UT SB0124

Creates two distinct warrant types for juvenile courts: protective custody warrants (to remove children from homes) and child safety warrants (to view, examine, or interview children regarding their health, safety, or welfare without removing them)

Child safety warrants require probable cause showing a credible threat to the child's health/safety/welfare, necessity to view or interview the child, and that diligent efforts to ensure the child's welfare by other legal means have been unsuccessful

Peace officers or child welfare caseworkers executing either warrant type may request assistance and enter premises by force if necessary, but a child safety warrant alone does not authorize taking a child into protective custody

Adds "credible threat" as a new defined term in the Juvenile Code, meaning a threat supported by specific, articulable facts indicating a child faces current or ongoing risk of harm

Effective date: May 6, 2026