinated to you
The law
In Utah's parentage actGestational agreements written into statute
Your care
Your own Utah OBFor most of the pregnancy, close to home
The law, in brief

What the law says in Utah, plainly.

Utah families usually ask about the law first, so here is the short version. The statute-level detail, and how Utah compares with every other state, lives on our law guide.

What you read here is general information, not legal advice. Your own Utah attorney confirms how it applies to your match.

Read our full surrogacy law guide

Utah writes gestational agreements into its parentage act, and the statute puts a court at the center of them. The intended parents and the prospective surrogate petition the district court with the agreement attached, and the court can issue an order validating the agreement and declaring that the intended parents will be the parents of a child born during its term. An agreement that is not validated by the court is not enforceable under the statute, and the petition can be maintained only if the surrogate or the intended parents have been Utah residents for at least 90 days. The statute is written so that the order comes before the pregnancy: the petition is filed by the intended parents and the prospective surrogate, and the order declares who will be the parents of a child born during the agreement's term. So the legal work is done up front by your attorneys, and in every match we run, each side has its own independent counsel.

Before it validates an agreement, the court has to find that the surrogate has had at least one pregnancy and delivery and that carrying another child will not pose an unreasonable health risk to the unborn child or to her own physical or mental health, that all parties completed counseling with a licensed mental health professional, that everyone entered the agreement voluntarily and understands its terms, that all parties are at least 21, that adequate provision has been made for the surrogate's reasonable health-care expenses through the birth, including if the agreement is terminated, and that any consideration paid to the surrogate is reasonable. Unless the court waives it, a home study of the intended parents is part of the findings too. The statute says a gestational agreement may provide for payment of consideration, and that it may not limit the surrogate's right to make decisions to safeguard her own health or the health of the embryo or fetus. If that list feels familiar, it should. It is very close to what careful programs, ours included, were already asking.

A note on accuracy. Utah's statute is written for gestational surrogacy: the surrogate's own eggs may not be used, and the statute does not apply where neither intended parent contributed the eggs or sperm. We work in gestational surrogacy only. The statute also sets conditions on who the intended parents are and where the parties live, which your attorneys map to your exact situation. Your own Utah attorney confirms how the statute applies to your match.

From where you live

How surrogacy works when you live in Utah

The question we hear most from Utah is what it actually looks like to work with a California program from here. Honestly? It looks mostly like staying home. Here is the whole arc, and the national step-by-step lives on our how surrogacy works page.

  1. Apply and talk, from home

    The first conversation happens by phone or video, wherever you are in Utah. Surrogates complete an application; intended parents talk through goals, timing, and the kind of match they hope for. No travel, and no medical details needed yet.

  2. Screening, coordinated around your life

    We review your medical records and coordinate medical and psychological screening with you, working around your schedule, your job, and your kids. Much of it is remote, and your coordinator handles the between-states logistics so you are never chasing paperwork.

  3. Matching

    We introduce a surrogate and intended parents who fit each other on values, expectations, communication style, and the practical things, like contact during pregnancy and views on tough medical decisions. You decide together whether to move forward.

  4. Legal contracts, counsel, and the court step

    You and the intended parents each have your own attorney, and the agreement is signed before any medications begin. When your match goes through Utah's validation path, your attorneys file the petition with the agreement attached, and the court can issue an order validating it and declaring that the intended parents will be the parents of a child born during its term. This is also when compensation and expenses are set in writing.

  5. A handful of visits to the California clinic

    The medical steps, such as the clinic evaluation and the embryo transfer, happen at the fertility clinic in California. For most surrogates that means a small number of trips, not a relocation, and we coordinate the details of every one with you.

  6. Pregnancy, delivery, and home, all in Utah

    Once pregnancy is confirmed, prenatal care continues with your own OB and your own hospital, whether that is in Provo or St. George. Your coordinator stays close to both sides through delivery. Under a validated agreement, the intended parents file notice of the birth with the court, and the statute directs the court to issue an order confirming them as the parents and directing a birth certificate in their names.

For Utah surrogates

Requirements to become a surrogate in Utah

Utah is full of experienced moms, women who have carried healthy pregnancies and are raising their kids, and that is exactly who surrogacy programs everywhere look for. These guidelines are a starting point, not a verdict. The only way to know for certain is a conversation and a medical review.

Are between about 21 and 38 years oldThe range can flex based on your health history.

Have given birth before and are raising a child of your ownAgencies and clinics look for prior pregnancy experience.

Had healthy, full-term pregnancies and deliveriesReviewed with your medical records during screening.

Are in good general healthConfirmed through a clinic medical evaluation.

Live in a stable home with reliable supportA partner, family, or friends you can lean on.

Do not smoke or use illicit drugsAsked about and reviewed as part of screening.

Are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residentHelps keep the legal process clean and predictable.

Have a stable income, not relying on cash assistanceSo compensation is genuinely yours to keep.

