How to Become a Police Officer in Utah

Who can apply

• You must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a lawful permanent resident who has been in the U.S. legally for the five years right before you apply and is authorized to work.
• You must be at least 21 years old at the time of certification as a law enforcement officer (19 for special function or correctional officer).
• You must be a high school graduate or have passed an equivalency exam.
• You must not have been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment in a state or federal penitentiary. Expunged or dismissed convictions can still be considered.
• You must show good moral character through a background investigation and be free of any physical, emotional or mental condition that might affect your duties.
• You must be legally allowed to possess a firearm under state and federal law.
• Some misdemeanors require a waiting period before POST will consider you: for example, four years after a class A misdemeanor involving violence, two to four years after drug-related misdemeanors, and three months after a class C misdemeanor or infraction.

Step by step

1. Either get hired by a Utah law enforcement agency (which sponsors you at the POST Academy) or enroll yourself at a POST satellite academy.
2. Once accepted by an academy or hired, request access to the POST application portal and submit the POST Application for Training and Certification with the required attachments.
3. Pass the criminal history check and background investigation.
4. Complete basic training at a certified academy, including passing the physical fitness tests.
5. Pass the state certification examination.
6. Receive POST certification. You may not exercise peace officer authority until you are certified.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Utah law requires basic training at a POST-certified academy. The POST sponsored academy is a single integrated track: one week (40 hours) of online Foundations coursework followed by 14 weeks of in-person training at the POST facility. Starting in January 2027, if the new format rolls out as planned, POST expects to add a second online week (80 hours total) and shorten the in-person academy to 13 weeks. POST Academy sessions are only open to people hired by a Utah agency; self-sponsored applicants attend a satellite academy. State law bans teaching chokeholds or carotid restraints as a restraint method.

Exam: Utah Code 53-6-205 requires you to pass the POST certification examination and a physical fitness test before certification. The law enforcement exit fitness standard is a 17.5-inch vertical jump, 21 push-ups, a 1:30 plank and a 1.5-mile run in 14:46. To stay in the POST Academy you must also pass the entrance standard (15-inch jump, 16 push-ups, 1:00 plank, 1.5 miles in 15:37), given in week 4.

What it costs in Utah

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

How long it takes

The POST sponsored academy runs about 15 weeks: one week online plus 14 weeks in person.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Every peace officer must complete at least 40 hours of POST-approved annual training, including arrest control and de-escalation. An officer who misses it is automatically barred from exercising peace officer powers until the deficiency is made up. At least every three years, training must also cover mental health and crisis response, autism and other developmental disorders, and sexual assault investigations (these hours count toward the 40).

Good to know in Utah

Officers from other states: If you completed comparable basic training elsewhere, the POST director can waive all or part of Utah's basic training. You must show that within the previous four years you either finished that basic training or actively worked as a peace officer. You apply for certification, then pass a timed 50-100 question knowledge exam on constitutional principles and the Utah Code and a physical fitness test. The fee is $100.

Inactive and lapsed certificates: If you have not worked as a sworn officer for 18 consecutive months, your certificate is inactive and you must pass the certification exam and fitness test again. After four years it lapses and you must repeat basic training.

Honesty on your application: Omitting or falsifying information on the POST application leads to sanctions, including at least a two-year wait before you can apply again. The application is valid for 12 months.

Sources

• Utah POST - Basic Training & Prospective Officers
• Utah POST - Qualifications
• Utah POST - Requirements To Become Certified
• Utah POST - Academy Integrated Training Model (Class #395+)
• Utah POST - LEO Entrance Standard
• Utah POST - LEO Exit Physical Fitness Requirements
• Utah POST - Waiver/Reactivation Process
• Utah POST - Application for Training and Certification Instructions
• Utah Code 53-6-202 - Basic training and annual training
• Utah Code 53-6-203 - Applicant requirements
• Utah Code 53-6-205 - Completion of training, exam and fitness test required
• Utah Code 53-6-208 - Inactive and lapsed certificates
• Utah Code 53-6-206 - Waiver of training course requirement