Will a small claims court judgement show up on a background check?

Not normally unless they do a credit check also. It would definitely show up on a credit check. My comments are not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship, are not confidential, and are not intended to constitute legal advice. Proper legal advice can only be given by an attorney who agrees to represent you, who reviews the facts of your specific case, who does not have a conflict of interest preventing the representation, and who is licensed to practice in the appropriate jurisdiction where the legal issue may be filed or in the state where the law applies.

I agree with the other attorney's posting. Civil judgments, whether through small claims court or another court of competent jurisdiction, will show up on a credit check or through a public records search of civil cases/judgments. They oftentimes will appear on background searches utilized by employers or others as well. If the "background check" only consists of a criminal, not civil, search, then normally civil judgments will not appear there. Finally, you may want to check into how long civil judgments are enforceable in Utah. They may lapse after a given period of time such as 10 years, so check with an attorney or otherwise research that issue. Please understand this general information is not to be considered specific legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.