Utah's statute sets conditions of its own. Before a court validates an agreement it has to find that the surrogate has had at least one pregnancy and delivery and that carrying another child will not pose an unreasonable health risk, that all parties completed counseling with a licensed mental health professional, and that everyone is at least 21. The statute also says a prospective surrogate may not currently be receiving Medicaid or other state assistance, which is the same ground our stable-income guideline covers. The screening we have always done follows the same lines.

A word about compensation: Utah's statute says a gestational agreement may provide for payment of consideration, and one of the findings the court makes before validating an agreement is that any consideration paid to the surrogate is reasonable. Your agreement puts compensation and expenses in writing, with your own attorney, before any medications begin. What it looks like depends on your situation, so we talk it through personally rather than posting numbers.

Wondering about a c-section, a tubal ligation, anxiety, or PCOS? Those questions come up often and the answer is usually more nuanced than a yes or no. We would rather talk it through than turn you away on a checklist. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers them condition by condition, the become a surrogate page has the full picture, or just reach out.

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For Utah intended parents

Building your family from Utah

Utah's court validation step rewards families who plan well, and that is what you get from us: one team coordinating the match, the clinic, and the attorneys who know this path. Here is what that looks like in practice, and the fuller picture lives on our surrogacy for intended parents page.

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The court step, in plain language

When your match goes through Utah's validation path, your attorneys file the petition with the agreement attached, the court reviews it against the findings the statute lists, and the court can issue an order validating the agreement and declaring that you will be the parents of a child born during its term. The statute leaves whether to validate to the court, which is exactly why the agreement is drafted to the statute's findings from the start.

The right structure for your family

Utah's statute has specific expectations for intended parents, including, unless the court waives it, a home study and the fitness standards that apply to adoptive parents, and the right structure for each family, including where the legal work happens for a cross-state match, is exactly what the attorneys we coordinate with resolve. You will know your path before you commit to anything.

Every family, welcomed

LGBTQ+ families are welcome here. Utah's statute is written for married intended parents, both of whom sign the agreement, so if you are building your family on your own or as an unmarried couple, your own Utah attorney is the first conversation about where your path runs. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.

Costs and insurance, without the guesswork

We do not post price lists, and we do not do surprises either. What insurance covers, what shapes the total, and what a personalized estimate looks like for your situation all come before any commitment. Our surrogacy costs guide explains how that works.

Serving all of Utah

A California agency, here for Utah

Our home office is in California, not Utah, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What a Utah surrogate or family actually gets from us: a decade of matches, established clinic and attorney relationships, and one coordinator who runs matches across state lines every day, for Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden, Logan, and St. George alike, all along the Wasatch Front and beyond.

When you reach out, a real coordinator calls you back, walks through your questions, and stays your person from then on. Screening conversations, matching, and check-ins happen by phone and video, around your work and your kids. The only steps that bring you to California are the clinic ones, and we plan those with you. You can read about our home state on our California surrogacy page.

Lily Baby Surrogacy · Based in California, serving Utah
11989 Arrow Route, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(626) 528-6868
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Common questions

Utah surrogacy, answered

Is surrogacy legal in Utah?

Utah writes gestational agreements into its parentage act. The statute sets out who the parties are, what a court has to find before it validates an agreement, and that an agreement not validated by the court is not enforceable.

Under the statute, the intended parents and the prospective surrogate petition the district court, the court can issue an order validating the agreement and declaring that the intended parents will be the parents of a child born during its term, and the agreement may provide for payment of consideration, with the court finding that any consideration paid is reasonable. For the state-by-state picture, see our surrogacy law guide.

What are the requirements to be a surrogate in Utah?

In general, you are roughly 21 to 38, have given birth before and are raising a child, have had healthy pregnancies, are in good health, do not smoke, and have a stable home.

Utah's statute adds its own conditions, including a prior pregnancy and delivery, counseling with a licensed mental health professional, and all parties being at least 21, which are among the findings the court makes before validating an agreement. Final eligibility is confirmed through a personal conversation and screening. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers the condition-by-condition questions.

Do I have to travel to California, and how often?

Yes, some, and we would rather tell you that plainly: the clinic steps happen in California.

For most surrogates that means a small number of trips for the medical appointments, planned with you well in advance. Everything else, from your first call to your prenatal care and delivery, stays home in Utah.

Will insurance pay for surrogacy in Utah?

Sometimes partly, and it depends on the specific policy, which is why insurance review is a real step in our process, not an afterthought.

Every match includes a review of the surrogate's coverage and what the agreement provides for healthcare expenses, so nobody is guessing. Utah's statute requires the court to find, before it validates an agreement, that adequate provision has been made for all reasonable health-care expense associated with the agreement until the birth, including if the agreement is terminated. What that means for your total is part of the personalized walk-through in our surrogacy costs guide.

Get started in Utah

It starts with a conversation, from wherever you are in Utah. We listen first, then show you exactly what comes next.

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