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Rule 12.Defenses and objections

Part III: Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Last amended May 1, 2024 · Last verified July 13, 2026

In one sentenceRule 12 sets the deadline for answering a complaint and lists the motions a defendant can file instead, including the motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.

Full Text of Rule 12

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

(a) When presented.
(1) Unless otherwise provided by statute or order of the court, a defendant must file and serve an answer within 21 days after the service of the summons and complaint within the state and within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint outside the state. A party served with a cross-claim must file and serve an answer to the crossclaim within 21 days after service. The plaintiff must file and serve an answer to a counterclaim within 21 days after service of the counterclaim, unless the court orders otherwise. The service of a motion under this rule alters these periods of time as follows, unless a different time is ordered by the court, but a motion directed to fewer than all of the claims in a pleading does not affect the time for responding to the remaining claims:
(A) If the court denies the motion or postpones its disposition until the trial on the merits, the responsive pleading must be served within 14 days after notice of the court’s action;
(B) If the court grants a motion for a more definite statement, the responsive pleading must be served within 14 days after the service of the more definite statement.
(2) For purposes of domestic relations actions as defined in Rule 26.1, and as used in this rule, the terms “plaintiff” means petitioner, the term “defendant” means respondent, the term “complaint” means petition, and the term “counterclaim” means counterpetition.
(b) How presented. Every defense, in law or fact, to claim for relief in any pleading, whether a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, must be asserted in the responsive pleading thereto if one is required, except that the following defenses may at the option of the pleader be made by motion: (1) lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter, (2) lack of jurisdiction over the person, (3) improper venue, (4) insufficiency of process, (5) insufficiency of service of process, (6) failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, (7) failure to join an indispensable party. A motion making any of these defenses must be made before pleading if a further pleading is permitted. No defense or objection is waived by being joined with one or more other defenses or objections in a responsive pleading or motion or by further pleading after the denial of such motion or objection. If a pleading sets forth a claim for relief to which the adverse party is not required to serve a responsive pleading, the adverse party may assert at the trial any defense in law or fact to that claim for relief. If, on a motion asserting the defense numbered (6) to dismiss for failure of the pleading to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, matters outside the pleading are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment and disposed of as provided in Rule 56, and all parties must be given reasonable opportunity to present all material made pertinent to such a motion by Rule 56.
(c) Motion for judgment on the pleadings. After the pleadings are closed, but within such time as not to delay the trial, any party may move for judgment on the pleadings. If, on a motion for judgment on the pleadings, matters outside the pleadings are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment and disposed of as provided in Rule 56, and all parties must be given reasonable opportunity to present all material made pertinent to such a motion by Rule 56.
(d) Preliminary hearings. The defenses specifically enumerated (1)-(7) in subdivision (b) of this rule, whether made in a pleading or by motion, and the motion for judgment mentioned in subdivision (c) of this rule must be heard and determined before trial on application of any party, unless the court orders that the hearings and determination thereof be deferred until the trial.
(e) Motion for more definite statement. If a pleading to which a responsive pleading is permitted is so vague or ambiguous that a party cannot reasonably be required to frame a responsive pleading, the party may move for a more definite statement before interposing a responsive pleading. The motion must point out the defects complained of and the details desired. If the motion is granted and the order of the court is not obeyed within 14 days after notice of the order or within such other time as the court may fix, the court may strike the pleading to which the motion was directed or make such order as it deems just.
(f) Motion to strike. Upon motion made by a party before responding to a pleading or, if no responsive pleading is permitted by these rules, upon motion made by a party within 21 days after the service of the pleading, the court may order stricken from any pleading any insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.
(g) Consolidation of defenses. A party who makes a motion under this rule may join with it the other motions herein provided for and then available. If a party makes a motion under this rule and does not include therein all defenses and objections then available which this rule permits to be raised by motion, the party must not thereafter make a motion based on any of the defenses or objections so omitted, except as provided in subdivision (h) of this rule.
(h) Waiver of defenses. A party waives all defenses and objections not presented either by motion or by answer or reply, except (1) that the defense of failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, the defense of failure to join an indispensable party, and the objection of failure to state a legal defense to a claim may also be made by a later pleading, if one is permitted, or by motion for judgment on the pleadings or at the trial on the merits, and except (2) that, whenever it appears by suggestion of the parties or otherwise that the court lacks jurisdiction of the subject matter, the court must dismiss the action. The objection or defense, if made at the trial, must be disposed of as provided in Rule 15(b) in the light of any evidence that may have been received.
(i) Pleading after denial of a motion. The filing of a responsive pleading after the denial of any motion made pursuant to these rules must not be deemed a waiver of such motion.
(j) Security for costs of a nonresident plaintiff. When the plaintiff in an action resides out of this state, or is a foreign corporation, the defendant may file a motion to require the plaintiff to furnish security for costs and charges which may be awarded against such plaintiff. Upon hearing and determination by the court of the reasonable necessity therefor, the court must order the plaintiff to file a $300.00 undertaking with sufficient sureties as security for payment of such costs and charges as may be awarded against such plaintiff. No security must be required of any officer, instrumentality, or agency of the United States.
(k) Effect of failure to file undertaking. If the plaintiff fails to file the undertaking as ordered within 30 days of the service of the order, the court must, upon motion of the defendant, enter an order dismissing the action.
End

Amendment History

Amended effective September 4, 1985; April 1, 1990; November 1, 2000; May 1, 2014; November 1, 2021; May 1, 2024.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 12 governs how and when a party must respond to a complaint, counterclaim, or crossclaim. A defendant served inside Utah has 21 days to file an answer; a defendant served outside the state has 30 days. Filing certain motions instead of an answer pauses that clock: if the court denies the motion, the defendant gets 14 days from the ruling to answer, and if the court orders a more definite statement, the defendant gets 14 days after receiving it.

Instead of answering right away, a defendant may raise seven specific defenses by motion: lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process, insufficient service of process, failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted, and failure to join an indispensable party. The failure-to-state-a-claim motion — commonly called a motion to dismiss — tests whether the complaint, taken as true, describes a legal wrong. If either side introduces evidence beyond the pleadings and the court doesn't exclude it, the motion converts into a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56, and both sides get a fair chance to respond to that evidence.

The rule also discourages piecemeal litigation. A party who moves on some of these defenses but leaves others out generally can't raise the omitted ones later. The main exceptions are lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, which the court can raise on its own at any point in the case, and a handful of other defenses — failure to state a claim, failure to join an indispensable party, and failure to state a legal defense — that a party can still raise in a later pleading, in a motion for judgment on the pleadings, or at trial. Separate provisions let a party move to strike improper material from a pleading, ask for a more definite statement when a pleading is too vague to answer, and — when a nonresident or foreign-corporation plaintiff sues in Utah — ask the court to require the plaintiff to post a $300 undertaking to secure the defendant's costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to answer a complaint in Utah?

21 days after service if you were served in Utah, or 30 days if you were served outside the state. Filing a Rule 12 motion instead of an answer changes those numbers: if the court denies the motion, you get 14 days from notice of the ruling to answer, and if the court orders a more definite statement, you get 14 days after you receive it.

What is a motion to dismiss under Utah Rule 12(b)(6)?

It's a motion arguing that even if everything in the complaint is true, the facts alleged don't add up to a legal claim the court can grant relief on. The court decides the motion on the pleadings themselves. If either side hands the court evidence outside the pleadings and the court considers it, the motion turns into a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56, and both sides must get a chance to address that evidence.

What happens if I leave a defense out of my first Rule 12 motion?

You generally lose the right to raise it later. Rule 12 requires a party to consolidate all the defenses and objections it has available into one motion. A few defenses survive this rule regardless: failure to state a claim, failure to join an indispensable party, and failure to state a legal defense can still come up in a later pleading, a motion for judgment on the pleadings, or at trial. Lack of subject-matter jurisdiction is never waived — the court must dismiss the case the moment it recognizes the defect, even on its own initiative.

What is a motion for a more definite statement?

It's a request under Rule 12(e) asking the court to order the other side to clarify a pleading that's too vague or ambiguous to answer. The motion has to identify the specific defects and what additional detail is needed. If the court grants it and the other party doesn't comply within 14 days, the court can strike the pleading or issue whatever order it thinks is fair.

What is a motion to strike under Rule 12(f)?

A motion asking the court to remove an insufficient defense, or redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous material, from a pleading. A party must bring it before responding to the pleading, or, if no response is required, within 21 days after being served with the pleading.

Can filing a Rule 12 motion buy me more time to answer?

Yes. Filing a motion under Rule 12 instead of an answer suspends the original deadline. The new deadline depends on how the court rules: 14 days after the court denies the motion or postpones ruling on it until trial, or 14 days after the court orders a more definite statement and that statement is served. A motion aimed at only some of the claims in a pleading doesn't extend the time to respond to the rest.

Can a nonresident plaintiff be required to post security for costs?

Yes. Under Rule 12(j), if the plaintiff lives outside Utah or is a foreign corporation, the defendant can move to require the plaintiff to post a $300 undertaking to cover costs the plaintiff might end up owing. If the plaintiff doesn't file the undertaking within 30 days of service of the order, Rule 12(k) requires the court to dismiss the action on the defendant's motion.

Source & verification. Rule text, Advisory Committee Notes, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the Utah Supreme Court. Last verified July 13, 2026. · Official source
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